Apple @ Work is exclusively provided by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates all the necessary solutions to deploy, manage, and secure Apple devices in the workplace seamlessly and automatically on a single professional-grade platform. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to effortlessly and cost-effectively make millions of Apple devices operational. Request your EMPOWERED TRIAL today and understand that Mosyle has everything you need to work with Apple.

In the last decade, the strategy for many IT departments was simple: move everything to the cloud to reduce costs. Speed of execution, fewer disruptions, and less maintenance were promised, but as we approach 2026, the reality looks a bit different for some teams. Parallels has just released the 2026 Cloud Computing Status Survey. The results show that as teams realize they are starting to enter vendor lock-in, they are hitting the brakes on the "cloud at all costs" mentality.

About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. With experience in deploying and managing firewalls, switches, mobile device management systems, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, thousands of Macs, and thousands of iPads, he will highlight how Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, share stories from the front lines of IT management, and suggest ways Apple can improve its products for IT departments.

Fear of Vendor Lock-in

The most striking figure from the report is that 94% of organizations are concerned about vendor lock-in. This statistic confirms much of what I have heard from IT teams. SaaS has worked great, but constant license increases across all your tools have pushed your costs to a point where teams are starting to question their ROI. As I have started receiving license renewals for the tools I manage at work, I find myself in the same situation. What was initially a three-digit purchase has shifted to a four-digit number.

Almost half of the respondents indicated that they are "very concerned" due to main reasons such as unclear product roadmaps and future support concerns. This indicates the end of the era of blindly trusting a single platform vendor. IT directors are now prioritizing architectures that offer an exit strategy when pricing or features go awry. The AI era is certainly not helping.

AI: Transition from Hype to Help

In 2025, everyone was trying to figure out their "AI Strategy." By 2026, the dust has settled, and the survey found that organizations are no longer interested in AI for its own sake. They want to reduce tedious tasks. The data from the survey reveals:

  • 47% prioritize AI for issue detection
  • 41% want automated application patching
  • 39% request a reduction in administrative burdens

Significantly, only 29% of respondents are willing to pay extra for these features. This sends a clear signal to vendors: do not add a chatbot and charge premium pricing. Develop automations that genuinely save a team's time; otherwise, they won't buy. There are many places where AI has helped me open fewer support requests in my tools, but this is really saving my suppliers more than it is saving me costs. I am very curious about what will happen here in the next 24 months.

VDI Fatigue is Real

For Mac administrators, VDI can be a necessary evil to deliver Windows applications to macOS users, but operational costs are becoming a burden. The survey found that 85% of organizations spend 1 to 10 hours a week managing their VDI environments. This "hidden cost" is changing personnel time. Two-thirds are actively looking for a new VDI or DaaS solution, and more than half plan to transition within the next six months.

New Standard: Hybrid

Perhaps the biggest turnaround is the shift away from solely cloud strategies. Nearly half of respondents (49%) are actively considering or planning to return to on-premises or hybrid models. The drivers for this are exactly what you would expect: cost fluctuations and data sovereignty.

When you combine security breaches (almost half of survey participants experienced one last year) with rising cloud computing costs, the pendulum swings back to a balanced approach. IT teams are not abandoning the cloud, but they are becoming more selective about what will live there. Hybrid is certainly the future and will provide long and medium-term flexibility as SaaS tools try to monetize their AI features by raising prices.

Download the full survey for more information.

Apple @ Work is exclusively provided by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates all the necessary solutions to deploy, manage, and secure Apple devices in the workplace seamlessly and automatically on a single professional-grade platform. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to effortlessly and cost-effectively make millions of Apple devices operational. Request your EMPOWERED TRIAL today and understand that Mosyle has everything you need to work with Apple.