{"id":108739,"date":"2024-04-12T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/?post_type=resource&p=108739"},"modified":"2024-06-25T14:35:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T18:35:47","slug":"xceptional-uses-jumpcloud","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/resources\/xceptional-uses-jumpcloud","title":{"rendered":"Xceptional improves SMB clients\u2019 cybersecurity posture using JumpCloud"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Xceptional<\/a> is a premier technology solutions partner that brings enterprise discipline, technology, knowledge, and engineering capabilities to small- and mid-sized businesses. The company, which was founded in 2007 and has 21 employees, has offices in San Diego, California and Longmont, Colorado, with some team members working remotely. Xceptional is a JumpCloud partner<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing a cloud-based solution for identity and device management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a premier technology solutions partner, Xceptional is laser-focused on providing the best IT services to clients as possible and helping them secure their systems and strengthen their cybersecurity posture. To this end, the team is always on the lookout for modern solutions to IT challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Xceptional made the first acquisition<\/a> in its 15-year history, gobbling up Colorado-based Altitude Integrations, a managed services provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey had this cloud-focused, cloud-first business, which was attractive when we first started evaluating them as a candidate for acquisition because we were still a hybrid between a more traditional, on-premises model,\u201d says Chris McKewon, Xceptional\u2019s founder and CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Xceptional team continued evaluating the potential acquisition target, they learned about JumpCloud, which Altitude was using to manage identities and devices for clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of our customers need to be more nimble and flexible or need to remove their current dependencies on on-premises infrastructure, like Active Directory,\u201d McKewon continues. \u201cAltitude\u2019s cloud-first approach added more seriousness to my interest in the acquisition, and we ultimately decided to get the deal done.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implementing JumpCloud training as a requirement for service desk employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After hearing about JumpCloud, McKewon\u2019s interest was piqued and he began learning more and more about the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went and got certified<\/a> right away so that I could speak about it with authority,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McKewon no doubt loved what he learned. Today, his employees have to follow that same path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery member of our service desk team is now required to get trained and certified on JumpCloud. That\u2019s a pretty big shift in a year-and-a-half, right?\u201d McKewon says. \u201cI think we\u2019ll see more and more adoption and deployment of JumpCloud for customers who need identity management and device management rather than legacy or traditional products.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optimizing client IT footprints with JumpCloud, a \u2018one-stop shop for technology solutions partners\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over the last 18 months, JumpCloud has become a key piece of Xceptional\u2019s product offerings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are leading with it; it\u2019s included in our bundled solution,\u201d McKewon explains. \u201cXceptionalCare Complete comes not only with managed detection and response and user security awareness training, but also a JumpCloud license. We\u2019re excited about that. We want to sell more of that and we want to help our clients get started on a good cybersecurity journey.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, Xceptional offers two phases of JumpCloud deployment; phase one includes identity and device management, and phase two expands the JumpCloud footprint from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter we\u2019ve imported users into the environment, that\u2019s our springboard to look at policy management<\/a> and patch management<\/a> and access management<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Device management made easy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a premier technology solutions partner, Xceptional manages a diverse mix of environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s education, high tech, or science, it\u2019s usually going to be all Mac or mostly Mac with a couple of Windows machines,\u201d he says. \u201cFor general businesses, though, we\u2019re seeing more market share going in the direction of Windows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether clients are all-Mac, all-Windows, or somewhere in between \u2014 or whether there are any Linux machines in the mix, for that matter \u2014 the Xceptional team can manage all devices using JumpCloud\u2019s device management<\/a> capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity management simplified<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether clients use Google or Microsoft as a business productivity suite, JumpCloud streamlines identity management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoogle and JumpCloud<\/a> complement each other nicely,\u201d McKewon explains. \u201cBut even in a Microsoft environment with 365, Intune might not meet their needs, and JumpCloud is a nice complementary fit to that as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improving security with policies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many of the clients Xceptional works with have nascent security policies \u2014 if they have anything in place at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce we\u2019ve taken care of identity and device management, we start developing policies that are reasonable and up to standards but not too disruptive to their end users,\u201d McKewon continues. \u201cThen we figure out how to enforce compliance against those policies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upselling made easy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Xceptional deployed JumpCloud to a client\u2019s end users but not to their devices. At the time, the client didn\u2019t have any device policies in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were going through a cybersecurity questionnaire with them, and we said JumpCloud can do this, JumpCloud can do that, JumpCloud can also do that,\u201d McKewon says. \u201cSo, it was easy to get them to transition from phase one to phase two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the client was in the process of getting cyber insurance. The provider gave them coverage for 90 days, but the company needed to implement several security controls for coverage to continue after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey said, \u2018We want you to deploy all these JumpCloud technologies to our environment to make us compliant so we can keep our cybersecurity insurance,\u2019\u201d McKewon explains. \u201cThere was a clear need, a clear solution, and just a little bit of professional services to get them there. Happy client, happy cyber insurance company, and happy technology solutions partner.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero trust security<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Xceptional works with a couple defense contractors that need to adhere to complex regulatory requirements, including the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and NIST 800.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are very high standards to meet,\u201d McKewon explains. \u201cYou\u2019re flipping the script. You have access to nothing unless it\u2019s granted.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using JumpCloud\u2019s zero trust capabilities<\/a>, Xceptional has helped these clients meet and maintain compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaking it easier for users and more secure at the same time is a win across the board,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An exceptional partner experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Xceptional team has had a positive experience being a JumpCloud partner and hopes to continue strengthening the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecent changes have been very beneficial to us, and the engagement we\u2019re getting with our partner account manager and access to resources with JumpCloud has been refreshing and good,\u201d McKewon concludes. \u201cI\u2019m very hopeful that we\u2019ll continue to develop this relationship and deploy the product to more and more clients.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As JumpCloud continues to roll out new features, it\u2019s becoming an even more integral part of Xceptional\u2019s operations. In particular, McKewon believes that Remote Assist<\/a> brings JumpCloud one step closer to being the undisputed \u201cone-stop shop for technology solutions partners.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about JumpCloud <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

JumpCloud changes the way IT administrators manage their organizations by providing a comprehensive and flexible cloud directory platform. From one pane of glass, manage user identities and resource access, secure Mac, Windows, and Linux devices, and get a full view of your environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To see the power of JumpCloud,\u00a0contact sales<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0start a 30-day trial today<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested in becoming a JumpCloud partner? Go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read more on why Xceptional, a premier technology solutions partner, uses JumpCloud to secure their systems and strengthen their cybersecurity posture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":108741,"template":"","categories":[2782],"collection":[2775],"wheel_hubs":[],"platform":[],"resource_type":[2313],"funnel_stage":[],"coauthors":[2726],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nXceptional improves SMB clients\u2019 cybersecurity posture using JumpCloud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read more on why Xceptional, a premier technology solutions partner, uses JumpCloud to secure their systems and strengthen their cybersecurity posture.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/resources\/xceptional-uses-jumpcloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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