Jamf Blog
December 15, 2017 by Isiah Charleston

How to manage and secure multiple technology platforms

Discover why ecosystem management is the best way to ensure a great user experience and streamline workflows for IT.

In today’s organizations, it’s commonplace for IT to be tasked with managing and securing multiple platforms, such as Mac, iOS, PC and Android. While this sounds great for users who are looking to be productive on their device of choice, the burden falls to IT on how to fully support each platform.

Platforms include desktops, tablets, phones and displays, and can go across different types of technologies. Traditionally, each technology and/or platform would include a different management solution and workflow. Certain management solutions work really well with one type, but won’t actually be helpful with the others, which is why there are four solutions instead of one central solution.

Why not just manage them all with one tool?
Unified endpoint management (UEM) is the phrase commonly used when describing this type of one-size-fits-all management. But there are a lot of issues when going down this path.

The most obvious being that there are no real commonalities. Each platform uses a different enrollment program, different encryption model and different management framework, just to name a few.

This method is the equivalent of only having one pair of shoes. While slippers may be great for lounging around the house, they aren’t what you need when exercising or going to work. No matter how hard you try and how much you want slippers to work, there are going to be plenty of times when they just won’t.

Manage each platform as it was intended
We are encouraging organizations to rethink how they manage their devices, and look towards ecosystem management. Ecosystem management means IT uses one solution for one ecosystem. Manage Apple with Jamf. Manage Microsoft with Microsoft Intune, and manage Google with G Suite.

Ah, that’s much better. Now, each platform is empowered by a purpose-built solution designed for those devices. Users get the experience they want and expect, and IT has the tools they need to get the most out of their devices.

Why Jamf for Apple?
As the gold standard in Apple management, Jamf holds a 96 percent customer retention rate, while supporting more than 13,000 global customers and nine million Apple devices. Jamf Pro provides full lifecycle management for Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple TV devices, and allows IT to:

  • Deploy and provision devices leveraging the zero-touch capabilities of Apple’s Device Enrollment Program (DEP)
  • Configure devices leveraging Apple’s built-in mobile device management (MDM) framework, allowing IT to use configuration profiles to enforce passcodes, laydown restrictions and configure settings
  • Manage apps by integrating with Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) to license Mac and iOS apps from the App Store, and distribute them to individuals or devices
  • Inventory devices and create static and Smart Groups; the latter allowing you to search for devices that meet certain criteria and automate management actions to that specific group
  • Secure devices by leveraging MDM commands that can unlock or wipe a Mac, clear passcodes on iOS devices, or enforce FileVault encryption and Gatekeeper
  • Empower users by creating an on-demand app catalog where they can get the resources they need, when they need them — all without submitting an IT ticket

Video is worth a thousand (written) words
See all of this in action by watching the below video. And when you’re ready, take Jamf for a free test drive and see these features for yourself.

Isiah Charleston is a Jamf intern and student at Cristo Rey High School.

Isiah Charleston
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