Often, his clients need to implement identity management for the first time. They also need to navigate how to implement that alongside device management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour laptop is an extension of you,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like the old days. Device management must go hand in hand with identity management now. We need to make sure not only that each device is compliant and behaving correctly but also that each person is the only one who can access their laptop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using JumpCloud, Coleman helps these organizations achieve both without a heavy upfront investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coleman provides implementation services, as well as ongoing IT services. He describes Matchstick Birmingham as an IT solution powered by JumpCloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a lightbulb moment,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cI can take JumpCloud and where needed throw in some spices \u2014 whether it\u2019s an AV solution or a backup solution \u2014 and I can take that and sell it. That can be my product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With JumpCloud, his clients get a lightweight but powerful solution that he and his team can manage from anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of organizations never had identity management \u2014 they just winged it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cNow, I\u2019m showing them that you don\u2019t have to commit to a gigantic investment in on-prem servers and licensing for Windows 2020. JumpCloud is simple and has an incredibly light footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Coleman and his team manage each of their client organizations through JumpCloud\u2019s Multi-Tenant Portal (MTP) \u2014 a centralized dashboard that lets MSPs view and manage each instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team integrates the platform with Mac and Windows devices, productivity suites, web applications, cloud infrastructure, Wi-Fi networks, VPNs, and other resources. They centrally manage user identities and extend them to all their resources. From the same platform, they deploy pre-built policies and custom commands to configure and secure user devices, including enforcing full-disk encryption, which is a critical feature in particular for their healthcare clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also use JumpCloud Apple MDM for remote management of Mac devices \u2014 \u201cI live and die for JumpCloud MDM,\u201d Coleman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Insights: Directory Events & Device Health<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Coleman and his team provide their clients with monitoring and analysis using Directory Insights, a feature that aggregates event logs with visibility across user and admin events. They analyze the data each morning and look for anomalies, and they turn to the data in the case of a security incident. For some clients, they also export that data to a SIEM for programmatic analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They pair Directory Insights with System Insights, a feature that returns key asset, security, and configuration data about user devices. For example, they can analyze what\u2019s consuming a device\u2019s RAM or the last time it was restarted. That way, they can ensure devices perform optimally and are configured appropriately, as well as make more accurate purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToo many times, the decision to recycle or refresh equipment is made because a person complains,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cBut you need to have foundational facts \u2014 and that\u2019s where System Insights comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transition to Remote Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Coleman and his team were also able to quickly shift their clients to remote work at the beginning of the pandemic, and users didn\u2019t require a VPN to continue accessing their resources. They continued to access their devices and other resources in the same way, with one set of credentials per user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor the clients that I worked with that already had JumpCloud in place, it was seamless,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cIt was great to be able to tell leadership at these places: Don\u2019t worry. Your employees are going to work just as they did in the office, at home. I saw a bunch of worried people suddenly become relaxed when I was able to describe how this was going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Implementation: \u201cIt\u2019s a Game Changer\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n To implement JumpCloud for new clients, Coleman starts with user devices. When they already have laptops, he takes over the local user accounts to begin managing them with JumpCloud. In other cases, he prepares new laptops for users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can provision users and assign those users directly to the machines without touching them,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a game changer to be able to create and provision new users no matter where they are \u2014 especially now, with the pandemic and offices essentially going away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He and his team install the JumpCloud agent on the device and move it to a device group in JumpCloud \u2014 New Deployments. They have a set of commands they run against the group, which is particularly helpful for large deployments. Then they move the devices out of the New Deployments group and into other ongoing device management groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also integrate JumpCloud with Active Directory, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace<\/a> to import existing users, centralize management of those identities in JumpCloud, and federate them to other resources. He also uses JumpCloud to switch organizations from Microsoft to Google or vice versa without affecting their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve talked with countless IT leadership \u2014 CIOs and CTOs \u2014 about which provider they should choose,\u201d he said. \u201cPreviously, it\u2019s been a big deal. Now, it\u2019s easy. I can say, \u2018Choose which provider suits your needs today, and we can address this tomorrow without having to tear the house down and build it back up again.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Result<\/h2>\n\n\n\n In all, Coleman has built his business on the foundation of his IT expertise and JumpCloud to deliver seamless and cost-effective IT implementation and managed services for companies across the South. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for JumpCloud, my dream of making this small company a success would never have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n JumpCloud Directory Platform is a comprehensive platform to manage user identities, resource access, and devices \u2014 Mac, Windows, and Linux \u2014 from anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JumpCloud offers a Partner program for MSPs and resellers, including competitive margins and co-marketing opportunities. Learn more about building your business<\/a> with a cloud directory platform.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matchstick Birmingham needed a solution to provide complete identity, access, and device management for clients \u2014 all from the cloud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":49464,"template":"","categories":[23,2782,2337],"collection":[2779,2780],"wheel_hubs":[],"platform":[],"resource_type":[2313,2315],"funnel_stage":[],"coauthors":[2545],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
MSP Uses Cloud Directory to Manage Users, Devices - JumpCloud<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n