Jamf After Dark: Compliance

Solving problems for compliance

A long-time Jamf partner based in Berkeley, California, Ordonez reflects on his early days working with Jamf – going back to before Jamf Pro – when it was called Casper Suite.

Ordonez explains his work as “a nontraditional managed service provider (MSP)”. Rather than locking down IT environments, as is traditionally the case among many IT support firms, he takes a co-managed approach. He works alongside client teams to support and enhance their IT infrastructure and help them meet their compliance needs while providing support for the IT pros themselves whenever a little extra help is needed.

All while Jamf sits at the center of that ecosystem, serving as the connective tissue between commonly used client support tools like Meraki, Google Workspace and Okta.

Ordonez is quick to point out that his team not only manages Jamf instances but also builds custom code and automations within the platform as part of problem solving for unique customer needs within this hands-on, collaborative model that blends IT expertise with flexible, integrated solutions.

Automating updates

Breaking down the conversation into several key themes, namely:

• Automating where possible
• Security baked into each process
• And the pursuit of full compliance

Ordonez shared how Jamf Pro is central to his team’s customer support strategy, driving powering workflows that touch everything from network access to patch management across managed device fleets.

One major area of focus he discusses centers around device trust and network authentication. By integrating Jamf with tools like Okta and Meraki, automating certificate-based authentication for Meraki wireless networks not only secures device access but also streamlines the user experience – a win for both IT and end users.

Another challenge discussed by Rabbit, Garbis and Ordonez was achieving the highly coveted 100% compliance goal. Whether it’s a vacationing employee missing a zero-day patch or a device that doesn’t check in on time, the goal is one that is elusive and often feels just out of reach for organizations of all sizes.

And yet, striving for full compliance remains a crucial driving force that shapes how Ordonez and his team build solutions and measure customer success.

Obtaining customer support

Engaging customers, including management, is a crucial skill for any IT professional to hone. Doing so in a constructive, non-intimidating way, is table stakes to working together to resolve issues in a timely manner. This is particularly critical when speaking to clients with minimal technical experience and/or without a dedicated IT department.

Rather than leading with strict IT requirements or technical jargon that customers may struggle to fully comprehend, Ordonez explains his approach with the pro tip. Tie compliance efforts to something tangible, like his example of the liabilities of the company’s cyber insurance policy. When framed as a necessity for policy coverage in the event of an incident, this line of dialogue helps shift the perspective, with compliance becoming a business imperative rather than an IT mandate.

Jamf plays a crucial role in supporting his strategy. By leveraging Jamf’s API, the team generates what Ordonez dubs as “report cards” for clients, providing them regularly to offer a visual, easy-to-follow snapshot of the client’s security posture and the parity between it and the organization’s compliance requirements. These reports help reframe conversations around compliance into something more engaging and productive by highlighting areas of improvement while spurring data-driven decision-making.

Catch the full episode wherever you get your podcasts to learn how the right framing, workflows and Jamf can make all the difference when managing your organization’s compliance unique needs.