JAMF Software Releases Casper Suite 8.5, Featuring Comprehensive Distribution Capabilities

MINNEAPOLIS April 16, 2012 – JAMF Software, developers of the Casper Suite, a collection of client management applications for Mac OS X computers and iOS mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones, has announced an updated version of the software. Casper Suite 8.5 features expanded management capabilities for the many organizations that are rapidly adopting iOS devices, particularly those education organizations that are adopting digital textbooks. In addition, JAMF Software has continued to build on its comprehensive toolset for Mac OS X management, introducing significant new OS X management capabilities to the Casper Suite.

Casper Suite 8.5 allows IT administrators to manage both iOS devices and Macs in a single console, ensuring a best-of-breed experience for both administrators and end users. Because JAMF Software focuses exclusively on management for the Apple platform, the Casper Suite features the most comprehensive feature set for management of both iOS devices and Macs, and integration with the largest array of native Apple technologies.

Casper Suite 8.5 introduces unique new features

Deep integration and a singular focus on the Apple platform allows JAMF Software to introduce a number of unique new capabilities in Casper Suite 8.5 that are not found in other management solutions:

  • eBook distribution to end users for multiple eBook formats including iBook, ePub and PDF
  • Super-fast imaging of Mac OS X computers (particularly MacBook Airs) using Thunderboltconnections, achieving a speed improvement of up to 10x
  • Integration with Apple’s Configurator application for management of iOS devices
  • Increased integration with Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) for bulk purchasing of App Store apps and iBookstore eBooks

Digital textbooks and Apple technologies in the classroom

JAMF Software has a long history of helping educational organizations succeed with Apple technologies and is well-known for a dedicated focus on supporting the Apple platform. Following Apple's announcement about enhanced iBook capabilities, JAMF Software is uniquely positioned to help educational institutions make the successful transition to large-scale distribution of Apple’s new digital textbooks.

“Over the past decade, we have had the privilege of working closely with thousands of educational organizations as they adopt Apple technologies on a large scale,” said Chip Pearson, Managing Partner at JAMF Software, developers of the Casper Suite. “With Apple's announcement about iBooks Author and addition of interactive capabilities to iBooks, we're thrilled to work with our education and business customers to help them take advantage of this new technology quickly and efficiently. This may be one of the most ground-breaking new education technologies to be introduced in years, and the possibilities are very exciting.”

Helping the enterprise succeed with the Apple platform

With the growing success and rapid evolution of the Apple platform, many organizations are either considering Macs and iOS devices as replacements for their existing technology or growing their deployments year over year. The Casper Suite is the only client management solution developed exclusively for the Apple platform, allowing JAMF Software to keep pace and incorporate new capabilities with each release of Apple’s operating system software.

“As Apple releases new technologies at an increasing pace for both iOS and OS X, JAMF Software is committed to leveraging and integrating with these new technologies so that customers can begin using them as quickly as possible,” said Pearson. “We were the first to release support for Apple’s Volume Purchase Program for iOS devices, and we are excited to announce the first comprehensive support for eBook distribution and integration with Apple Configurator. We will continue to enhance, extend, and augment Apple technologies as they are introduced, ensuring that IT organizations are prepared to seamlessly integrate and manage the Apple platform as it evolves.”

Casper Suite 8.5 is another significant step towards JAMF Software’s principle of unification and extensibility of existing infrastructure to help organizations succeed with Mac OS X and iOS in the enterprise. With this release, the Casper Suite continues to offer deeper integration with the Apple ecosystem, while enabling IT departments to manage increasing numbers of Macs and iOS devices with their existing infrastructure.

For additional information about Mac and iOS management using the Casper Suite, please visit the JAMF Software website:

https://www.jamf.com/products/jamf-pro/

About JAMF Software

JAMF Software, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, is the creator of the Casper Suite, the only suite of Mac OS X and iOS management software developed exclusively for the Apple platform. As the best-of-breed management solution, the Casper Suite provides a great breadth and depth of functionality for IT administrators including software distribution, imaging, inventory, package building, image management, remote updates, mobile device management, and a powerful framework for automated support.