Amsterdam-based MakerStreet is a creative collective with 18 agencies and around 350 specialists. MakerStreet’s agencies all have their own identity, brand name, story and specialty; from brand design to UX-writing, from development to marketing and innovation. Together with their clients, the agencies invent, create and market innovative products and services. With a pragmatic approach and a “don’t bullshit, but polish” mentality. In this way, the various marketing experts of the collective raise appealing brands such as Schiphol Airport, KLM, ANWB, Bol.com and many others to a higher standard.
Need for specialized system management
One of MakerStreet’s agencies is StutIT. Within the collective, this unit, consisting of 3 people, is responsible for network and system management. Wessel Louwris, system administrator/developer at StutIT, explains how they ended up at Root3: “MakerStreet’s network was growing and therefore we needed more specialized system management, especially for security. We started looking for a management solution for Apple, because 95% of the laptops within MakerStreet are MacBooks. We ended up with the Jamf solution and they pointed to Root3 as a partner, because it is a complex solution where help from a specialized partner is desired.” Root3 supported MakerStreet with the Jamf implementation of approximately 320 MacBooks, and it all went smoothly, according to Wessel.
Health Check, the MOT for system administration
Some time after the Jamf implementation, MakerStreet started Root3’s periodic Health Check. This is a workplace management check where Root3 – in MakerStreet’s case – scrutinizes the environment twice a year, remotely or on location. “We as StutIT take care of our complete system management ourselves, but still it is good to have a kind of MOT done by Root3 occasionally, for maintenance and for things we have let slip by ourselves”, says Wessel. In addition, he and his StutIT colleagues find it interesting that during such a Health Check Root3 updates them on Jamf’s roadmap, with new developments, products and features.
Special projects
If special management-related projects are on the agenda, Root3 is also ready to advise and look along with StutIT. Wessel explains: “For example, we are currently looking at Jamf Trust for security. We are a cloud company and that offers the necessary security challenges. With Jamf Trust you can ensure that people only log in to our cloud environment from the right device – so not a personal device – with a strong password and without the risk of viruses. It’s like an enhancement to a VPN. If we are indeed going to implement this, Root3 can watch with us to make sure that all goes well.”
Best practices
Wessel is pleased with the cooperation and communication with Root3, such as the extra education on Jamf developments and the smooth help desk support. But the biggest advantage of Root3, Wessel thinks, is that they can give advice based on best practices, because Root3 has already solved certain issues at many other companies. “We can do a lot ourselves, but that is often difficult for us to just google and solve ourselves. That’s really specific knowledge, which Root3 has in-house.”