Across organizations of all sizes, a considerable number of end-users are now preferring a Mac over a PC, when given a choice. Many companies have subsequently begun to turn the shift from PC to Mac into an institutional program. Some of the notable examples include GE, Concentrix, Oath and SAP. GE promotes Mac as the desktop of choice among its 330,000 employees, Concentrix has over 18,000, Oath owned by Verizon has over 15,000, and SAP has over 17,000[i]. Now, companies of all sizes are adopting Macs. For these organizations, two key issues have to be addressed before making the transition: Ensuring that the devices are secure and that the data is secure.
These companies realize that device choice programs help to improve employee productivity. The thrust on bringing in diversity in user computing platforms has also generated a renewed focus on device and data security to ensure that only trusted users on compliant devices get access to user and company data.
With most of these companies leveraging Microsoft’s cloud-based apps, like Office365, two tools have become popular to meet the needs for security in the enterprise—Jamf Pro to secure the device and Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) product Intune to secure the data. These tools make it possible for organizations to ensure that only authorized and known users, devices and apps get access to their data. In a world of extreme collaboration, these tools have become essential to deliver a secure user experience.
The ideal way for organizations aiming to make the transition to MacOS and iOS is to use an integration of the two tools. The integration allows the Jamf Pro to sync the managed Apple device inventory data with Intune and the Microsoft Cloud. For administrators, this eliminates a major headache. It provides a unified view across users, devices, data and their compliance status.
The integrated system allows administrators to go one step further. It arms them with the ability to examine the nature of non-compliance (password being too short, device lacking disk encryption, etc.) and fix it with a single click. In the event that a user or a device is prevented from accessing the data, the system moves the user or device to a self-service app designed to analyze and fix security issues. Using this app, it is possible to identify the reasons for non-compliance and fix those issues in order to restore access to the data. The device can be made compliant with security standards without IT intervention.
The integrated solution can be applied across industries and organizations regardless of their size. These organizations could have 10 users or 100,000 users, they could be national or global—it all boils down to the need for security.
It is quite evident that the number of employees preferring to use Apple devices in the workplace is growing and will very likely continue to grow in the near future. This will in turn require organizations to ensure that the Apple devices meet their security standards. The Jamf Pro and Intune integration will play a key role in achieving this goal.
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Waqas Khan
System Engineer and Solutions Architect
Waqas Khan is a System Engineer and Solutions Architect, specializing in integrating Apple devices in large multi-national corporations. He’s a member of Apple’s Consultant Network and various other Apple-centric forums. He loves playing tennis and watching DC comics animated movies.
