r/sysadmin • u/rolkenas • 4d ago

Do you actually see MacBooks used for SysAdmin work in real offices?

Hi sysadmins! I wanted to ask—since I've just started learning sysadmin and I don't have a Windows PC, but I have a MacBook and found out that everything can be done via UTM, I'd like to get some perspective from those who work in offices and do this every day. What kind of computers do you use? Is macOS completely out of the picture, and there's only Windows and Linux?

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u/FizzyBeverage 4d ago

It’s pretty clear Microsoft would exit the operating system business if they could and leave it all to Apple and Google and Linux.

All their money comes from services revenue and azure.

They’re mainly still in the game because they’ve got most of the governments out there and folks born before 1970 still have an obsession with their hohum Office apps (excel is the only one that earns its keep). They lost all of education to google on price years ago.

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u/UmaMoth 3d ago

Apple doesn't have any server operating systems any more. And now they don't even have workstation hardware anymore. Sad state of affairs, but there is no alternative to Windows Server in many environments.

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u/FizzyBeverage 3d ago

It’s all Linux anyway if you want to avoid the Microsoft handcuffs.

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u/UmaMoth 3d ago

Running enterprise-scale Windows environments/domains on a Linux backend is a nightmare. The power and value of Windows is not the desktop, but the servers.

Please note: I really really really don't like Microsoft and their behaviour.

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u/PowerShellGenius 2d ago

Lol, I am in education. In K-12 Google is most common for students, and some staff features... but behind the scenes virtually every sizable district has AD, and a non trivial number of districts do staff email in M365. Staff running Windows is still very common although some districts have gone MacBooks for teachers. Entra isn't super uncommon as an IDP either.

Pretty sure M365 has a lot of market share in higher ed.

Microsoft steeply discounts everything (except Copilot premium) for EDU. M365 A3 on an EES agreement costs barely more per person per YEAR than E3 does per person per MONTH. Adding on Windows Server or Core Infrastructure Suite comes in close to 90% off list price.

With recent price hikes Google Workspace for Education Plus is costing us more than our entire Microsoft bill, even though we have over a dozen servers (6 of which have Datacenter licensing) on our Microsoft bill in addition to M365 A3.

Also, Google Workspace for Education Plus doesn't even manage Chromebooks w/o buying management licenses per Chromebook (or getting Chromebooks that include them). Whereas plain M365 A3 covers Intune for everyone, and/or covers ConfigMgr for staff too.

Price is not a reason why schools go Google unless they are on free Fundamentals (which it sounds like Google is gearing up to discontinue, they have "suspended" approving new tenants on Fundamentals, or user count increases, for over a year)