October 17, 2017
Uncategorized

Jamf Pro for Mobile Device Management

Written by Jeff Gaines

Jamf Pro (formerly Casper Suite) is the gold standard when it comes to Mobile Device Management (MDM) in the Apple space.

 

Introduction

If your company is using Macs, iPads, or iPhones, you may already have background on Jamf Pro (formerly Casper Suite). Jamf as a company has been around for a long time, and their flagship product, Jamf Pro, represents the gold standard in Mobile Device Management (MDM) in the Apple space.

Jamf Pro unifies the endpoint management and administration of all Apple devices in your organization, providing your IT team with root-level access to each and every machine as if they were sitting at the machine as an admin. This, in turn, simplifies remote support from end-to-end, meaning less downtime for you, and faster, more affordable support across your entire organization.

When deploying macOS and iOS devices, efficiency is key, as is keeping pace with the evolving landscape of mobility, security, and compliance. At Interlaced, our core business is to manage every aspect of our clients’ IT program, essentially acting as their IT department. Jamf Pro is deployed at every environment that we manage, and as a result, our clients are the de-facto beneficiaries.

Jamf Pro helps us in many ways by allowing us to:

  • Manage thousands of Apple endpoints from one centralized environment
  • Create system-wide policies
  • Provision new computers and devices
  • Push out new software, updates, and patches
  • Push out new security configurations
  • Enforcement & remediation
  • And so much more

By substantially reducing the amount of time involved in accomplishing these crucial tasks, we are able to reduce or eliminate downtime, which in turns reduces your IT costs. In their words, it automates the easy stuff and makes the hard stuff easy.

 

Breaking Down the Barriers to Entry

The cost of implementing and maintaining such a complex tool can be prohibitive, so we wanted to remove barriers to entry. At Interlaced, we include Jamf Pro in every engagement at no additional cost to the client. This means that we deploy and configure a dedicated instance, and even include the licensing. Additionally, you will avoid the mandatory JumpStart program, which can run you upwards of $7,500 if you go direct to Jamf.

 

Insider Expertise

Working with us, you’ll have the benefit of our experience and expertise with Jamf Pro. In fact, we have an entire dedicated team of engineers in a department we call “Centralized Services”, whose only job is to manage our Jamf environments. We maintain these environments and constantly push the ball forward so that you can get on with what you do best and leave the rest to us.

While some of you might think this is less of a big deal than it really is, what you may not understand is just how complex and nuanced Jamf Pro can be. True, they do offer JumpStart training to get you acquainted with its finer points and features, but after taking all four available training modules over the course of four weeks (an undertaking that will set you back more than $5K), you’ll still just be scratching the surface.

Related: See how we helped Okta implement Jamf Pro, prepare for zero-touch, and meet CIS compliance.

High-Stakes Security

We use Jamf Pro to help clients meet complex compliance frameworks such as PCI, HIPAA, FedRamp, and CIS. Device and network security concerns are at an all-time high, and compliance mandates are constantly evolving to meet new data regulations and protect from malicious attacks. Simply keeping up with these issues is a full-time job, but with Jamf Pro, ensuring your workforce is secure and compliant is much more feasible.

 

IBM Use Case

Apple and Jamf Pro is a winning combination, but you don’t have to take our word for it. Companies like IBM have put the myth to rest that Apple-based environments are more expensive to manage than Windows-based environments. Even considering the best price they could possibly get from Microsoft, IBM found that they were able to save between $273 and $543 per Mac over a four-year machine life span.

In 2015, IBM had 30,000 employees leveraging Apple technology. just two years later, that number has tripled, and strong growth has continued.

Ways in which IBM is able to realize savings includes:

  • Zero-Touch enterprise deployment of devices
  • Use of Self Service to deliver pre-approved apps
  • Massive reduction in help desk calls:
  • 5% of Mac users vs 40% of PC users call the help desk
  • Higher residual value of the Macs even after several years in service
  • Savings in the hundreds of support hours:
  • The average ratio of support personnel to PC users is 1:242, but IBM reports an incredible 1:5400 for their Mac support

 

Interlaced IT, Jamf Pro, and Apple: A Winning Combination

Interlaced is a Managed Service Provider (MSP) entirely focused on the Apple space. If you would like to learn more about the way in which we leverage Jamf Pro to design, implement, and support beautiful technology programs, get in touch today. 

Jeff Gaines

Jeff Gaines

Jeff has served as an operating executive at Interlaced since 2016. He is deeply passionate about driving impact for Interlaced, for his community, and for his loved ones. In his spare time, Jeff loves spending time with his wife and son at the world famous San Diego Zoo, enjoying tacos on the beach in Baja, cheering on the San Diego Padres, adventuring outdoors and playing music with friends. Jeff’s top 3 films of all time are Point Break (the original), Road House and Field of Dreams.