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Since its initial release in 2006, Linux® Mint has grown in popularity because it is intuitive and powerful. In fact, Linux’s website says that Linux Mint is one of their most popular desktop distributions, used by millions.
While there is definite value in choosing to use Linux Mint across an organization, it also poses certain risks that IT administrators must consider.
Why Use Linux Mint?
Let’s go over some of the benefits of using Linux Mint.
Often, what it comes down to is the bottom line. Linux Mint is a free operating system with a slick interface. In a world where organizations are often trying to cut costs, that’s a welcome alternative to expensive Mac and Windows devices.
Linux Mint has features that even won over die-hard Ubuntu fans. Here’s what they’re praising:
- Requires low memory usage
- Effective software management
- Feature-rich software sources
Sounds great, right? The challenge for IT admins, though, is in managing a fleet of Linux Mint systems. Fortunately, as technology enthusiasts, IT is usually up for the challenge.
The Risks in Using Linux Mint
Historically, IT admins wanted to use Microsoft Windows systems within their organization because they could easily manage them. The way to manage these systems, of course, is through tools such as Microsoft Active Directory® and SCCM.
But as the IT landscape changed to include macOS and Linux machines, web applications, cloud infrastructure, and more, the challenges to managing the infrastructure increased.
Much like it becomes more difficult to manage a team rather than an individual, a fleet of different operating systems poses additional security considerations beyond those in a single-OS environment.
How IT Teams Can Truly Support Linux and More
WIth Windows and macOS no longer being the sole options, IT management tools — and IT teams — can’t be limited to managing limited systems.
Not to mention, Linux Mint isn’t the only imperative for IT to be able to manage a more flexible fleet.
End users are more demanding and savvy than ever, interested in using the best tools to accomplish their jobs. Forward-thinking IT admins are also shifting their organizations to cloud infrastructure, web applications, and non-Windows platforms due to cost savings and greater productivity.
The result is that IT organizations are now searching for IT management tools that are far more flexible and able to manage systems such as Linux Mint.
What to Look for in IT Management Technology for Linux Systems
Management in modern terms means control over user access and the configurations and security settings of those machines.
Systems flexibility is just the beginning of what a modern organization needs. Need some other directions to ensure that both end users and IT organizations are happy? Here’s a starting point:
- Compliance-Ready Security Features. That means password complexity management, multi-factor authentication (MFA), GPO-like policy management, and SSH key management, and anything that’s important to how your individual organization is set up.
- Easy tool integration. Whether you use G Suite™ or Microsoft 365™ (or both), your management technology should be able to connect all other tools.
- A centralized user database that connects the IT environment. Admins need a controlled, automated environment to manage a diverse fleet. When all users and IT resources are integrated into a directory service, that becomes possible.
- Single Sign-On (SSO). Convenient application access is essential for all users and made secure and simple with SSO.
The good news is that for organizations deploying Linux Mint, a modern cloud directory and device management from JumpCloud’s directory-as-a-service, may be helpful. The user and device management platform gives IT admins full control over the systems through the installation of a lightweight agent. IT admins can provision, deprovision, or modify user access and execute scripts or commands on a scheduled or ad hoc basis to completely manage the systems.
Try it out by signing up for JumpCloud Free. Add up to 10 users and 10 systems to your free account to test Linux systems and all other JumpCloud features.
