Hauserpartner: Mac mini for MDM, Mac Pro for power

From large household brands to innovative startups around the world, MacStadium customers are using dedicated Mac minis in the cloud for so many different types of projects. Once such innovative customer is German-based hauserpartner - whose Head of Innovation needed a way for his team to collaborate better while working across platforms.

About hauserpartner

hauserpartner is an architecture, urban, and interior design firm located in Germany. The firm employs 37 people in multiple disciplines, and their clients range from the private sector to education to government. The cross-functional team can design a project from the outside-in—taking into account the external environment, building design, and interior experience.

The team utilizes a mix of both Mac and Windows machines in their day-to-day workflow. Two years ago, Ruben Hauser joined as Head of Innovation and began re-envisioning how the team works and collaborates.

Team and Workflow

Over the past two years, the team has been transitioning to a cloud-based and mobile device workflow, innovating in a field that embraces analog methods of bringing ideas to life. Moving to cloud storage and file-sharing and adding iPads as a design tool has enabled the team to be more resilient in the changes brought on by COVID-19. Maintaining platform and work style flexibility has been critical to helping the change be a welcomed addition to the workflow.

Ensuring that machines are secure, configured, up-to-date, have the required software, and can be managed remotely is also a pre-requisite to having a happy and productive team.

Mac mini for MDM, Mac Pro for power

“I am using an iPad Pro as my main device, so I needed some kind of real Mac hardware to manage deployments,” Hauser said.

Having a Mac mini in the cloud enables profile management and software testing that allows Ruben to work from anywhere. His Mac mini at MacStadium is always on, always connected, and available to manage configurations on his deployed devices 24/7.

With device management, the transition to touch devices, and cloud storage handled, Hauser has begun thinking about maintaining remote computing capacity for his team to call upon as needed. The latest generation of architecture software can take in lots of data about environmental aspects and building materials to simulate energy consumption, make recommendations on design improvements, or even design the building through generative design. Having remote computational power will allow the team to work more flexibly and run simulations in the cloud while continuing to do other tasks.

This remote render capability is familiar to animation studios and filmmakers. Remote rendering is a capability built into selected CAD, and rendering machines can be added to and configured by the MDM server.

Working with MacStadium

“I booked the Mac mini, logged in, and attached it to the MDM. It started downloading packages, and that’s it. It was done. I restarted the Mac mini and was greeted with our G Suite single sign-on.” Hauser said. “And that’s it, I had my usual macOS desktop for daily business.”

Combining the simplicity of deployment with the configuration capabilities of MDM and the data center connection speeds provided by MacStadium allows Ruben to maintain and test two versions of macOS from his iPad.

In Good Company

Similar to hauserpartner, the need for a platform to test on multiple versions of macOS is a very common use case for many of our cloud customers. We look forward to hearing more from Ruben as he extends his designer’s capabilities with remote rendering capabilities. Have a similar story to tell? Let us know!

(photos courtesy of Marcus Wend, hauserpartner)