How Apple Technology Can Empower Startups

As a startup, you have a vision to create something innovative, impactful, and valuable for your customers. You also face many challenges, such as limited resources, tight deadlines, and fierce competition. That's why you need technology that can support your goals, enhance your productivity, and give you an edge in the market. 

Apple technology can help you achieve all that and more. With Apple devices and services, you can access a range of powerful tools and features that can streamline your workflows, boost your collaboration, and protect your data. You can also enjoy the seamless integration of hardware, software, and cloud services that make Apple products easy to use, reliable, and secure. 

In this document, we will explore some of the key benefits of using Apple technology for your startup, and how CDW can help you get the most out of it. CDW is a leading provider of IT solutions and services, and a trusted partner of Apple empowering us to help you design, deploy, and manage your Apple devices and services to differentiate and accelerate your startup. 

Getting it right for your startup 

As a startup you will no doubt face a lot of technical choices; from the coffee machine to CCTV, and in between all of this, possibly the most important of choice: end user devices. 

How do they connect, operate and how they can collaborate effectively to drive your growth? 

When it comes to selecting Apple equipment, the decision is more than technical; you have a significant investment in end user equipment, but you also have an investment in staff, and you need these to be the best and most suitable for your business. 

How do you attract and retain the greatest minds? For years, the focus in IT has been to standardise on a single device to help procurement argue for a bulk purchase discount, but this hits an issue. We are not all the same, and treating employees as if they were identical stifles creation and disconnects them with the equipment you need them to be empowered with.  

Employee choice 

A concept that I have discussed many times with customers is about employee choice> Not a free-for-all, but a concept of ‘right device for the right task’. If you are a programmer, you may want a large, powerful machine allowing multiple virtual machines, clear, easy-to-read large screen and a device that will seldom leave your desk. If however, you are a knowledge worker, always travelling, maybe a smaller more compact device is required; one you can open in an aeroplane or train seat and use; easy to carry, fast to start up and reliable.  

These are just two scenarios, but I am sure you can already see the benefit of choice. 

For a lot of companies, the cost for staffing can approach 70% of total operational costs. When you look at financing and enabling these users with end user compute devices, this can often equate to less than 1.5% of an individual’s fully loaded costs. 

When you are investing, you want a return on your investment. With employee choice you help assure the productivity, connectivity and inclusion of your workforce in your startup’s goals, but with Apple and services such as Apple Financial Services, your investment is protected with guaranteed buy back value, which can be front loaded into your device purchase. For more details on this please reach out so we can discuss specific business requirements. 

Apple is a household name worldwide and is the choice of many, especially when attracting graduates, creators and innovators. How will your business succeed, will you break the mould and make your end user devices as individual as the people you are looking to employ and empower? 

Performance and Productivity 

Apple devices are designed to deliver fast and smooth performance, with long battery life, high-quality displays, and advanced processors. Across the range you can expect to be able to run multiple apps and tasks without compromising speed or efficiency, and use features like Spotlight, Siri, and Handoff to quickly access information, control your devices, and switch between them. With connectivity, cloud services can be consumed with ease allowing sharing, collaboration and creation across platforms with ease. For the user, handoff between multiple Apple devices such as an iPad or iPhone allows a seamless and quick way to operate based on the device you have to hand. 

Collaboration and Communication 

Success in a small business requires hard work, dedication and a common goal, but it also requires the ability for your employees to collaborate and communicate with ease. 

Apple devices make it easy for teams to work with each other or customers, wherever they are. From utilising FaceTime for remote face-to-face conversations or iMessage to stay in touch, and with Notes, Reminders, and Calendar you can improve your organisation and planning. Capabilities such as Apple Business Chat allow you to connect with your customers through iMessage directly from your devices, and offer them convenient and personalised service. 

Security and Privacy 

Protecting your intellectual property, your data and your customers’ data is critical. Apple devices and services are built with security and privacy at their core. You can use security features to access and find your equipment; Touch ID, Face ID for authentication and ‘Find My Device’ to lock and locate your devices. You can also use features like iCloud Keychain, sign in with Apple, and Apple Pay to store and use your passwords, accounts, and payment methods securely. These privacy and management settings can be centrally manged and monitored. CDW can also assist you in bringing Apple products into existing management tools amongst them Microsoft Intune or other mobile device management platforms, Identity, MFA and security access solutions, remote access options and application delivery services. 

How CDW Can Help You 

CDW is more than just a reseller of Apple products. We are a strategic partner that can help you plan, implement, and optimise your Apple technology for your startup and our culture drives individuals to think like entrepreneurs, to think with you and drive your success. Here are some of the ways we can help you: 

• Consultation and Assessment: CDW can help you understand your business needs and goals and recommend the best devices and services for your startup. We can also help you assess your current IT infrastructure and environment and identify any gaps or opportunities for improvement. CDW has a payment team that can help you understand your options when it comes to equipment purchase and give you the ability to predict and plan your IT spend with certainty. 

• Deployment and Integration: CDW can help you procure, configure, and deploy your Apple devices and services, and integrate them with your existing systems and networks. We can also help you enrol your devices in Apple Business Manager; a web-based portal that lets you manage your devices, apps, and accounts centrally and remotely. With the correct application of these services, a user can receive an Apple device in a sealed box, as if they have collected it from the store, but fully configured by Apple Business Manager from the point it is powered on and connected to a network. Imagine how simple this makes device delivery. 

• Support and Maintenance: CDW can help you maintain and troubleshoot your Apple devices and services, and provide you with ongoing technical support and guidance. We can also help you update and upgrade your devices and services and ensure that they are always running smoothly and securely. 

• Application and Collaboration: From App store applications being pushed to a device to bespoke or legacy applications being loaded for users, CDW can help you leverage the power and compatibility of Apple devices and services with standard business applications, such as Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, and ServiceNow. We can also help you enhance your collaboration and communication with tools like Zoom, Webex and Teams, which work seamlessly on Apple devices. Whether you need to create, share, or present your work, we can help you find the best solutions for your startup. 

• Application Delivery and Managed Services: We can help you streamline and secure your application delivery and management with solutions like Citrix Workspace, VMware Horizon, and JAMF Pro or Microsoft Intune. These solutions allow you to provide your employees with access to the apps and data they need, regardless of their location or device. We can also help you manage your Apple devices and services with our managed services, which include device provisioning, security monitoring, backup and recovery, and device lifecycle management. 

• Digital Employee Experience and Financing: We can help you improve your digital employee experience and satisfaction with Apple devices and services, which offer superior performance, design, and usability. We can also help you reduce your upfront costs and optimise your cash flow with our financing options, which allow you to pay for your devices and services over time, with flexible terms and rates. You can also benefit from the high resale value of Apple devices, which can help you offset your costs and upgrade your devices more frequently. 

• Apple Enterprise Support: We can help you access Apple's enterprise support, which provides you with priority access to Apple experts, onsite service, and device replacement. Apple's enterprise support can help you resolve any issues quickly and efficiently and ensure that your devices and services are always up and running. It can also help you with training, migration, and integration services, and provide you with best practices and guidance on how to use Apple technology effectively. 

From understanding the market options available to you, to helping build supply and support framework that can grow with your business, CDW offers the services above to help you take your startup through all of its stages of growth and success. 

Conclusion 

Apple technology and CDW services can empower your startup to achieve your vision and grow your business. With Apple devices and services, you can work faster, smarter, and better, and deliver exceptional value to your employees and customers. With choice you create a culture of inclusivity amongst your employees and protect your investments by offering the right choice for the right task and role. You can depend on CDW to help you get the most out of your technology choices, call on our individual services and experience, and rely on our support every step of the way.