With 7000 clients and 50 servers worldwide SAP uses JAMF Software to keep operations running smoothly. Oliver Nagy explained how SAP was successful with their Mac deployment by integrating with Microsoft Active Directory, handling user certificate distribution through OS X profiles, dealing with OS X updates and supporting old OS’s, and supporting off-site deployments for remote employees.
SAP, one of the largest software companies in the world, has over 75,000 PC and 7,000 Macs. Oliver told the crowd this morning the process that SAP undertook that now allows all employees to choose whether they want a Mac or a PC. “This project started back in 2008,” explained Oliver, “when our IT manager asked that we conduct a Mac feasibility study.” That study eventually led to a full proof-of-concept in 2010 where they managed their fleet on a single Mac Mini Server.
To move beyond a proof of concept, Oliver outlined 3 steps SAP took: legal review, build a support desk, and develop operations. Olivier explained how SAP’s legal team needed to first review Apple’s EULA and the various Terms and Conditions they needed to agree to. After that, SAP found over 250 employees to be their “Mac Support Champions” and support end users. Finally, they created an extensive wiki and knowledge base to streamline ongoing operations.
With all this in place, SAP now maintains a golden rule of “keeping things simple.” They have one base image, they don’t use internal software update servers, they stick to Apple’s release schedule, and they phase out support for older operating systems. The Casper Suite makes this possible because, as Oliver puts it, “Casper is the most flexible management, inventory, and software deployment tool on the market.”
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