apple devices

Are Apple devices in higher ed all they’re cracked up to be?


New information points to ease of management, user preference as driving factors for higher Apple device adoption.

A new survey reveals that that Apple devices may just be easier to manage than other devices–and user preference seems to be a driving force behind higher adoption rates.

Jamf’s third annual global survey of IT professionals on Apple adoption rates covers enterprise, K-12 and higher education organizations.

Ninety-four percent of higher education organizations have iOS users and 80 percent use Macs.

A majority of higher-ed institutions saw an increase in various iOS adoptions over the preview year–87 percent reported an increase in both Mac adoption and iPad adoption.

(Next page: The key areas and tasks where higher-ed respondents said Apple devices outperform other devices)

User preference (64 percent), security (51 percent), and less maintenance (45 percent) are the top three factors driving Mac adoption in higher education, according to the survey.

In higher education, Macs appear easier to manage than PCs on five critical tasks: deployment (65 percent), security (64 percent), device configuration (53 percent), software and app deployment (54 percent), and support (61 percent).

iPads are easier to manage than other tablets when doing the following in higher education: deployment (60 percent), security (52 percent), device configuration (56 percent), software and app deployment (56 percent), and support (53 percent).

Ninety-one percent of businesses use Macs and 99 percent use iPhones, iPads or both, meaning students who are skilled in the use of these devices in college should be able to transition to a similar business environment with ease.

User preference is driving Apple’s penetration in the enterprise, and this demand for Apple is being met through device choice programs. Nearly half of organizations surveyed (44 percent) offer employees a choice between Mac and PC, with the majority (71 percent) offering a choice between iPhones and other mobile device brands.

IT departments are more adept at managing mixed-device environments, and when asked how managing Apple devices stack up against the competition, IT respondents ranked Mac and iOS devices as easy, if not easier, to manage than other device brands.

“Not only is Apple gaining momentum in the enterprise due to user preference, but IT is finding that with the right mobile device management solution, Mac, iPhone and iPad are easier to manage and enable a better overall experience for users,” said Dave Alampi, vice president of product management and marketing, Jamf.

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Laura Ascione

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