Jamf supports mobile devices for frontline workers

What are frontline workers?

The frontline workforce serves customers or clients directly. From retail associates to emergency services, frontline workers are the public face of their organizations. They are vital for conducting business, building our infrastructure and keeping our communities safe.

Common challenges for the frontline workforce

Regardless of their type of job, frontline workers have much in common. They are generally on the go and away from a desk. They need mobile access to review and convey information from the bedside, the cockpit, the production line or the store floor.

Nurses and doctors

Nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers care for patients, treat them, educate them and support them. They also collect, track and keep safe patient health information. To do all of this, they must communicate thoroughly with each other to coordinate patient care and treatment.

When most healthcare staff are on their feet all day, moving from one part of a facility to another, finding —let alone spending time on— a computer can waste precious time and cause delays in data sharing and data protection.

In addition, some healthcare facilities have single-use or shared Apple devices for certain tasks or types of staff. Ensuring safety, privacy and usefulness can be quite a challenge for healthcare providers without outside help.

Transportation workers

From bus drivers to airline staff, transportation workers constantly change location. This can limit their ability to find and share information while continuing to safely do their jobs. Airline pilots, in particular, have large amounts of data they must carry with them and refer to throughout their flights.

On the road or in the air, most of these workers don't have access to schedules, data that might be affecting service, or other details unless they are in a terminal or at the transportation office. However, travelers often need information when away from these areas and that can also lead to frustration.

Retail associates

Between staying on top of stock to assisting customers at checkout, retail associates are always on their feet and always on the go. Customers are often in a hurry and overwhelmed. Understanding exactly what is in stock at all times, as well as where items are located and how customers can conclude their business as swiftly as possible, can feel almost impossible.

Issuing handheld devices to each retail associate and at checkout can help smooth out difficulties. But how do stores ensure customer and associate safety and privacy? How can retailers assign different levels of access to different types of workers on shared devices?

Manufacturing workers

From factory floors to job sites, manufacturing staff work in environments where access to desks or consistent connectivity is limited. Shared Apple devices with role-based access help teams stay productive and focused. With Jamf, teams get secure, reliable tools that support shift-based work without slowing them down.

Jamf’s support for identity-based logins, zero-touch deployment and preloaded workflows ensures devices are ready the moment a shift begins. From managing machines to following safety protocols, workers can quickly access the tools they need, keeping operations efficient and downtime to a minimum.

How to increase frontline workforce productivity

With all of these challenges in play, how can organizations support frontline workers' productivity?

By supporting them with the best tools to do their jobs.

Automating the process of setting up and then wiping iPads in patient rooms helps to educate patients and free up nurses to care for patients rather than perform troubleshooting. In addition, secure clinician communication via mobile devices can speed patient care, smooth staff coordination and more.

Pilots who can ditch the heavy flight bag and opt for a lightweight iPad, flight attendants who can make point-of-sale transactions and access their airline's portal in the air, and airline mechanics with instant access to digital tech ops can all do their jobs more efficiently with properly managed, equipped and secured tech.

When retail associates can use shared devices that wipe and then load individualized apps and permissions, they're more efficient and their customers are happier.

Likewise, when manufacturing teams can start each shift with a ready-to-go device loaded with the right tools for their role, they spend less time troubleshooting and more time building and maintaining critical systems.

Jamf takes on frontline workers' challenges.

Jamf offers support for frontline workers and their organizations with:

• Safe use of shared devices with single login, Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset
• Access to vetted apps whenever and wherever employees need them with Self Service+
• Easier, safer communication between clinicians and patients with Virtual Visits
• Remote setup, management and provisioning for all employees no matter where they are located, with zero-touch deployment, app management, inventory management and more
• Cybersecurity at any location with zero-trust network access, endpoint protection, threat remediation and prevention and compliance enforcement

Jamf understands Apple, and we understand the demands of frontline work, whether it takes place in airports, hospitals, retail stores, warehouses, manufacturing floors or beyond.