Apple IT and security experts gather for the 14th Annual Jamf Nation User Conference to hear the latest in security and device management

Jamf, the standard in managing and securing Apple at work, kicked off its 14th annual Jamf Nation User Conference (JNUC) both virtually and in-person in Austin, Texas.

Joined by key partners and customers including Apple, Google and Microsoft, Jamf shared with the largest gathering of Apple admins how its continuous product innovation is bringing together management and security into one integrated platform.

Author's quote

“Jamf’s industry-pioneering Apple management and security solutions, delivered as an integrated platform, help IT and security teams deliver an experience that is loved by users and trusted by organisations,” said John Strosahl, CEO of Jamf.

Jamf’s Apple management and security solutions help IT and security teams deliver experience

He adds, "We’ve said many times that when Apple innovates, Jamf celebrates. We are so confident in Apple’s continued success that we believe Apple will flip the market over the next decade and be the #1 end-user technology used in the enterprise - and Jamf is the #1 partner to help organisations succeed with managing and securing Apple.”

JNUC theme

This year’s JNUC theme focused on the power of AND. Jamf bridges the gap between what Apple provides and the enterprise needs. It’s bringing together management, identity and security required to be successful with Apple at Work. 

It’s what Jamf calls Trusted Access and it’s an outcome organisations can achieve when they manage and secure their Mac and mobile devices with Jamf, regardless of if they are for a person or a purpose.

JNUC 2023

Key highlights from JNUC 2023 include:

Jamf announced the release of Jamf Pro 11, which introduces an entirely refreshed user interface

Jamf announced the release of Jamf Pro 11, which introduces an entirely refreshed user interface that improves accessibility with colour changes, tab support for navigation elements, and improved screen reader behaviour and easy shortcuts to many of the most popular workflows. This new look will be extended to Jamf’s entire product portfolio in the future, providing the consistent experience that users expect.

Jamf Pro 11

Jamf Pro 11 also supports Apple’s Declarative Device Management including new software update management workflows, which will allow admins in Jamf Cloud to schedule and enforce the latest software updates on managed devices by a specific date and time automatically. Apple announced they are further enhancing enrolment workflows with Account Driven Device Enrolment which will be supported in Jamf Pro 11 for macOS Sonoma and iOS 17.

Additionally, Jamf Pro 11 includes a simplified and more transparent onboarding experience for end users that allows them to monitor app installation progress as they go about their work.

Rapid Security Response updates

Jamf announced the addition of a new compliance dashboard and vulnerability management to Jamf Protect. Admins can now see the overall compliance status of their environment at a glance.

Jamf told the addition of a compliance dashboard and vulnerability control to Jamf Protect

They are also able to easily see which apps and OS versions in their environment are impacted by known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), empowering them to make smarter decisions around access policies and patching priorities. Earlier this year, Jamf Pro added support for Rapid Security Response updates to provide admins with complete visibility and control over important security updates.

Streamlined user enrolment and single sign-on

Jamf and its identity partners are at the forefront of SSO Extensions. Earlier this year, Jamf introduced support for Enrolment SSO with Okta. In addition, Jamf was also first-to-market with support for Platform SSO with Okta. Enrolment SSO and Platform SSO workflows deliver a next-generation single sign-on experience across Mac and mobile devices.

ZTNA incorporated into Jamf Connect

Jamf has enhanced Jamf Connect’s IAM capabilities to include ZTNA to provide the least-privilege

Since 2018, Jamf Connect has helped organisations bring cloud identity to the Mac. Now Jamf has enhanced Jamf Connect’s Identity and Access Management (IAM) capabilities to include Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to provide least-privilege and high-performance connectivity to cloud and on-premises data resources from macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android and Windows devices.

This turn-key ZTNA solution leverages next-generation networking technology that is easy to deploy while providing welcomed user experience improvements for end users. Replacing legacy VPNs, this solution is efficient, reduces cost, and is far more secure through integrations with Jamf’s platform of products.

Jamf Employee Badge

Through a partnership Jamf unveiled at JNUC last year with SwiftConnect, Jamf has done away with physical access badges, allowing Jamf customers to badge into buildings with iPhone or Apple Watch. During the keynote, Jamf shared new enhancements to its Employee Badge offering that allows Jamf to send device risk signals or user events that will temporarily disable an employee badge until the device is back in full compliance.

Jamf Employee Badge with Jamf Trust brings digital trusted access policies to the physical world, ensuring that only trusted users on secure devices are able to access buildings and offices.

MITRE attack framework

Jamf also shared its vision for how AI will continue to be integrated into its security products

Jamf announced its new AI-powered support bot that will serve Jamf Nation, the largest community of Apple admins in the world. This new chat interface brings together Jamf’s online community, learning hub and technical documentation, so that Jamf admins will be able to ask it questions and receive answers to help resolve issues.

Jamf also shared its vision for how AI will continue to be integrated into its security products. This new AI-powered functionality takes detailed raw telemetry and security alert data, applies the MITRE attack framework and summarises a friendly explanation along with recommendations for Jamf admins on how to remedy security issues. This exciting feature will be integrating within Jamf Solutions in the near future.

Jamf Safe Internet

Jamf announced a brand new user interface for both Jamf School and Jamf Teacher to add more efficiency and visibility to the console, something that is essential for teachers in busy classrooms. Additionally, Jamf is bringing its most requested feature from Jamf Pro, App Installers, to Jamf School to provide a more complete Mac management experience in the solution designed specifically for education.

Jamf has rolled out on-device content filtering within Jamf Safe Internet for supervised iOS

To further protect students and learning institutions, Jamf has rolled out on-device content filtering within Jamf Safe Internet for supervised iOS and iPadOS 16+ devices. This feature stops both inbound threats and unsafe outbound activity while ensuring greater privacy for students. Jamf is planning macOS support for on-device content filtering later this year.

StateRamp Ready instances

Jamf recently announced it is now delivering StateRamp Ready instances of Jamf School and Jamf Pro in the United States to give customers the confidence they need to comply with industry standards.

StateRAMP is a critical cloud security assessment and authorisation programme designed to address the specific technology and compliance requirements of educational organisations and state and local governments.