With Apple MDM in JumpCloud, Remote Security for macOS Happens in Clicks

JumpCloud just added Apple Mobile Device Management (MDM) to the JumpCloud Admin Portal to give IT admins a hassle-free way to secure their fleets of Macs^®.

MDM fits right in as a part of JumpCloud’s cloud directory platform, providing deeper Mac system management that can be accomplished in a few clicks. Read this blog by Technical Product Manager Scott Reed to learn how to get started using our macOS MDM, and read on here to understand why we made building our MDM feature a top priority this quarter.

Building Better System Management

Since March, our conversations with customers have had a different tone. IT teams at organizations gearing up for the shift to support a fully remote workforce wanted to know if JumpCloud’s Directory-as-a-Service^® would be able to help them get through this unprecedented pandemic.

The short answer is yes, we’re well suited to support organizations making this shift (don’t just take my word for it: read about Doublestruck’s remote-work transition with JumpCloud).

To help organizations overcome whatever challenges they were facing, we re-assessed our roadmap and accelerated features that solved admins’ critical needs, chief among them making sure their employees can safely work from home without disruption.

Any IT admin’s credo is to secure their employee devices and, in doing so, protect company data and resources. Those devices could be Windows^® laptops, Linux^® servers or Apple devices. Joining Apple MDM is something any admin with Apple products in their fleet needs. JumpCloud is now an Apple-certified MDM vendor, and macOS MDM is now a seamless function of JumpCloud’s system management capabilities offered at no extra charge for companies on JumpCloud’s Free and Pro plans. JumpCloud’s first release of Apple MDM includes four remote security commands that admins can enforce with a click from the Admin Portal: device wipe, lock, shutdown, and restart.

In a Remote Work Reality, Security Can’t be Second Class

Once a JumpCloud-managed system is enrolled in Apple’s MDM, these commands equip JumpCloud admins with the ability to secure a user’s Mac in the event it’s lost or stolen, anywhere it may be.

Security is something that can’t be sacrificed, even when it’s business as usual. Today, when teams are working from any corner of the globe, it’s even more critical that IT admins feel empowered to protect their end users regardless of location.

Made to be as Easy as it’s Powerful, From a Single Platform

The addition of Apple MDM deepens JumpCloud’s cross-platform system management capabilities from a single pane of glass: the JumpCloud Admin Portal.

The portal is designed to be a one-stop shop for different OS governance capabilities. Beyond MDM, JumpCloud’s remote device management functionalities give administrators a suite of options, like:

• System access and permissions control 
• Device multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password management
• Device security policy configurations for Mac, Windows, and Linux 
• Full disk encryption with secure recovery key escrow
• Device-level Insights for host and application asset inventory and threat detection

For companies managing multiple OSs (as more do today than ever before), JumpCloud allows customers to reduce their vendor footprint and take care of device management and access control from one console. That can be especially helpful now, when many companies are trying to conserve as much budget as possible until the economy stabilizes. 

It’s a difficult decision to make, but JumpCloud’s all-in-one platform might make it a little easier for businesses to cut costly point solutions and trim contracts.

What’s Next?

We’ll continue expanding the MDM functionality available to leverage in the Admin Portal, alongside other features that’ll better enable IT teams to gain total control over Mac, Windows, and Linux desktops, laptops, and servers.

If you’re not a JumpCloud customer yet but would like to try out our MDM, you can set up a free account for up to 10 users and systems for a no-obligation test drive of MDM and the whole cloud directory platform.

When you do, tell us what you think directly from the Admin Portal’s MDM tab. Your feedback could help shape the future of JumpCloud’s MDM.

If you’re looking for more MDM resources we recommend:

• The JumpCloud MDM Knowledge Base article for all feature how-to info
• Our on-demand webinar on Zero Touch MDM Enrollment
• Joining us for our June 5 JumpCloud Office Hours, where we’ll talk more about MDM with Technical Product Manager Scott Reed