Partner Success

Why it has to be Mac 

“As the device of choice in the creative industry our students will graduate into, Mac prepares our students for professional practice within their chosen industry” says  Kenneth Rea, Deputy Principal of City of Dublin FET College Ballyfermot.  

Offering the best performance, stability, and industry alignment for digital media and creative disciplines, Mac was not only the obvious choice for students, but also for lecturers, tutors and department heads alike where they “routinely use Macs for preparing visual learning materials, conducting demonstrations, and grading digital submissions” according to Kenneth.  

Speaking with IT Manager of the college, John Gough, it is clear that reliable, fast performance and seamless user experience were front of mind when choosing devices for staff and students:

“Mac is high-performance, intuitive, and reliable, allowing learners to focus on creativity instead of troubleshooting” asserts John. “Apple’s user experience and powerful processing capabilities to run industry standard software like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Adobe Creative Suite, gives students and staff a stable and inspiring platform for creative work.” 

*Students at the college are quick to affirm the benefits of access to Mac Labs and MacBooks for completion of all coursework to a high standard:

“I can switch between Photoshop, Premiere Pro and InDesign smoothly without any slowdown” confirm *students at Ballyfermot College.  “Mac’s high-resolution Retina displays are perfect for colour accuracy, which is critical for my portfolio.” 

Keen to ensure that students are fully prepared to move between all systems used in professional settings, the college uses Microsoft tools and Google apps for administrative and document oriented functions, relying on Mac to handle media creation and editing workflows.  

“Microsoft and Google tools work seamlessly on Mac and iPad enabling students and staff to collaborate across platforms with ease” confirms Kenneth. 

Simple Secure Mac Management 

Central to the college’s secure management of their Mac estate is the use of Jamf Pro Management software which allows the college to remotely deploy software, manage configurations, enforce security protocols and maintain consistent updates, all without disrupting student learning. 

“Jamf Pro gives our IT team central control over software updates, security patch deployment, user account management, remote troubleshooting and app distribution” outlines Kenneth. “It simplifies every step from onboarding new machines to daily operations. This ensures that student data is protected on shared devices and every device is consistent, GDPR compliant and always ready for teaching.” 

Not only were the college impressed with the simplicity and ease of management of their Mac estate that Jamf Mac Management solutions bring, they were blown away with the speed at which all devices were setup.

“Initial setup of all 72 college iMac was done in days rather than weeks and we have full visibility of device health and compliance with remote lock, reset and data wipe easily triggered when required. On non-Apple systems, such granular control would require at least twice the time, effort and third-party software” concurs John Gough.  

With students now staying behind after class to continue working on projects knowing their workspaces are reliable, it is clear that it has also resulted in increased student engagement. 

“The college’s iMac Labs run the programs and software I need for my work effortlessly” assert the *students. “Even though I’m working on a shared machine, I know my files and sessions are secure thanks to the college’s Jamf Pro Management system.” 

Getting the Best Value and Support for Mac 

Committed to maintaining parity with global professional studios and creative agencies, Ballyfermot College also wanted to ensure the best value for money when upgrading their iMac labs. 

“As well as competitive education pricing on our new iMac lab, Wriggle were able to offer us significant savings when we traded in our old iMacs while purchasing our new Mac labs” says Kenneth. 

Keen to ensure the security and compliance of their Mac estate, the college were impressed with the expert wrap around Mac Management service Wriggle could offer, all at an extremely competitive price.

“As Ireland’s only Jamf Professional Partner for Education, Wriggle provided us with great value on Jamf Pro Management licences and delivered pre-deployment configuration, centralised management setup, security compliance alignment and ongoing support.” 

In order to ensure that staff and students get best use out of their Apple devices, the college chose to give all students 24/7 access to bite-sized training videos and courses created by Wriggle’s experienced team of Apple Professional Learning Providers.

“All staff and students receive a Wriggle Connect account which gives them 24/7 access to bite-sized tutorials on use of Apple devices and software that they could dip into whenever they wished. This has really increased their competence and confidence overall.”

With over 20 years’ experience working with third level colleges in Ireland, Wriggle were ideally placed to advise the college on sustainable ways to ensure continued access to the latest and best industry tools for all.

“We have significantly gained from cost-savings around energy efficiency, IT resource allocation and extending the longevity and usability of our Mac estate, all with Wriggle’s support.”  says Kenneth.

Student contributors to this case study include: Dean Bolton, Lucy Gorey, Harold Guevara, David Henry, Paul Hubmann and Paulo Pigozzi