As the Mac security journey becomes ever more challenging, there’s fresh activity in the Mac security and enterprise infrastructure space: Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud now integrates with leading enterprise management platform Jamf.
Acronis and Jamf: Better together
That’s a significant step forward in terms of better native Mac support from Acronis, which has been working to widen its support for Apple’s platform since at least 2014 when it introduced Mac support for Acronis Access. It’s also a significant indicator that despite the existence of a few hold-outs, most enterprises now recognize that the future of work is remote.
The latest iteration of Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud integrates with Jamf and is the first Apple integration from Acronis. The idea is that Managed Service Providers (MSP’s) will be able to remotely deploy Acronis’s backup, recovery, security, and endpoint protection using native Jamf tools and workflows.
“The Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud integration is tailor-made for MSPs that manage macOS devices on the Jamf platform, helping to establish our credibility and influence in the world of Apple,” Jan-Jaap “JJ” Jager, board advisor and chief revenue officer at Acronis, said in a statement.
The company notes that more than half (55%) of all small and medium-sized businesses are Mac friendly, which means there is a growing need for tools of this nature. The support works on both Intel and M1 Macs and is compatible with Jamf’s own security solutions.
Apple in the (secure) enterprise
“We know we are better together as partners, and we worked cooperatively with Jamf to create an integration that is a natural extension of the Jamf Pro platform and uses workflows that are intuitive to Jamf users,” said Jager. “This integration creates significant value for macOS admins.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud to true Apple Enterprise Management for macOS, with this integration that is now available on the Jamf Marketplace,” said Josh Jagdfeld, senior director of partner marketing at Jamf. “This integration makes it possible to seamlessly and securely work across devices and platforms. We’re so excited to be bringing these two powerful platforms together.”
The integration makes use of standard enrollment and management methods for Macs. That means service providers can choose their target systems and the solution will automatically deploy Cyber Protect Cloud. They can also manage multiple Jamf Pro accounts from within one single Acronis account. There’s a great deal more about implementation and use of the two integrated services available online.
[Also read: On the future of work, Apple is in retrograde]
So, what does Cyber Protect Cloud do?
Cyber Protect Cloud provides full-image and file-level backup and recovery, anti-ransomware, enhanced anti-malware and antivirus capabilities, and a centralized approach to protection management.
The product is designed to provide IT with powerful security protection and monitoring tools. You use it to identify, monitor, and secure attack surfaces that can attract cybercriminals, such as the growing fleet of Macs in the enterprise.
However, most companies use multiple approaches to this, which is why Acronis has made it possible to harmonize both Jamf and its own solutions.
Apple’s software engineering chief, Craig Federighi, recently conceded that Macs aren’t yet as secure as iOS devices. More than 130 different strains of malware have affected as many as 300,000 Macs, he said.
Now, in the great scale of things that may not seem too bad, given there are around 200 million Macs in use globally. But no company wants to be in the small team of hacked Macs. That’s why integrations such as this new one between Acronis and Jamf make sense.
The fast-growing Apple in the enterprise market
The maneuverer comes as activity in the Apple/enterprise space flows at an increasingly rapid rate. Addigy recently reached a remote tech support deal with Splashtop; Mosyle now provides Screen View for remote admins; and Jamf recently updated its Setup and Reset offerings to make it easier to manage and deploy shared iOS devices in school and enterprise — along with a new Unlock solution that brings iOS biometric security to Macs.
There’s also Appogee and Truce Software, who now provide fully managed iOS hardware deployments for enterprises. As Truce Software CEO Joe Boyle recently noted: “It feels like Apple and the enterprise are practically synonymous today.”
And in the wider business ecosystem we see more supporting technologies being brought to bear from across the space, prompting established names such as ArcGIS, SAP, IBM, Deloitte, Cisco, and others to ramp up available apps and services for Apple’s platforms.
Apple recognizes its growing reach into enterprise IT. The company introduced a range of tangible enhancements to its offer to the sector at WWDC 21, reflecting its embrace of partnerships in an attempt to empower use in the enterprise.
“We’ve put [a lot] into the operating systems to make that process of bringing these devices into the office or now taking them back out to your house, but doing work on them as easy as possible for IT,” said Jeremy Butcher, Apple’s enterprise and education product manager, in 2020.
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