Pointers at Glance
- Jamf has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to introduce new tools that let IT admins using Jamf Pro enroll virtual EC2 Macs when they are provisioned through the AWS portal.
- Even virtual Macs can have all the security, policy, and access controls from your home or office desk when enrolled.
AWS is one of the biggest cloud services firms in the world. It has such a major presence that it is seen as a “hypervisor.” Amazon started offering Mac instances in the cloud in 2020 and ramped this up with the later addition of M1 Mac minis as a service through AWS.
Developers can hire Intel-based and M1-powered Macs, which many use to build, test, package, and sign off apps built for different Apple platforms. The problem was that those cloud-based machines lived in a strange gray zone outside of traditional MDM/security policy when it came to enterprise-specific apps or data.
It is fine for some AWS users, but as the value of personal data and business intelligence continues to grow in a highly digital age, many business leaders need something more.
Jamf CEO, Dean Hager, shared a few insights into the new deal with AWS. He explained that Jamf and Amazon had an alliance because Amazon found its customers needed this kind of integration.
They wanted to apply profiles, install software, and keep their virtual Macs as updated and managed as their physical ones, but delivering this took work due to how virtual Mac instances worked.
Hager said that they came up with an ability to manage the virtual instances that are not dependent on MDM but rather dependent on their innovations, and now customers could procure and manage virtual Macs.
The partnership with Jamf allows IT admins to manage these AWS servers just like any other Mac in their fleet. Organizations provide managed, trusted access to their macOS workloads on AWS, allowing more enterprises to use these solutions.
Hager said they are excited to continue pushing the envelope on what is possible with cloud-first technologies centered around the Apple platform.
