How can Apple get into the Enterprise?

[ArrowSmith]

As long as MSFT has no serious competition in that area, they will be a viable company. If Apple wants to kill the MSFT-dragon for good, they've got to come up with something better then:

Windows Server
Sharepoint
SQL Server
Exchange Server

and how MS Office/IE/Outlook integrate into all that server eco-system. The problem for Apple is they would need to hire a few 1000 employees to create a real "Enterprise" edition and by the time they got ready to present a full solution we're talking a minimum 5 years. By that time MSFT will innovate further. Maybe Apple should stick to the consumer and forget enterprise.

 

[*LTD*]

As long as MSFT has no serious competition in that area, they will be a viable company. If Apple wants to kill the MSFT-dragon for good, they've got to come up with something better then:

Windows Server
Sharepoint
SQL Server
Exchange Server

and how MS Office/IE/Outlook integrate into all that server eco-system. The problem for Apple is they would need to hire a few 1000 employees to create a real "Enterprise" edition and by the time they got ready to present a full solution we're talking a minimum 5 years. By that time MSFT will innovate further. Maybe Apple should stick to the consumer and forget enterprise.

Who says they have to? Who says it's even necessary, given Apple's runaway success in the consumer market? No one's really focusing on Apple in the enterprise. The industry at large is focused on Apple's moves in the consumer sector. It's where all the glamour is, and certainly all the opportunity for making a mark with truly exciting tech. As consumers we can't wait to GET OUT of the office and go home to our Macs and other Apple products. I'm hardly excited about email servers and locked-down versions of XP running IE 6.

I doubt Apple wants to kill MSFT for good. MS makes a great foil and does Apple all sorts of unintended favours in terms of image. Apple specializes in the consumer sector, yes. They don't attempt to completely straddle both consumer and enterprise sectors and then end up looking inept. It's all about what happens when the user arrives home from work or is outside the stifling corporate environment. Apple offers that "glass of ice-water to someone in hell." Very true.

Seems to be working out great. Apple is in no rush to get into the enterprise, but seems to instead adopt a relaxed, back-door approach, relying on users to attempt to take Macs and iPhones into the workplace themselves at their own pace. Penetration via users, not IT departments. It's a novel approach, and is perfect if you simply want to test the waters. A consumer-oriented approach to an enterprise challenge. And Apple is in no rush, preferring to maintain the focus on the consumer sector and making unheard-of profit in the process, commanding the lion's share of attention not only in the tech industry, but from the consumer at large.

There's no pressing need at all to make a big push into the enterprise and that's why we haven't seen one from Apple. Consumers don't really seem to care, either. We're looking forward to tablets, iPhones, etc. We're not really up in arms over Apple not penetrating the workplace. If it happens, fine. If it doesn't, you won't hear anyone say boo.

 

[steve2112]

Who says they have to? Who says it's even necessary, given Apple's runaway success in the consumer market? No one's really focusing on Apple in the enterprise. The industry at large is focused on Apple's moves in the consumer sector. It's where all the glamour is, and certainly all the opportunity for making a mark with truly exciting tech. As consumers we can't wait to GET OUT of the office and go home to our Macs and other Apple products. I'm hardly excited about email servers and locked-down versions of XP running IE 6.

I doubt Apple wants to kill MSFT for good. MS makes a great foil and does Apple all sorts of unintended favours in terms of image. Apple specializes in the consumer sector, yes. They don't attempt to completely straddle both consumer and enterprise sectors and then end up looking inept. It's all about what happens when the user arrives home from work or is outside the stifling corporate environment. Apple offers that "glass of ice-water to someone in hell." Very true.

Your company still uses IE6? Why not just go download some trojans and viruses and save yourself the trouble?

Anyway, I think you are right. Anyone who has looked at Apple's financials lately would see they are in no need to hurry into the enterprise. They seem to be doing fairly well without it. They can do just fine without killing off Microsoft.

I really don't see them making inroads into major enterprise. When you have a large number of employees, paying $1500 per laptop doesn't make sense when you can get similar hardware for $500. Plus, large enterprises are more likely to have all the support infrastructure in place to support a Windows infrastructure. They have helpdesks, hardware repair/replacement, patch management, imaging, etc.

I can see smaller businesses moving toward a Mac environment before a major enterprise. With more services available via hosted solutions and cloud computing, your choice of desktop OS doesn't really matter. When you can have outside vendors host your email, website, and not need in-house servers and apps. Again, though, the cost can play a factor. It's always fun trying to explain to the accountants why you paid $1000+ for a computer when others are available for half that price.

Edit: I was just watching this show called "Welcome to Macintosh" on CNBC. They showed one clip from when Steve Jobs came back in 1997. One of his lines at his first keynote back was something along the lines of "We need to dismiss the idea that for Apple to succeed, Microsoft has to fail". I just thought that was timely.

 

[ArrowSmith]

Except 90% of Apple koolaid drinkers think MSFT "must die". How futile an attitude.

 

[agl82]

As consumers we can't wait to GET OUT of the office and go home to our Macs and other Apple products.

You have an office in your parents' basement?

 

[spinnerlys]

Except 90% of Apple koolaid drinkers think MSFT "must die". How futile an attitude.

Where do you get that number from?

I don't like Microsoft's software offerings (Windows and Office especially), but I don't think they need to die, they need someone with a better vision and not someone who was lucky in college and now sweats and screams like a child.

What would Apple be without Microsoft anyway?

 

[*LTD*]

Except 90% of Apple koolaid drinkers think MSFT "must die". How futile an attitude.

Funnily enough, I don't want MS to die, even though I have very little respect (if any) for them in the consumer sector. But my interest in seeing them continue to be healthy and viable enough to put up at least some kind of fight doesn't stem from any sort of altruism or standard of "fairness" where I treat every corporate entity with the same warm fuzzies.

MS is useful as a foil. As a contrast. And really, because let's face it, a strong #2 for Apple right behind MS in overall company size and OS share is a far more attractive position than having to shoulder the #1 position and cater to every price point, which has proven (at least in terms of business models) to be problematic at best. The "tasteful, classier alternative" position does have its charms, and Apple seems to be exploiting it very well. Even in markets where Apple leads in terms of units, the MS contrast still applies.

I wouldn't mind if all MS products were to get vapourized tomorrow. You won't hear me say boo. But I'd worry about the next company that has to fill their shoes because we might just end up getting . . . another MS.

 

[MTI]

You have to wonder about the "cost/benefit" equation for Apple to seek a larger share of the enterprise server market.

- You'd have to deal with change. Changing out servers and server OS is a risk inherent move and most IT managers are risk adverse. The budget is just as risk adverse. So, in short you have the geeks and the bean counters having to come to some agreement that the change is so great as to warrant the risk and expense.

- How does it benefit either the enterprise or Apple to provide the server technology? Frankly, server technology isn't the segment of the industry that can "turn on a dime." With a smaller customer base than consumer products, the technology tends to be somewhat conservative.

 

[flopticalcube]

With a thread title like that I am surprised no one has made a Star Trek related joke yet. Beam them in, Scotty?

 

[pdjudd]

You have an office in your parents' basement?

Nice ad hominum attack! I’m sure LTD appreciates it!

For the record, I don’t think Apple is interested in “enterprise” just as they are not interested in the netbook market or the low end pc market. Their server products are not targeted toward the big end that MS is good with entrenchment. Lets face it - the enterprise wants and demands Microsoft and they are not all that interested in alternatives. Apple faced the same issues with IBM in the 80s and 90’s and they aren’t going to repeat those mistakes.

 

[ArrowSmith]

Nice ad hominum attack! I’m sure LTD appreciates it!

For the record, I don’t think Apple is interested in “enterprise” just as they are not interested in the netbook market or the low end pc market. Their server products are not targeted toward the big end that MS is good with entrenchment. Lets face it - the enterprise wants and demands Microsoft and they are not all that interested in alternatives. Apple faced the same issues with IBM in the 80s and 90’s and they aren’t going to repeat those mistakes.

Apple isn't even trying to get into the enterprise space. So it's really up to Google, but even I'm not seeing how they will provide a viable alternative to the MSFT Serve ecosystem. Chrome OS + Google Cloud Apps is not that alternative, except for start up companies that can barely spend money anyways. So who is really competing head on with MSFT/Dell/HP in the enterprise space - IBM of course. As always Big Blue is the top dog.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

By that time MSFT will innovate further.

I guess there's a first time for everything, but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for Microsoft to "innovate" anything ... they simply buy out, copy, or steal everything.

As for "How can Apple get into the Enterprise?", Steve Jobs would have to speak with Captain Kirk, but he's always iffy about new technology on his ship.

 

[ArrowSmith]

I guess there's a first time for everything, but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for Microsoft to "innovate" anything ... they simply buy out, copy, or steal everything.

As for "How can Apple get into the Enterprise?", Steve Jobs would have to speak with Captain Kirk, but he's always iffy about new technology on his ship.

So tell me genius, what do you know about Windows Server 2003, 2008 or Sharepoint? Yeah you don't ****, except that you hate anything MSFT related. I know people like you.

 

[Chwisch87]

To put it bluntly, Apple doesn't give two craps about enterprise.

Enterprise, outside of the server market is basically a buncha computers that sits in a office that run one maybe 2 programs. Enterprise is where Microsoft put all their ducks and now they are paying for it because they are still running on XP because it does exactly what they want. Microsoft has had to beg and plead with people to essentially what amounts to nothing less than a corporate hand out to get them to put windows 7 on these computers. They don't need windows 7, or vista. I mean these guys might finally start upgrading these machines but for the most part enterprise is basically a buncha of computers that sit around an office for like 6 to 10 years before they are finally upgraded.

Apple has cornered the high dollar consumer market and had people that upgrade their computers ever 2 to 4 years for the most part. Sounds like a heck of a deal to me.

 

[Consultant]

With a thread title like that I am surprised no one has made a Star Trek related joke yet. Beam them in, Scotty?

Data's bad day =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urcO5OzKwPo

 

[maflynn]

As long as MSFT has no serious competition in that area, they will be a viable company. If Apple wants to kill the MSFT-dragon for good, they've got to come up with something better then:

Who says that apple wants to kill microsoft. Stop being an apple fanboy and see that apple has been moving away from being a strickly computer company to an electronics company, i.e., computers, iPod, iPhone, apple TV. They are not competing with MS in the enterprise nor do they wish to make a serious run for the enterprise.

Microsoft is no more evil then apple is, while they have in the past used illegal actions to further their marketshare, they are a corporation looking to make money. Apple has been accused to be using its dominate position to crush its competitors and/or affect its bottom line, such as artificially altering the price of flash ram.

I like apple products but make no mistake, I don't worship them, they are a corporation that is looking to make money just like MS is.

 

[DoFoT9]

Who says that apple wants to kill microsoft.

SJ DOESNT, thats for sure! we all know that he has said it himself that mac + microsoft want to get on nicely, play along. they really are two separate companies trying to reach two different goals (ok, sometimes they seem similar).

Stop being an apple fanboy and see that apple has been moving away from being a strickly computer company to an electronics company, i.e., computers, iPod, iPhone, apple TV. They are not competing with MS in the enterprise nor do they wish to make a serious run for the enterprise.

apple is and always has been a hardware company. even more-so now with all the devices you just mentioned. the apple OS was just something to sell their hardware.

now compare apple (hardware) to M$ (software), and you get contrasting things.

I like apple products but make no mistake, I don't worship them, they are a corporation that is looking to make money just like MS is.

yup totally agree there.

 

[ArrowSmith]

I don't buy the idea that SV doesn't want to see the demise of MSFT. First off, there were his famous comments about "MSFT has no taste". Then the Mac vs PC ads which ridicule PCs and by implication Windows.

 

[Queso]

Why would Apple waste resources trying to get into that marketplace? If an enterprise wants a *nix they have plenty to choose from, with fully tooled-up support providers coming as part of the deal.

Personally I also don't rate Sharepoint. It's OK, in the same way Exchange 5.5 was OK, but it has a long way to go before it reaches the standard of the other MSFT products you mention.

 

[Thunderbird]

apple is and always has been a hardware company. even more-so now with all the devices you just mentioned. the apple OS was just something to sell their hardware.

Nope. Apple is and always has been a hardware AND software company. The basic underlying philosophy is to sell the bundle, the all-in-one user experience, in order to keep better control of the operational behaviour of the system, and to make things easier for the end user.

I don't buy the idea that SV doesn't want to see the demise of MSFT. First off, there were his famous comments about "MSFT has no taste". Then the Mac vs PC ads which ridicule PCs and by implication Windows.

There's a difference between not particularly liking your competitor and not wanting a competitor.

 

[*LTD*]

I don't buy the idea that SV doesn't want to see the demise of MSFT. First off, there were his famous comments about "MSFT has no taste". Then the Mac vs PC ads which ridicule PCs and by implication Windows.

Does it really make a difference? There's really no point in being concerned about this.

 

[ArrowSmith]

Nope. Apple is and always has been a hardware AND software company. The basic underlying philosophy is to sell the bundle, the all-in-one user experience, in order to keep better control of the operational behaviour of the system, and to make things easier for the end user.




There's a difference between not particularly liking your competitor and not wanting a competitor.

Honestly I don't care for the whole Apple vs MSFT thing. They're not identical-type companies. But I do find it interesting that Apple cultists are more obsessed with MSFT then the other way around. MSFT users simply go about their business and use the best technology for the price.

 

[belvdr]

Honestly I don't care for the whole Apple vs MSFT thing.

Well you've started two threads discussing it. So if you don't care for it, why do you want to discuss it so much?