Are Macs cheaper to manage than PCs?

The Enterprise Desktop Alliance surveyed some 260 IT administrators in large U.S. companies on the maintenance cost of PCs and Macs. The surprising conclusion based on the feedback: Mac computers were cheaper in six of seven computer management categories. The categories are: Troubleshooting, help desk calls, system configuration, user training and supporting infrastructure (servers, networks and printer).

Of course, the survey doesn't factor in the cost of getting a PC or Mac, focusing only on the cost associated with managing them. A typical PC can be purchased for $400, perhaps even lower with the implementation of thin client solutions. In contrast, the cheapest Mac costs more than a thousand dollars.

In addition, there are probably hidden costs not reflected in the study too, namely that of training a PC administrator on how to support the Mac platform, and integration issues such as those pertaining to file sharing, backup and application compatibility, for example.

Overall, the preference of those interviewed seems overwhelmingly in favor of the Mac platform. Are you a system administrator?  What is your opinion on this?

For more on this story:
- check out this article at CIO 

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