It seems that the tides have changed again with regard to Macs in the workplace, as covered by the Apple 2.0 blog on CNN Money. As noted in the post, "Hell freezes over: Forrester urges IT to support the Mac," A new report from Forrester Research, Inc. urges IT departments to depart from their old ways of banning Macs and to finally welcome them into the fold.
Why? Well, there are several reasons, but chief among them is that top workers in IT are using Macs more frequently, and it's in a companies best interest to support their productivity. Forrester calls these users HEROs, or "Highly Empowered and Resourceful Operatives." They are "the 17% of information workers who use new technologies and find innovative ways to be more productive and serve customers more effectively."
When it comes to securing Macs, the first step is to ensure that users are logging in to their Macs with their directory credentials, which are centrally managed in Active Directory. This first step can be accomplished seamlessly using PowerBroker Identity Services - Open Edition. In less than 5 minutes, administrators can install the agent and have the users, or HEROs, logging in with their directory credentials.
Beyond authentication, there are many other resources available to secure Macs in the Enterprise. Some of these include full integration with Active Directory and extending "Group Policy" that treats Mac users like Mac users. One thing is certain--the percentage of Macs in the enterprise will only continue to grow. IT departments should welcome them but take the proper steps to maintain security and reduce insider threats.
