Top 10 moments from JNUC

With Super Early Bird registration pricing ending for the 2020 Jamf Nation User Conference on March 11, we wanted to revisit key takeaways from our recent JNUC conference to show what you can expect. Without further ado…

January 17 2020 by

Daniel Weber

Everyone likes a top 10 list, right? Especially when it’s about helping you get better at you do best: leverage IT tools to empower end users. And each and every Jamf Nation User Conference (JNUC) is about doing just that.

Let’s dive into 10 highlights from November’s JNUC.

1. Say hello to Jamf Protect

Following the acquisition of Digita Security, Jamf Protect was officially launched during the opening JNUC 2019 Keynote. Jamf Protect is an enterprise endpoint protection solution purpose-built for Mac. Leveraging native Apple security tools and on-device analysis of macOS activity, Jamf Protect creates customized telemetry that gives enterprise security teams unparalleled visibility into their macOS fleet and the ability to respond and block identified threats.

2. Say goodbye to passwords

Jamf Connect for mobile will allow users to use their iPhone to log into their Mac or Windows computer without requiring a password. This completely streamlines the user experience when it comes to provisioning and signing into a device to gain access to corporate resources through a single identity.

Jamf Connect for mobile and passwordless authentication is coming in early 2020.

In the meantime, watch this session from Joel Rennich, Jamf Connect product director, to see the process in action.

3. Mac enables greater productivity and employee satisfaction at IBM

No stranger to the JNUC stage, IBM CIO Fletcher Previn provided his annual update on the ever-expanding Apple program at IBM. This year, Previn explained how Mac enables IBM employees to be more productive, along with improving employee satisfaction and retention.

  • Improved employee performance: 22% more macOS users exceed expectations in performance reviews, compared to Windows users. Also, high value sales deals tend to be 16% larger for macOS users, compared to Windows users.
  • Greater employee satisfaction and retention: IBM’s research shows that employees using Mac have a higher net promoter score than Windows users: 47.5 to 15, respectively. Also, Mac users are 17% less likely to leave IBM compared to those who use Windows. Mac users are happier with the third-party software availability within IBM. Only 5% of macOS users ask for additional software, compared to 11% of Windows users.

4. Apple highlights improvements for enterprise and education

Starting with a retrospective of how device management has evolved over the years, Apple spoke to new enhancements within macOS Catalina, iOS 13 and iPadOS across four key focus areas:

  1. Security: Gatekeeper for macOS and APFS
  2. Management and deployment: User Enrollment, bringing an entirely new model for BYOD that supports IT and end-user privacy
  3. Identity: New single sign-on extension that makes it easy for users to authenticate across third-party apps and identity providers on iOS 13
  4. Productivity: iPadOS offers great new features for multitasking, text editing and desktop-class Safari

They also touched on the management tools they leverage.

5. Better Microsoft Office 365 management

Jamf Pro can manage native Office 365 settings through the applications and custom settings payload. Admins have the power to deploy from the Mac App Store and take advantage of automatic app updates knowing that they’ll always have access to the latest settings right within Jamf Pro.

6. Apple at SAP program continues to grow

Already managing their Mac in Jamf Pro, SAP highlighted why and how they chose to migrate 80,000 mobile devices to Jamf Pro. With a total of 105,000 Jamf-managed devices, SAP is currently moving their Mac from Jamf Pro on-premises to Jamf Cloud. The process has forced SAP to refocus attention from IT to the user. This change in mentality has helped:

  • Increase user productivity
  • Create a natural focus on how users are leveraging their devices
  • Shift IT from cost-center to business-value driver

7. Jamf School launches globally

As a leading Apple education solution for the modern classroom, we were excited to globally rollout Jamf School so schools around the world can benefit from ad-hoc classroom creation and three powerful apps — Jamf Teacher, Jamf Student and Jamf Parent.

8. Online training available to all Jamf customers

The Jamf Online Training Catalog allows you to choose which Apple management workflows you want to learn. This free resource is now available to all Jamf customers.

9. Making zero-trust a reality

With Okta Identity Cloud and Jamf Connect, organizations can ensure a high level of user trust by unifying identity across apps and devices through a seamless single sign-on experience with Mac. This best-of-breed approach to access management, user management and device management empowers organizations with three unique benefits:

  1. Modern provisioning and authentication out of the box
  2. Sync user identities and device credentials
  3. Passwordless access to business-critical apps

10. JNUC 2020 is in San Diego

Following 10 successful years in Minneapolis — and growing from 100 to 2,000 attendees — we’ve made the difficult decision to move JNUC to the west coast. So, get ready for that same JNUC spirit, but in a warmer climate. Registration is already open. If you’re looking for the best rate, register now.

If this post makes you long for better times with your friends and colleagues, don’t worry. The band will be back together before you know it, and you can always stay connected on Jamf Nation.

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