Mac in the enterprise: maximizing ROI through lifecycle savings

Mac delivers lower TCO and higher ROI than PCs, but the real savings come from managing the full lifecycle. Our new white paper shows IT leaders how to maximize ROI at every stage.

Apple TCO: What is the difference in Mac vs. PC costs?

IT decision-makers should consider Mac in the enterprise as a strategic investment.

Mac deployments in enterprise environments deliver compelling financial and operational benefits throughout the Mac device lifecycle.

Due to a high Return on Investment (ROI), lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and a lower Mac lifecycle cost, organizations that manage Mac lifecycles well will find that, all things considered, Macs result in an overall savings per device when compared with PCs—despite the higher initial cost of devices. And they realize this savings even more when using Jamf's device lifecycle management.

These savings are driven by:

• Increased employee productivity due to: Mac devices' user-friendly design, seamless integrations afforded by Jamf, reduced onboarding and training times, and less need for tech support
• Reduced IT support costs due to: reduced downtime, fewer IT tickets and, with Self Service+, more employee autonomy for downloading apps and updating OS version
• Fewer security expenses due to: macOS's built-in security features, reduced need for third-party software, and vendor consolidation with Jamf

Key areas in which Apple TCO saves money

Forrester's 2024 study Total Economic Impact of Mac in Enterprise outlines the cost savings and business benefits organizations can reap by using Mac rather than PC:

• Reliability and longevity: Macs last longer and require fewer replacements
• Lower IT and security costs: Macs have fewer security vulnerabilities and require less IT intervention
• Employee satisfaction and productivity: users prefer Macs, leading to better retention and productivity
• Energy efficiency: Mac devices use less energy to run at peak performance when compared with others

In all, Forrester reported a $547 TCO savings per Mac when deployed over five years. This equates to a 186% ROI when compared with PC.

How does harnessing the Mac lifecycle save time and money?

Onboarding

Simplify initial device setup for multiple devices with Automated Device Enrollment through Jamf Pro’s Apple Business Manager integration. This allows Mac admins to automate placing devices purchased by their organization into management before the Mac even arrives. From there, admins can remotely set policies, configurations, security and compliance baselines appropriate to specific user groups. This saves money and time for IT and for new employees, who then have a fast, seamless onboarding process that allows them to get to work right away.

Management and security

After initial setup, remove human error and late, unsafe updates and patches by automating with App Installers. This saves money and time by increasing security and cutting IT personnel time. As the employee continues in their position, Self Service+ allows them to add pre-approved apps they need to do their job on demand. There's no need for an IT ticket, and there's no wait for the user to dive right into work.

With Apple's Declarative Device Management (DDM) and Jamf, admins can set up compliance adherence on the device level. With DDM, devices can proactively block suspicious activity, protecting organizations from potential risks (and their high costs) at the source.

Offboarding

When the time has come for an employee to move on to another organization or to another position, automating the offboarding workflow can also save money and time, as well as ensure security. Revoking access, closing accounts and reclaiming licenses can be accomplished through pre-sets, and all data is secured and completely removed from the device with Jamf Pro’s lock and wipe. This saves time for IT, ensures protection for company data and readies the device for re-assignment or for resale.

Re-use or re-selling

With the efficiency of MDM and Apple Business Manager, IT can turn a device around immediately for use for another employee: loaded with the apps and permissions they need to get started right away.

Due to Apple's high resale value, smart admins can time resale perfectly to ensure the best price for devices that have outlived their usefulness but would be a boon to another organization.

How Jamf Apple device management increases Mac savings in the enterprise

Jamf's deep and seamless integrations with Microsoft and Google solutions allow IT teams to spend less time (and fewer dollars) manually performing management and security tasks across multiple consoles. Instead, Mac administrators can set compliance policies in Entra for both Windows and Apple devices or by viewing all security data in their SIEM.

Organizations save even more when combining management, security and connectivity for Mac with Jamf. This means fewer (if any) third-party app purchases, smoother operations and the advantage of threat-hunting and protection from a solution purpose-built for Mac.

Real-world savings with Mac and Jamf

Scrive

Scrive is a global electronic signature and ID business. As they expanded quickly, they needed devices that would support their growth. With Jamf and Mac, they were able to provision and configure their devices seamlessly, helping them save time and money.

We save upwards of a day per laptop, as compared to provisioning manually. All we need to get a new employee up and running is to create a username and password.

— Tage Borg, CTO at Scrive

Mac and Jamf: a winning combination

It's easy to make an argument for Jamf-managed Mac devices- not only from an ease-of-use and more granularity point of view, but also from a cost savings standpoint.

When combined with Jamf's award-winning endpoint protection, your organization will save even more through meeting compliance and preventing breaches.