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Updated on December 9, 2025
How can you be certain every device accessing your company’s network is secure? For many IT professionals, ensuring every endpoint meets security baselines is a significant challenge, especially with a remote workforce. Without a unified view, it is nearly impossible to verify that every laptop, phone, and tablet has disk encryption enabled, a current OS, and a functioning firewall before it touches sensitive corporate data.
The reality is that security must be conditional. Relying on perimeter-based defenses or initial login authentications is no longer enough. A truly effective security strategy requires linking a device’s real-time security status directly to its access rights. This is the core principle of a Zero Trust architecture, and it is achievable today with the right platform.
The Problem with Siloed Security Tools
Many organizations try to solve the device security puzzle by stitching together multiple point solutions. A Mobile Device Management (MDM) tool manages mobile devices, a separate system handles laptops, and identity is often managed by yet another directory service. This fragmented approach creates visibility gaps and inconsistent policy enforcement.
When these systems do not communicate, you cannot build a comprehensive device posture policy. An MDM might report a device is out of compliance, but if that information is not shared with the directory service, the non-compliant device can still access critical applications. This gap is a significant vulnerability that attackers are eager to exploit.
Unifying Device Posture and Access Control
The solution is to adopt a unified platform that integrates endpoint management with identity and access control. By combining MDM and directory services, you create a single source of truth for both user identity and device health. This integration allows you to enforce Conditional Access policies that make security a prerequisite for access.
Here is how it works:
- Define Your Security Baseline: First, establish clear security requirements for all devices. This includes mandating full disk encryption, requiring the latest OS version, ensuring a firewall is active, and confirming that screen lock is enabled.
- Link Device State to Access: Your unified platform continuously checks each device against this baseline. If a device fails any security check, it is flagged as non-compliant.
- Automate Access Revocation: When a device is non-compliant, its access to sensitive applications and data is automatically blocked. The user is notified of the issue and guided on how to remediate it, such as by updating their OS or enabling their firewall.
This process enforces a Zero Trust model at the endpoint. Access is never assumed and is always verified based on the real-time security posture of the device.
Why Continuous Verification Matters
Traditional security models often perform a single check at the moment of login. However, a device’s security status can change at any time. A user might disable their firewall after logging in or connect to an insecure Wi-Fi network, creating a new vulnerability.
That is why device posture checks must be continuous, not just a one-time event. A unified platform should constantly monitor the state of every device attempting to access your resources. If a device falls out of compliance, access should be revoked immediately, not at the next login attempt. This ensures your security posture remains robust throughout a user’s session.
A unified platform must also natively support multi-OS environments. Your security policies for a Windows device should be just as enforceable on a macOS or Linux machine. Without native cross-platform support, you are left with inconsistent policies and security blind spots.
Implement a Complete Device Posture Policy with JumpCloud
Enforcing a complete device posture policy should not be a complex, multi-vendor puzzle. It requires a single, unified platform that brings together endpoint management and identity access.
JumpCloud provides a unified platform that combines User Endpoint Management (UEM) with Conditional Access to enforce a true Zero Trust security model. With JumpCloud, you can:
- Manage Every Device: Configure and enforce security policies across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android devices from a single console.
- Enforce Conditional Access: Create policies that grant or deny access to resources based on real-time device posture, user identity, location, and network trust.
- Automate Remediation: Automatically block access from non-compliant devices and provide users with self-service steps to resolve security issues quickly.
Stop guessing whether your endpoints are secure. A unified approach eliminates the gaps left by siloed tools and provides the assurance you need to protect your organization in a remote-first world.
Ready to see how a unified platform can enforce your device posture policy? Learn more about JumpCloud’s UEM and Conditional Access solutions today.
