JAMF Updates Apple-Flavored Bushel MDM Platform

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JAMF Software isn’t wasting any time extending its cloud-based mobile device management (MDM) platform for businesses that have standardized their IT on Apple.

The Minneapolis-based Mac and iOS management specialist rolled out Bushel in January to help Apple-centric small and midsized businesses (SMBs) and groups within larger organizations setup, manage and secure their Macs, iPhones and iPad. Sporting an app-like user interface, replete with charts and large icons, Bushel allows even IT novices to bring Apple BYOD devices into the fold.

And just in time, according to JAMF. Apple adoption is picking up in the workplace.

In a recent blog post from Jason Stanaland, product marketing manager at JAMF, he wrote, “over the last three years, JAMF Software has seen a 44% YOY increase in Apple IT related jobs posted in the community, and a recent Dimensional Research survey has revealed that 98 percent of organizations predict an increase in the number of Apple devices in the enterprise over the next three years.”

JAMF’s own sales figures support this bullish outlook. Bushel is currently being used by over 1,500 organizations, a 300 percent increase since it was officially launched. The product’s “overwhelming adoption demonstrates that Apple device management is a sore point for organizations of all sizes – especially small- and medium-sized businesses that have been neglected by traditional solutions,” said Charles Edge, product manager of Bushel, in prepared remarks.

Now, less than two months after Bushel’s launch, JAMF has added new functionality that enables employees to log onto their companies’ Wi-Fi networks without jumping through hoops.

Administrators can now configure Macs and iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch) to join Wi-Fi networks, even hidden ones, (WEP, WPA and WPA2) automatically. “This option allows organizations with anywhere from one to 100 wireless networks to automatically deploy new networks and configure devices so that employees can seamlessly use their devices when traveling between branches or remote offices,” claimed the company in a statement.

On the app management front, organizations can now restrict the use of iPad apps to their intended devices, avoiding an app free-for-all. “With Bushel, iPad-only apps are only associated to Apple IDs attributed to an iPad,” preventing them from being associated with an iPhone, explained the company. “The benefit is more streamlined app management across all your devices.”

Finally, the company has extending its encryption capabilities, already available on iOS devices, to Macs. The feature, which leverages OS X’s built-in FileVault 2 technology, simplifies the process of automatically encrypting all Macs managed by Bushel. “This includes keeping a copy of the encryption keys to unlock encrypted devices, so that in the event of employee turnover, organizations don’t also turnover the data on devices,” stated JAMF.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Datamation. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.