Apple
Head Nerds
Negócios de MSP

Adding Mac support, part 1: I’ve never used a Mac, and now I need to manage them

Being in IT can sometimes feel a bit like being a doctoryou’re often called upon to give people the bad news that their beloved computer isn’t going to make it. Other times, people think you’ve performed a miracle just by doing your job and saving their data.

Then, there’s the Thanksgiving problem, where any time you’re at a family gathering, you get cornered by a relative wanting to talk about their tech problems, regardless of your actual area of expertise. Because after all, you work with computers, right?

It can be annoying to always have to remind Uncle Stan about keeping his iMac up to date, but what if your customers are asking? Or your boss? You’re a Windows admin, and you can wrangle the registry into submission with your eyes closed.

Congratulations! Now you’re responsible for managing a network of Macs.

Wait, what?

There’s no need to panic. If you’re new to Mac devices, here’s a few tips to get you started on your admin journey.

Get yourself a Mac

First, buy a Mac (better yet, get your company to buy you one). For the kind of work you’ll be doing, you don’t need the latest, fastest, most expensive machine. In fact, a base-model Mac Mini on a corner of your desk or in a server room, running headless with some form of screen sharing, might serve you best. Keep using your Windows daily driver as usual, and when you need to test an update or package up an installer for deployment, remote into the Mini.

This also removes a frequent stumbling block for those switching between Windows and Mactranslating the physical interface. The MacBook trackpad has no buttons, so how do you right-click? The scrolling is backwards! None of my keyboard shortcuts work now!

Depending on the screen sharing tools you use, most things can be translated automatically. For example, Control-C becomes Command-C (the Command key on the Mac is the one with the funny cloverleaf symbol , and most of your Control+ keyboard shortcuts are the same, only with Command instead). If you’re still struggling or want to get more familiar with using a Mac hands-on, Apple has a site dedicated to “Mac tips for Windows switchers” https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204216.

Related Product

N‑sight RMM

Comece a operar rapidamente, contando com o RMM, projetado para MSPs e departamentos de TI de pequeno porte.

Get together with like-minded others

Next, join the community. In addition to the Apple support forumsand those of your favorite RMM and SaaS providersbookmark these sites for when you have some time to burn and a beverage to sip:

In part two of this series, we’ll look at some key resources for the new (possibly slightly unwilling) Mac admin, so be sure to come back next week!

© N‑able Solutions ULC e N‑able Technologies Ltd. Todos os direitos reservados.

Este documento é fornecido apenas para fins informativos e não deve servir de base para aconselhamento jurídico. A N‑able não oferece nenhuma garantia, expressa ou implícita, nem assume qualquer responsabilidade legal ou responsabilidade pela precisão, integralidade ou utilidade de qualquer informação nele contido.

As marcas N-ABLE, N-CENTRAL e outras marcas registradas e logotipos N‑able são de propriedade exclusiva da N‑able Solutions ULC e da N‑able Technologies Ltd e podem ser marcas legais comuns, registradas ou de registro pendente com o Escritório de Marcas e Patentes dos EUA e com outros países. Todas as outras marcas comerciais mencionadas neste documento são usadas apenas para fins de identificação e são marcas comerciais (e poderão ser marcas registradas) de suas respectivas empresas.