MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jamf (NASDAQ: JAMF), the standard in Apple Enterprise Management, today announced it is prepared to support and extend key functionality in Apple’s macOS Ventura and iPadOS 16 release, which became generally available today. Jamf’s support for macOS Ventura and iPadOS 16 follows its same-day support for iOS 16 that was released in September, delivering consistent and reliable support that promotes immediate upgrades if an organization should choose to do so. Through extensive testing in Apple’s beta releases, Jamf ensures compatibility for all of Apple’s fall releases, including macOS Ventura, across its entire solution portfolio.
“With the rise of security vulnerabilities and threats on older operating systems, same-day support has never been more important. We are proud to deliver yet another year of same-day support for all of Apple’s latest operating systems, including macOS Ventura,” said Nick Amundsen, senior vice president of strategy at Jamf. “Our customers have the unique ability to get access to Apple’s new OS features today while having the confidence to know their data is protected and secured.”
macOS Ventura delivers powerful features that will help organizations with enhanced device management and institutional security enhancements for Mac. New updates with macOS Ventura include Declarative Device Management, Platform Single Sign-On and Rapid Security Response.
Declarative Device Management
Declarative Device Management (DDM) is a protocol where the configuration of the device can dynamically adapt to the state of the device, without checking in with the Jamf server. Previously, MDM has been a reactive management approach where a device enrolls, profiles are pushed down to define the desired state of the device and the device then reports back its status. When the device reports back, the server needs to confirm a device’s state and any necessary actions to take. This back and forth creates a strain on the management server.
Apple announced Declarative Device Management for mobile devices at WWDC 2021 and have extended DDM to all platforms, including Mac, across all enrollment types, resulting in a more proactive status check in directly to the server instead of having to wait to hear back. This results in more accurate device information, reported in a more timely manner so policies can be applied faster to better maintain a device’s desired state and allows servers to be more lightweight. It also gives IT the confidence that a device will be in its expected state. Declarative Device Management is available for Jamf Pro customers today and will be available for all of our customers soon.
Platform Single-Sign On
Apple’s WWDC 2022 announcements included news of a new framework built for cloud identity providers in macOS Ventura, making it easier for users to access cloud services. The Platform Single Sign-On Extension (PSSOe) builds on the SSOe configuration profile by tying the local user account on a Mac to the Single Sign-On application. From the macOS login window, the user is allowed to use their cloud identity provider (IdP) password to unlock that Mac. After the user has successfully logged in, the local account password is kept in sync with the cloud identity password, meaning users can access any resources gated by the IdP and the SSOe app without additional password prompts, eliminating the number of times a user is required to login to be productive.
PSSOe is an exciting enhancement built into the macOS framework but in order for the benefits to be realized, a local user account must first be created on the Mac. That’s where Jamf Connect comes in. Jamf Connect can create the first user account — or any additional user accounts needed - and can enforce linking that local account to the identity provider credentials. From there, the PSSOe can attach itself to the local user account and seamlessly log users into their organization’s IdP-gated tools and resources. Jamf Pro is ready with the necessary payloads whenever cloud identity providers support Platform Single Sign-On.
Rapid Security Response for macOS Ventura
Rapid Security Response for macOS Ventura introduces a new mechanism to ship security fixes to users more frequently in order to improve endpoint protection and ensure devices and data remains protected from vulnerabilities. Security and IT teams can be assured that important security updates are getting to users and devices quickly to tighten protocols across their organization.
New configuration keys were also introduced at WWDC 2022, to allow this mechanism to be disabled by an organization or disallow users from “rolling back” and uninstalling a Rapid Security Response update. Jamf Pro 10.42 includes support for these keys in the Restrictions payload, giving admins the ability to manage Rapid Security Response settings on computers and devices.
About Jamf
Jamf’s purpose is to simplify work by helping organizations manage and secure an Apple experience that end users love and organizations trust. Jamf is the only company in the world that provides a complete management and security solution for an Apple-first environment that is enterprise secure, consumer simple and protects personal privacy. To learn more, visit www.jamf.com.
Media Contact:
Aleena Kaleem | media@jamf.com
Investor Contact:
Jennifer Gaumond | ir@jamf.com
