Managing your Apple devices

Despite the fact that Windows-based devices still dominate in the workplace, Apple are making head roads into this environment.

Both at the desktop and mobile level, macOS and iOS powered devices are starting to increase as the chosen work mobile device.

This usually starts out as just an isolated island, with Apple devices often used by design people. From here it has spread through executives liking the prestige of their iMacs through to bring your own device (BYOD) policies seeing individual iPhones being increasingly used for work related tasks.

Whatever the reason, this proliferation of Apple desktop and mobile devices means you will need to manage them, to ensure they do not present a security risk or are inadvertently causing software license non-compliance issues.

You cannot manage an apple desktop device like a phone

Apple devices typically cannot be managed using the same solutions you would use for Windows-based ones. Similarly, many of the specific Apple device management solutions were initially developed for the iPhone and have been subsequently ported to cover desktop devices. This makes them difficult to use for large numbers of devices, as they were originally designed with things like self-enrollment and simple phone management features.

As a result, they simply cannot manage (for large numbers of desktop devices) important IT asset management functions such as:

• Hardware and software inventory
• Software distribution
• Application usage metering
• Application access control
• Software asset management
• Software license optimization

Leaving you with a major headache in trying to get a handle on this increasing problem.

Unified end-point management

Fortunately, help is at hand. There has been an increase in Enterprise Mobile Management solutions, offering functionality including Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM). The development in software and technology has also led to innovations in SAM with some vendors enabling software asset management and software license optimization for Apple devices. These two solutions can enable organizations to effectively manage Apples devices used by their employees, relieving the workload and stress previously experienced.

Certero have developed 2 integrated products on the Certero Management Platform that deliver enterprise class capability and remove the issues around managing both desktop and mobile Apple devices.

• Certero for Enterprise SAM – delivers advanced IT asset management, software asset management and software license optimization capability for your Apple (as well as Windows) desktop devices.
• Certero for Mobile – one of the most cost-effective EMM products available, offers extensive MDM and MAM for your iOS (as well as Android and Windows 10 Mobile) devices with full VPP support.

As both solutions run on the Certero Platform they share a common database, UI and BI reporting capability that helps integrate enterprise asset management with mobile device management and move towards unified end-point management.

Find out how Certero for Enterprise SAM and Certero for Mobile can help you better manage your Apple devices by getting in touch.