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Published at Computerworld – 9/21/2012

With iOS 6, Apple is positioning its own deployment and management tools as a requirement for some security and management functionality — a first since the company introduced mobile management and other enterprise security features in 2010. iOS 6 offers a set of policies than any mobile management vendor can support and a superset of those policies that require integrating the free Apple Configurator tool into the mobile management process. In this piece, I look at the role that Configurator will begin playing in iOS device management as well as the other policy additions included in iOS 6.

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Published at Computerworld – 9/17/2012

Preparing for Apple’s latest iPhone will mean different things to different companies based on whether they provide corporate owned or managed devices to employees or support the use of employee-owned devices through a BYOD program. In either case, the release is a chance to review and revise policies associated with mobile devices. The iPhone 5 may also be a costly challenge for many organizations with a large iOS device investment because it is the first Apple device to replace the venerable 30-pin dock connector with Apple’s new Lightning port.

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Published at Computerworld – 4/16/2012

The age of security by obscurity is over for Mac users and for IT professionals support for Macs. Now that the smoke has cleared from the first real-world Mac malware attack, it’s time to take stock of what Apple and third party anti-virus and security companies did right and what they did wrong. It’s also time IT and security professionals and Mac users to develop strategies for protecting Macs.

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Published at Computerworld – 3/20/2012

Apple didn’t position the third generation iPad (the first with support for LTE) specifically as a business tool, but the device is still ripe for business use. One particular new business advantage is support for AirPlay, which makes the iPad + Apple TV a powerful presentation solution. Find out what other impact the latest iPad could have in your workplace.

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Published at Computerworld – 2/24/2012

IT departments and the duties of their staffers haven’t changed much in recent years. But the rise of mobile and cloud technologies, the bring-your-own-device trend, and a new generation of workers is already changing the very role that IT plays in business and reshaping the mix of core IT jobs and skill sets. The result is that IT professionals are facing shifts that would’ve been unimaginable a few years ago. In this extensive feature, I highlight the causes of those changes, how they are forever altering IT, and discuss what this will mean for new veteran and new IT professionals alike over the coming years.

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Published at Computerworld – 2/18/2012

OS X Mountain Lion has just been announced with even iOS-like features and much more iCloud integration than its processor. The features announced so far and available in Apple’s developer preview offer a mixed bag for enterprise environments: it adds some very useful features, but its tight integration with iCloud will likely raise some red flags for CIOs and IT.

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Published at Computerworld – 12/29/2011

Despite the death of Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, 2011 was a banner year for the company with record breaking sales across its product lines. Several of the trends that propelled Apple forward will continue in to push the company forward in the coming year. Here’s my look at those trends (enterprise and BYOD adoption, the evolution of Siri and iCloud, new iPads and iPhones, and Apple’s role in home entertainment) and the impact that they will have for Apple and the tech industry.

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Published at Computerworld – 12/8/2011

As more mobile devices flood the workplace, IT needs to deal with an ever expanding list of consumer-oriented smartphones, tablets, and other devices regardless of whether those devices are company-provided, employee owned and supported by a bring your own device (BYOD) program, or are being used for work without IT being told about them. In this piece, I offer some guidelines for crafting and implementing an effective mobile strategy that recognizes that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer an option.

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Published at InfoWorld – 11/29/2011

As Macs become more prevalent in businesses, so does the need to manage them securely and efficiently. Apple’s own management tools are a great starting point, but don’t often scale well in enterprise environments. These enterprise tools help IT deploy, monitor, and manage Macs and Mac software while also offering greater integration with Active Directory and other enterprise infrastructure.

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Published at InfoWorld 10/31/2011

Managing Macs can seem like an onerous challenge to IT professional used to dealing with Windows. In this article, I look at the under the hood of OS X Lion and the mechanisms and processes that Apples offers for managed deployments including Active Directory and LDAP integration, account management, initial and patch management rollouts.

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Published at Computerworld – 10/20/2011

iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S are packed with great new features that will appeal to business users and consumers alike. For IT departments, some of these new features like iCloud, Find My Friends, and Siri present some security concerns. The good news is that Apple gives IT some tools to lock down these features (though they aren’t as granular as one might like). The better news is that iOS 5 offers several enterprise-specific features that will appeal to both IT and end-users.

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Published at Computerworld – 10/6/2011

As I sat stunned by the news that Apple Chairman Steve Jobs, I couldn’t help but think about his life and career, both at Apple and during his time away at NeXT and Pixar. Steve changed the world and several industries more than once. Here are some ways we can draw inspiration from his life for our own personal and professional lives.

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Published at Computerworld – 10/5/2011

Apple’s iPhone 4S launch offers a lot of insight into the company’s vision of the future of mobile technology. The Siri virtual assistant, an emphasis on location-based features, and diversifying the iPhone lineup so that there’s an iPhone model for everyone all point to a strategy that is about personalization as much as it is about hardware.

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Published at Peachpit Press – 9/28/2011

Apple’s iCloud service replaces MobileMe and it offers some great new features, but some MobileMe staples like web hosting, online galleries, and syncing preferences across multiple Macs are getting left behind. Thankfully, there are some excellent alternatives that longtime MobileMe users should consider.

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Published at Computerworld – 8/26/2011

The impact Steve Jobs has had during his second tenure at Apple is so dramatic that it’s almost beyond words. In this retrospective, I take a look at the nearly-bankrupt company he returned to in 1997 and how he transformed it into the world’s most valuable tech company, revolutionized multiple industries, and changed the world more than once.

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