Customer case | MakerStreet

Organization

MakerStreet

Industry

Marketing

Organization size

Large

SERVICES

Health Check

APK for the MakerStreet Environment with the Periodic Health Check

Amsterdam-based MakerStreet is a creative collective comprising 18 agencies and approximately 350 specialists. The agencies within MakerStreet all have their own identity, brand name, story, and area of expertise—ranging from brand design to UX writing, and from development to marketing and innovation. Together with their clients, the agencies conceive, create, and market innovative products and services. They do so with a pragmatic approach and a “no-nonsense” mentality. In this way, the collective’s various marketing experts elevate compelling brands such as Schiphol, KLM, ANWB, Bol.com, and many others to the next level.

Need for Specialized System Administration

One of MakerStreet’s agencies is StutIT. This unit, consisting of three people, is responsible for network and system administration within the collective. Wessel Louwris, system administrator/developer at StutIT, explains how they came to work with Root3: “MakerStreet’s network was growing, so we needed more specialized system administration, particularly for security. We started looking for an Apple management solution, since 95% of the laptops at MakerStreet are MacBooks. We settled on the Jamf solution, and they recommended Root3 as a partner, since it’s a complex solution that requires assistance from a specialized partner.” Root3 supported MakerStreet with the Jamf implementation for approximately 320 MacBooks, and according to Wessel, the process went very smoothly.

Health Check: The “MOT” for System Management

Some time after the Jamf implementation, MakerStreet began using Root3’s periodic Health Check. This is a workplace management check in which Root3—in MakerStreet’s case—thoroughly examines the environment twice a year, either remotely or on-site. “At StutIT, we handle all our own system administration, but it’s still good to have Root3 perform a sort of ‘MOT’ every now and then, for maintenance and to address issues we’ve let slide,” says Wessel. In addition, he and his StutIT colleagues find it valuable that Root3 updates them on Jamf’s roadmap—including new developments, products, and features—during these Health Checks.

Special Projects

When special management-related projects are on the agenda, Root3 is also ready to advise and collaborate with StutIT. Wessel explains: “For example, we’re currently looking into Jamf Trust for security. We’re a cloud-based company, and that naturally presents certain security challenges. With Jamf Trust, you can ensure that people log in to our cloud environment only from the correct device—not a personal device—using a strong password and without the risk of viruses. It’s, so to speak, an improvement on the traditional VPN. If we do end up implementing this, Root3 can work with us to ensure everything runs smoothly.”

Best Practices

Wessel is satisfied with the collaboration and communication with Root3, such as the additional information about Jamf developments and the prompt support from the help desk. But Wessel believes the biggest advantage of Root3 is that they can provide advice based on best practices, since Root3 has already solved certain issues for many other companies. “We can handle a lot on our own, but it’s often difficult for us to just Google it and figure it out ourselves. That’s really specialized knowledge that Root3 has in-house.”