Remediating security events with Jamf Pro, Jamf Protect and Jamf Connect

Apple security. Two small words that can barely contain their meaning. Combined, they mean something different to each of the millions of Apple admins and Mac users worldwide. While each organization is different and will inherently have differing needs, Jamf and its software products, namely Jamf Pro, Jamf Protect and Jamf Connect, combine to form the Apple Enterprise Management platform, which manages the entire lifecycle of a product from beginning to end.

Regardless of the size of your organization or its industry —anywhere in the world— the combined power of Jamf’s software offerings empower you to fully manage the security of your devices. This allows the users that rely on them to remain productive while safeguarding their data. The combined strengths of Apple + Jamf mitigates risk across your Apple fleet from internal and external threats.

Automating Workflows

While a full description of the workflows involved can be provided, words will not do the workflow automation justice as demonstrated in the session by Catherine McKay. McKay walks attendees through a real-world example of how Jamf Connect, Jamf Protect and Jamf Pro work together to effectively detect, stop and remediate an end-user from unknowingly downloading and attempting to install malware on their Mac.

She explains a full, step-by-step breakdown of each phase in this scenario, with details of which processes fire off when. Working together, not unlike musicians in an orchestra who masterfully layer the unique sounds of their instruments, each task in the automated workflow executes their process with similar precision to remediate against the displayed threat.

And best of all? Sean Rabbitt and Catherine McKay share the secret sauce behind setting up your Jamf applications to automate threat prevention remediation using similar workflows, or customizing them to better suit your needs and compliance requirements.

Tools for Success

The stars of this show are no doubt the trinity of the Jamf software catalog: Jamf Pro, Jamf Protect and Jamf Connect.

Jamf Pro: Performs the heavy lifting for IT, allowing for simplified management of macOS and iOS-based devices. Implementing an effective management system that relies on Smart Groups, configuration profiles, application deployments, inventory data and crafted policies that align with your organization’s needs.

Jamf Protect: The purpose-built endpoint security software that runs like a native app within macOS. This software not only provides visibility into your Mac fleet’s health, but it actively monitors devices, detects threats, prevents known malware and reports back its findings in real-time. Furthermore, when coupled with its alerting features, admins are made aware of out-of-scope changes as they are occurring: allowing triage and subsequent remediation of issues before becoming incidents.

Jamf Connect: Identity management is the core function of this software. It works not only to manage Mac authentication based on user credentials but also works in tandem with cloud-based identity providers (IdP) to provide just-in-time access permissions to apps, services and data assigned to users. This helps them to remain productive without having to wait for IT to fulfill requests for access.

Rabbitt has collected a wealth of information, much of it discussed during the presentation, on his GitHub report for Jamf users who seek to upgrade their Apple device management skills.

Putting it all together

So what does it all look like when it’s working as one cohesive Apple Enterprise Management platform? Like a work of art! More specifically, the endpoint device lifecycle is completely managed from beginning to end with:

• Zero-touch deployment
• Identity-based access
• Curated resources on-demand
• App lifecycle management
• Device management
• Inventory management
• Security management
• Threat prevention and remediation
• APIs and automation
• Industry workflows

Each bullet point provides unprecedented visibility and analytics that allows IT to drive the end-user experience, providing users what they need and when they need it. All while comprehensively securing hardware, software and user data.