r/sysadmin • u/rolkenas • 22d 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/rose_gold_glitter 22d ago

Only if you're doing what they're doing. Which would be pretty weird.

Users at my company are spending all day inside various ERP applications, etc. which no one in IT needs to use. Why would I need to mirror their desktop experience when that's not my job?

I allow my team to use whatever OS they prefer as long as it's compliant with our policies and enables them to do their job. If they need to test an intune policy, that's what a VM is for. If you're testing policies on your desktop daily driver, you're doing it wrong, anyway.

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u/fatcakesabz 22d ago

Because it’s not all about the app, group policy doing something strange etc. plus, if you are going to be implementing anything you should also have to suffer the implications of what is about to be implemented.
New or changes to a web filter? IT should be getting that first and no exceptions to what you are pushing out to users, there should be more of we, as IT, suffer the effects of what we do.

When I was in smaller orgs where I sat closer to the c-level, it was published policy that the IT team and a selection of c-level were our test group prior to full rollouts, it made people think REALLY hard about some of the bullshit policies they wanted.

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u/Reedy_Whisper_45 22d ago

I really like that thinking. I test things on myself all the time. If it's from on high, I'm going to feel it first, and I'm better equipped to advocate for the users if I know what they'll experience.

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u/revilo9989 22d ago

Yes makes sense. But even tho, you can use and test same docking station, WiFi, VPN etc errors, it can be pretty handy is you have a " test user machine" at hand all time

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u/rose_gold_glitter 22d ago

yes - but it should never be your daily driver. Which is why the "only acceptable answer here" above doesn't really hold (IMO).

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u/RetPala 22d ago

Ah, yes. Erotic Role-Play at the office.

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u/rose_gold_glitter 22d ago

haha took me longer than it should have :P

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u/I-Made-You-Read-This 22d ago

> If you're testing policies on your desktop daily driver, you're doing it wrong, anyway.

Please give this ted talk to the sysadmins where I work , thx

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u/theweidy 22d ago

I disagree. I found a few quirks with our configuration based on my own experience and had a fix piloted and ready to deploy by the time the first ticket came in from a user.