While many Apple fans and IT professionals that support iOS devices in the workplace are eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s Apple announcement, a group of Apple in the enterprise experts are meeting at MacSysAdmin 2012 – a conference for European IT professionals tasked with managing Macs and iOS devices in business, education, and other workplace settings. The annual conference traditionally posts videos of its sessions online for free (as does the Penn State MacAdmins Conference that was held in the U.S. this spring).
That isn’t the only major conference for Mac and iOS IT professionals, however. October brings two other major events (one of them free) and there are a number of excellent smaller events scheduled throughout the fall.
First up we have the MacTech Conference in Los Angeles, which runs October 17 – 19. The three-day conference is also packed with Apple-enterprise experts facilitating sessions, labs, and networking events. It’s a great chance to learn, meet collegiate, and even get certified in Mac troubleshooting and administration.
According to the MacTech website, registrations are still being accepted and early bird pricing of $999 is available through Saturday (September 15). After that the registration jumps to $1299.
The following week (October 23 – 25), Mac and iOS management vendor JAMF’s user conference in Minneapolis, MN. The conference is solution-specific. That means it’s primarily a resource for companies, schools, and other organizations that use (or are considering) JAMF’s Casper Suite as Mac and iOS deployment and/or management solution. Casper Suite is an excellent solution (check out our previous coverage) that integrate with and extends Apple’s array of Mac and iOS management tools.
Although the event is largely focused on JAMF’s solutions, its sessions do offer a range of general information, case studies, and best practices for deploying and supporting Macs and iOS business, enterprise, and education environments. It’s also a good networking opportunity. One other selling point is the price as attendance is free for IT professionals.
In addition to these larger events, there’s also the two-day iBusiness Expo being held in Toronto this week and in Orlando next week, IDG’s one-day CITEForum (a scaled down version of the company’s inaugural CITEConference that we covered in March) in New York on October 10, and a range of smaller and more tightly focused MacTech events in various cities.
If that isn’t enough Mac and iOS resources for you, check out our list of free and low-cost training options that can help you become a Mac/iOS IT expert from the comfort of your home or office.
Image: MacSysAdmin 2012
