Managed macOS updates for macOS Big Sur

One of the best advantages of using Apple devices is the free and annual upgrades that Apple offers. Upgrades often comes with security fixes, enhanced performance, compatibility with the systems Apple actively supports, and of course, plenty of user productivity features. However, if you are an IT admin put in charge of managing and maintaining an entire deployment of hundreds or thousands of devices, making the leap to the most recent OS may not be as straight forward of a decision compared to upgrading a personal device.

You will want to provide the latest and greatest OS to your users within the timeframe they expect, in order to maintain the user experience they expect and ensure they are capable of working unhindered day-to-day. But you have to make sure that priority apps are compliant, nothing about the new operating system will break tools, workflows or software your team depends on, your security provider won’t have an issue with the new OS which could potentially open the door to vulnerabilities, and your rollout process is clear and well communicated so your team members are aware that the upgrade will happen and know their role in the process.

While Jamf has offered same-day support for the last nine years, being ready to allow upgrades the very moment Apple releases may not be a possibility for your company, or it may not be something you are interested in allowing.

For iOS devices under the management and supervision of a mobile device management (MDM) solution like Jamf, they have had the option for a few years to delay the availability of OS upgrades for up to 90 days. Any iOS device that is on iOS 11.3 or later can have the ability to upgrade removed and a message displayed saying as such.

This was not an option for Mac…until the release of macOS Big Sur! That’s right. Now, with the release of macOS Big Sur, Managed OS Upgrades is a new feature and a perfect way to make sure that your upgrade season goes as smooth as possible across the full Apple device ecosystem.

This allows you to test your apps and processes on test devices that are not crucial to day-to-day success, partner with InfoSec or security teams to verify that upgrading won’t leave devices and data vulnerable, and communicate the process before rolling it out to your team.

It’s an exciting feature for the organizations that are heavily Mac-based who have not had this ability and Jamf is here to help make sure your upgrade season is as smooth as possible. Don’t let upgrading to the new OS be a stressful time of the year, let us help and embrace the opportunities that come with this year’s release of macOS Big Sur.

No matter how an enterprise wants to manage OS upgrades, Jamf is ready to make sure they succeed. Exciting announcements and new operating systems from Apple should be just that — exciting. Upgrading devices shouldn’t be a task that keeps you up at night worrying about apps, software, profiles and devices not working. The new operating systems should provide you, your users and organization as a whole the ability to dream up new strategic initiatives that streamline your day-to-day tasks while elevating what you achieve with Jamf and Apple.