Episode 320: Managing Macs Like We Manage Code
A lot of organizations want to treat device management like we treat code. Check in changes, get a second party to approve the check in, and the change goes live. That second set of eyes on a change provides a proactive approach to the security of changes made. It also helps mitigate small mistakes that can have a substantial impact on how users interact with their technology. We can then string together a collection of workflows to pipeline facts about devices to a SEIM or trigger events in other solutions. This usually involves agents. Yet we need to bootstrap devices into these types of systems, and that means MDM. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss these types of workflows with Mike McNeil and JD Strong, from FleetDM.
Hosts:
- Tom Bridge, Director of Product Management, Devices, JumpCloud – @tbridge@theinternet.social
- Charles Edge, CTO, Bootstrappers.mn – @cedge318
- Marcus Ransom, Senior Sales Engineer, Jamf – @marcusransom
Guests:
- Mike McNeil, CEO, Fleet – LinkedIn
- JD Strong, Client Platform Engineer and Community Advocate, Fleet – LinkedIn
Links:
Fleet Device Management links:
Open Source Projects:
- osquery
- macadmins/osquery-extension
- Create user-notifications on macOS with swiftDialog
- GitHub – macadmins/nudge: A tool for encouraging the installation of macOS security updates.
- MicroMDM – Mobile Device Management server
- MDMDirector
- KMFDDM is an Apple Declarative Device Management (DDM) server. It works together with NanoMDM.
- Pricing | Fleet for osquery
Considering Open Source:
- Great talk by @fat: dotJS 2012 – Fat – What Is Open Source & Why Do I Feel So Guilty?
- Why this way? | Fleet handbook
Click here to read the transcript
This week’s transcription is brought to you by Alectrona
James Smith:
This week’s episode of the Mac Admins Podcast is brought to you by Kandji. You know where the biggest potholes are when switching device management solutions? It’s not the prep work or figuring out how to replicate your current configuration in the new system. It’s that moment when management is temporarily removed from a Mac, leaving you with no control. From there, you have to rely on users to follow your instructions and enroll their devices into the new solution. Multiplied by hundreds or thousands of devices, and support tickets and errors start cropping up at scale.
Kandji has changed the game with its migration assistant, a seamless tool with completely customizable logic that guides users through enrollment into Kandji’s device management solution, so your support team won’t have to. 100% free for all new customers, Kandji’s migration assistant is just one piece of an overall exceptional experience Mac admins enjoy with the use of Kandji’s comprehensive solution.
To learn more, head on over to kandji.io/migration. That’s K-A-N-D-J-I.io/migration or join the Kandji channel on the Mac Admin Slack to say hi and see what they’re up to. Thanks again to Kandji for sponsoring this episode of the Mac Admins Podcast.
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