Apple device adoption in the enterprise is on the rise. This presents a new opportunity for MSPs who want to add new and profitable revenue streams to their businesses.
If you primarily consult for Windows-based organizations, offering Apple device management services may sound like a leap that could require additional training or experience. But, with the right tools, your team can provide the same level of quality service to your clients, regardless of which operating system they use.
Although it hasn’t always been easy for MSPs to cross the OS divide, there are solutions that provide the ability to service different client accounts within a single platform. The evolution of these multi-tenant capabilities is part of why Apple services present the next big revenue opportunity for MSPs.
Expand your client base without compromising customer service
One of the major underpinnings of the idea that adding macOS device support to your service offerings can boost your revenue is – with the right tools in hand – your current team can easily support Apple devices, even if they’re not Apple experts.
MSPs who are more familiar with Windows devices will find that Apple device management software doesn’t look all that different from the software they’re used to. In fact, the parent-child relationships and nesting policies are easy to translate for those who are new to Apple.
By adopting an Apple device management platform that was built to support Apple device architecture, you can deliver the exceptional service you promise to all of your customers. Better yet – you can grow your client base by welcoming in new accounts, perhaps even expanding into new verticals that tend to rely more heavily on macOS devices.
macOS devices were built for efficient, remote support
Apple devices were designed for remote networking. This architecture is a gift to any IT administrator or MSP because it ensures that all the information you need to provide support for that device is easy to access and update from wherever you and that end user are working.
This ethos of efficiency and excellence is something that end users experience too, which partially explains why macOS device users are known to require less IT support.
In fact, a recent Forrester report on the Total Economic Impact of Mac in Enterprise found that macOS device use reduced the overall cost of IT support and operational costs:
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- Fewer staff can serve more macOS users: 200 hundred PCs can be managed by one IT full-time employee (FTE), while 500 macOS devices can be managed by one IT FTE.
- macOS users generate fewer and less expensive helpdesk tickets: PC users open an average of six tickets per PC user per year, and each ticket costs about $30 to resolve; macOS device users open 50 percent fewer tickets, and each ticket costs 25 percent less to resolve.
Because adding Apple devices to your roster won’t add as much work to your staff’s plate as the same number of PCs, you can generate more revenue without staffing up.
Do more and drive revenue with automation
There are many ways that Apple device support can be automated for efficiency, but let’s use provisioning as an example. Forrester’s report found that it takes an IT employee 5 minutes to set up a macOS device for provisioning, as opposed to 60 minutes for a PC. Why the huge difference?
Even before a new macOS device is shipped, your team can enroll that device to ensure that once it drop-ships, the end user will only have to open their new computer and follow a few simple prompts to log in for the first time using their employee credentials. Thanks to Apple Business Manager, your team can manage all the software and permissions they need remotely, along with their employee profile.
Once the device is in use, you can do everything from remote monitoring management and remediation to running custom scripts. And all the tools your team needs to manage macOS devices live in one application. As your relationship with each client grows, you can continue to add services for each client without investing in new tools to fulfill those contracts.
Position your MSP for growth in 2021
When much of the workforce went remote practically overnight last spring, many small and medium-sized businesses were pushed to reckon with the fact that they don’t have the security measures in place that they need.
These companies present tremendous opportunities for MSPs that are looking to grow revenue without compromising on quality service and company culture.
While it seems impossible to say where we’ll all be a year from now, Global Workplace Analytics predicts that 25-30 percent of the workforce will operate remotely multiple days each week by the end of next year. And that means that many SMBs will be looking for the right IT support in the months ahead. If you can support macOS devices and PCs, you may just be their pick.
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