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A Platform for Developing Mac and iOS Apps in the Cloud Featured

A Platform for Developing Mac and iOS Apps in the Cloud photo of train station

One of the effects of the work at home movement spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic is increased usage of Apple products in corporate settings. Many users are connecting to their office machines from home using MacBooks, iPhones, or iPads. The popularity of the iPhone also makes it a natural choice for employees operating in a BYOD (bring your own device) environment. 

The proliferation of Macs and iOS devices presents an attractive opportunity for developers of both internal and commercial solutions. These machines need compatible software that integrates with enterprise systems to allow remote employees to make use of their personal devices. There is also room for innovative new applications focused on the macOS and iOS platforms. 

Many IT environments lack a robust platform for developing and testing Apple apps. Fortunately, developers searching for a viable method of creating applications for these Apple operating systems can take advantage of a dedicated cloud solution.  

What is MacStadium? 

MacStadium is a cloud solution that enables developers to create, build, test, and manage macOS and iOS projects. Organizations utilizing MacStadium’s services can concentrate on building software and tools without worrying about the underlying hardware.  

Genuine Intel or M1 Apple hardware is deployed for running Xcode and Mac apps. Customers can use generic configurations or have an environment custom-built to their specifications. MacStadium offers Mac cloud solutions that address multiple business needs including: 

  • Developing apps for the macOS and iOS operating systems;
  • Creating Apple compatible workspaces;
  • Supporting macOS and iOS continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment CI/CD pipelines;
  • Integrating a Mac cloud with non-Mac pipelines on-premises or in other public clouds;
  • Enabling startups to enjoy an inexpensive and scalable Mac development environment. 

MacStadium provides three alternatives to cover business use cases.  

  • macOS virtualization - Three different virtualization options fit any organization’s needs. Customers can choose from industry-standard VMware, a develop-focused Kubernetes platform named Orka, and a dedicated macOS virtual environment called Anka.  
  • Mac remote desktops - Addressing the needs of businesses coping with a remote workforce, MacStadium provides solutions for remote and virtual Mac desktops. They offer secure access to Mac resources from anywhere to empower your remote employees. 
  • Bare metal Macs - Running on dedicated hardware, bare metal Macs are available in multiple configurations. Customers only pay for what they use, and can easily scale and customize their solution as requirements evolve.  

Virtually any usage scenario involving Macs or iOS devices can be satisfied with the features available from MacStadium. Developers can now easily create Mac-based solutions without the capital investment in hardware resources.  

MacStadium is an example of a cloud vendor that is not attempting to increase its customer base by providing less expensive or innovative offerings that appeal to the general computing community. The company is counting on the continued adoption of macOS and iOS devices in the workplace and the need to integrate them with other enterprise software and hardware solutions. As cloud services keep maturing, we are bound to see more vendors concentrate on providing targeted services that cover every niche of the computing universe.

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 Robert Agar

I am a freelance writer who graduated from Pace University in New York with a Computer Science degree in 1992. Over the course of a long IT career I have worked for a number of large service providers in a variety of roles revolving around data storage and protection. I currently reside in northeastern Pennsylvania where I write from my home office.

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