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Apple @ Work is a 9to5Mac series where Bradley Chambers looks at the latest trends and news with how the Mac and iOS are working in enterprise IT environments.

A new regular series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in the enterprise

About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has been managing an enterprise IT network since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, and thousands of Macs and iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.

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Apple @ Work: Back to the basics of Apple Device Management

What's new with Apple device management

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kandji, the MDM solution built exclusively for organizations that run on Apple. Kandji is a modern, cloud-based platform for centrally managing and securing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, saving IT teams countless hours of manual work with features like one-click compliance templates and 150+ pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Request access.

It’s a new year, so it’s time to put away what was before and start fresh. That applies to our knowledge of Apple’s enterprise and education platforms as well. In January, I am kicking off a new series here on Apple @ Work, getting back to the basics of Apple device management for businesses and schools.

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Apple @ Work: How to handle migrations to new Macs in the event of damage

M1 Macbook Air

One of the challenges with moving away from traditional Active Directory networking environments is handling device migration and restoration in a damaged Mac. How do enterprise Apple environments address this in a way that scales to thousands of devices? In Active Directory environments, IT administrators just needed to deploy a new PC, join the Domain, and then the employee is back up and running. In a situation where Macs are not bound to a domain, how do IT departments handle Mac backups in the enterprise?

Sponsor: If you’re a business of school looking to find a trusted repair partner for your Apple devices, check out 9to5Mac’s Apple Repair Services.

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Apple @ Work: iMessage is a terrible tool for the workplace and might even cause legal problems

iMessage

iMessage has become a popular way to communicate since its release with iOS 5 in 2011. In the following years, it’s added new features and been added to more devices. Today, you can use iMessage to communicate over LTE or Wi-Fi using an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or even an Apple Watch. iMessages boasts end-to-end encryption, so not even Apple can read your messages. It’s become one of the most comfortable and secure ways to communicate with friends and family. The problem with iMessage is it has become a business communication tool, and terrible at it. iMessage at work might also cause your company legal problems in the future as well.

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Apple @ Work: Is AppleCare a worthy investment for the enterprise?

Macbook Air

Apple’s growth in the enterprise for the past few years caught many IT experts off guard. Windows had been the dominant platform for decades while Apple products were usually only for people using design software. As the iPhone and iPad became popular, the Mac benefited from a halo effect. A common question I am asked by other IT professionals is if AppleCare is a worthy investment for bulk enterprise purchases.

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Apple @ Work: How Apple broke Active Directory’s hold on the enterprise

Microsoft’s Active Directory was the centerpiece of every enterprise’s IT strategy for many years. From Exchange to the shared drive, to a centralized login system, AD was everything. We’ve all of a sudden realized in 2020 that AD is not everything. It’s still a crucial part of IT strategy for many organizations, but it’s no longer the only strategy. For cloud-first companies, many of them aren’t even deploying an active directory infrastructure. Apple is, indirectly, the cause of active directory moving from a requirement to a choice.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: How has the iPad and iPhone impacted digital signatures?

Apple at work podcast

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Sunil Patro from SignEasy to talk about how the digital signature industry has evolved in the last decade.

Sponsored by iMazing: The popular iOS device manager which gives you unparalleled control over iOS and iPadOS data. Request your free trial now.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: What’s new with device management in iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur?

Apple at work podcast

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Jason Dettbarn of Addigy to talk about what’s new with mobile device management with iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur.

Sponsored by iMazing: The popular iOS device manager which gives you unparalleled control over iOS and iPadOS data. Request your free trial now.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur bring new password technology to market

Apple at work podcast

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Andrew Shikiar from the FIDO Alliance to discuss the history of the FIDO Alliance and what iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur are doing for password management.

Sponsored by iMazing: The popular iOS device manager which gives you unparalleled control over iOS and iPadOS data. Request your free trial now.


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Apple @ Work: Should enterprises skip Wi-Fi 6 and wait for Wi-Fi 6e to be released?

Wi-Fi

I’ve become a big fan of Reddit this year as I finally took the plunge to subscribe to a few subreddits, and one I’ve enjoyed is r/AmpliFi. A common question that is starting to be asked on the subreddit is about Wi-Fi 6e. If you aren’t familiar with Wi-Fi 6e, I suggest that you go and listen to a recent episode of Apple @ Work where I discuss it in depth with Perry Correll from Extreme Networks. Since the new technology is being considered in the open, many people are beginning to wonder if they should just skip Wi-Fi 6 and wait for Wi-Fi 6e.
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Apple @ Work Podcast: Apple device strategy for storage, charging, and sanitation

Apple at work podcast

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Kevin Kuluvar from LocknCharge to discuss Apple device storage, keeping devices charged, and a new iPad sanitation production for K-12.

Sponsored by iMazing: The popular iOS device manager which gives you unparalleled control over iOS and iPadOS data. Request your free trial now.


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Apple @ Work: What are Apple’s plans for MDM now that it owns Fleetsmith?

Fleetsmith

For enterprise customers who use Apple, the week of WWDC brought some rather shocking news. Late in the week, first-party mobile device management (MDM) solution Fleetsmith announced Apple had purchased them for an undisclosed sum. There was a bit of controversy with the purchase, as Apple immediately discontinued Fleetsmith’s App Catalog without warning. This left a lot of customers in a bind as soon as they woke up that morning.

While the controversy has died off, I know many customers of Fleetsmith, Jamf, and others are wondering what Apple’s plans are now. Since the announcement, I’ve been thinking about what Apple might do in the future now that they own an MDM. Here are some ideas I came up with on what might happen in the future.
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Apple @ Work: Addigy LiveDesktop could be a crucial addition for supporting remote workers

Addigy

It seems like every article I’ve written in the past few months has started regarding COVID–19. While I hate that I keep mentioning it, it is informing a lot of how I am thinking about business operations going forward. I recently did a deep dive into the Addigy mobile device management system, and I think it could be beneficial for companies moving to permanent work from home.
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