Enterprise Mobility Management Myth Busters: Users vs. IT Reality
When it comes to mobile computing, just about every IT organization realizes that managing the device is only the beginning. Each device is typically running a series of applications that all need to be regularly updated.
JAMF Software, as part of an effort to address these issues with Apple devices, announced this week that it is including content updating and patch management services within its cloud service for managing Apple devices.
Jen Kaplan, product marketing manager for JAMF Software, says that organizations that make use of the company’s Casper Suite have made it clear they need a more holistic approach to managing Apple client devices and supporting the applications that run on them. With this latest release, an IT organization can distribute select third-party software and associated updates to an Apple device regardless of what network it happens to be connected to at any given time, says Kaplan.
“We’re starting off with support for the 30 most popular titles running on Apple devices,” says Kaplan.
As Apple devices continue to find favor in the enterprise, IT organizations have to decide how best to manage them. Some organizations favor a single platform through which they can manage multiple types of clients. But it would appear that more than a few favor a platform that is specifically optimized for Apple devices. JAMF Software, in fact, claims to have 8,000 customers that are using its service to manage over 6.2 million Apple devices and systems.
In the meantime, JAMF Software is advising IT organizations to take advantage of Casper Suite so they’re ready to deploy the forthcoming Sierra update to the Apple Macintosh operating system as well as an iOS 10 release for the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad tablets. Due out this fall, both updates are expected to be loaded with new features.
Regardless of how an IT organization goes about adding support for Apple devices, it’s clear that while Windows PCs may still outnumber Apple systems and devices, Apple is definitely gaining ground. In 2015 alone, Apple said it generated $25 billion in sales in the enterprise. From an IT management perspective, that means Apple is clearly here to stay.
