Reaching new heights with Apple Business.
Since 2012, Vertical One Communications has serviced cell phone towers across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, performing critical upgrades and installations that keep communities connected. What started as a small operation has grown into a 35-person company with crews dispersed throughout the Southwest, often working at remote tower sites miles from the nearest road. As a family-owned business, they view their employees as an extension of their family — and that means equipping them with the best tools possible, even when those tools need to work 200 feet in the air.
50+
2x
2012
As the company grew, managing 50 iPhones, iPads, and Macs became a challenge. Every new hire meant hours of manual setup, spreadsheet tracking, and the constant worry about device failures that could halt critical infrastructure work. It was a real struggle because that manual effort wasn’t scalable for the business, recalls Thomas Christianson, Business Development and IT Manager.
Apple Business solved the scaling problem. Now Christianson manages all devices from one dashboard, and new hires get up and running in minutes instead of hours.
“Our employees are an extension of our family, they are very important to us. We want to give them the best so they can do their best. That’s why we choose Apple products to run our business and empower our staff.”
At remote tower sites, field technicians turn iPhone into a mobile office. Personal Hotspot on 5G keeps them connected to access training materials and capture project photos that automatically back up to iCloud. They update job specs in Excel on iPad and use FaceTime to collaborate with crew leads in real time. Projects started on Mac in the office pick up right where they left off on iPad in the field. The Blueprints feature in Apple Business ensures each role gets exactly the apps they need — technicians get field apps, while office staff get project management tools.
Apple Business gives Christianson a central platform for managing all devices, automated provisioning for new hires, and role-based app deployment — eliminating hours of weekly spreadsheet work. When devices need repair, Christianson approves requests remotely and provisions loaner devices instantly. Using AppleCare+ for Business credits eliminates out-of-pocket repair costs for employees.
“Having a service from Apple to manage our devices felt natural. The built-in device management solution in Apple Business is easy to use and has the user experience I came to expect from Apple.”
The impact is clear Vertical One has doubled in size since implementing Apple Business. The infrastructure now supports 10 percent year-over-year growth. Field crews climb towers in remote locations without worrying about connectivity or device failures. “When we first started using Apple Business, it helped our company at a time when they were growing very rapidly. Today, it has helped us be more efficient and consistent. It’s very scalable for a small business like us,” says Christianson.
Vertical One Communications is connecting the Southwest with the infrastructure it needs. And with Apple Business, iPhone, iPad, and Mac, they have the foundation to scale while empowering and taking care of their employees like family.
Data provided by the customer. Apple was not involved in the gathering or analysis of the data reported.