Leads.io

Step by Step from Windows to Apple

Kay Lakeman is Team Lead Software Engineering at Leads.io’s headquarters in Hoorn. Before working with Root3, Leads.io (then operating under a different name) used a Windows environment with Citrix, but there were many complaints about it from within the organization.

“We were still small and were about to open our first office abroad, in Toronto,” says Kay. “Our vendor at the time told us we’d have to purchase expensive servers if we wanted that same Windows and Citrix IT setup in Toronto as well. The CEO was already ‘secretly’ using a MacBook himself at the time—probably because he thought it was a nice device—and decided to give the people in Canada MacBooks as well.”

To manage those MacBooks, Kay initially started using Apple’s own management software, but it wasn’t sufficient. So he began looking for a better solution for Leads.io and, in 2018, ended up with Jamf and eventually partnered with Root3.

“I had a meeting with Root3, and it went well. We immediately got started with Jamf Pro and the Health Check. Our consultant was a great guy—it was really fun having Root3 at our office. From that point on, we worked with Root3 to make the switch from Windows to Apple, step by step, across the entire organization. And now, for a few years now, everyone here has been working exclusively on Macs.”

Time Savings and Expertise

Root3’s portfolio has evolved, and today Leads.io uses what Root3 calls its “Premium Services,” including the virus scanner, endpoint protection, Zero Trust Network Access, and the App Catalog solution, which ensures that all apps in use are always up to date. When Kay looks at the advantages of the current situation compared to the Windows era, the solution delivers, among other things, time savings.

“Back then, the organization was still small, and two people were handling the management. Now, one person on my team is responsible for day-to-day workplace management.” Kay says the collaboration with Root3 has gone very well. “Overall, the experience has been positive. With the Premium Services, someone with expertise visits our office every six weeks, which helps tremendously. We gather the issues and questions beforehand to go through them that day, and we occasionally work on projects together. For example, Root3 helped us set up Google Workspace with a partner.”

Looking ahead, Kay expects the Leads.io organization to continue growing. When new employees join, it’s also nice that the onboarding process goes smoothly.

“We recently started using Zero Touch Deployment, which allows employees to set up their own devices in just a few intuitive steps.”