Infrastructure Slideshow:
Apple's Mac Versus Microsoft's PC in the Enterprise

Whenever anyone talks about enterprise computing, the discussion typically shifts to Microsoft and Windows. After all, the software giant’s operating system has long been the dominant force in the corporate world. And, aside from Windows Vista, each new version of the software has proven to be extremely successful on a corporate level. When Apple products get discussed in the enterprise at all, the conversation usually centers around the popular iPhone smartphone and iPad tablet, not the relatively prosaic Mac desktops and notebooks. However, a new study from the Enterprise Desktop Alliance could drastically change the conversation. The organization recently released results from a survey showing that, while the Mac's share of enterprise computing remains very small, there has been a dramatic rise in business deployments since 2009. (Despite the organization's name, the study looks at desktop and notebook computers). Some 460 IT administrators from business and government organizations with hundreds of system disclosed their expectations in an online survey conducted in May and June 2010. Respondents represent a total of 3.2 million computers in 2009, growing to 3.5 million in 2011. The median respondent had 400 desktops and 200 laptops in their organization in 2010.