JumpCloud Coming to AWS Marketplace as Apple’s Enterprise Market Grows

Apple’s growing status in enterprise computing expands a bit further with the announcement that cross-platform device management company JumpCloud is now offering its service through Amazon’s AWS Marketplace.

Identity, Platform Agnosticism, and the Future of Computing

While this tidbit is probably most interesting for IT admins running multiple platforms – and certainly for companies using AWS – it should also be considered important for Apple’s adventures in the enterprise space, and for all of the company’s most loyal users as they watch the Mac maker’s return to favor in enterprise computing.

“When it comes to IT, businesses want to make it easier to manage all of their assets in one place, and that means focusing on identity first,” said Tom Bridge, senior product manager, JumpCloud, Apple. “Previously, this meant examining Windows machines. But this model is no longer applicable.”

This is not applicable, of course, because we no longer exist in the monoculture of a Windows world. Modern business environments encompass iPhones, iPads, Macs, Windows – some businesses even rely on Android devices.

In the US at least, Apple is clearly reaping great benefits. The company is steadily increasing its market share even as other PC makers see declines.

It’s also pushing enterprise IT to adopt more platform-independent services to drive its business, which is also driving increased use of cloud services, Bridge said.

In praise of terminals

“Developers today value the cloud and enjoy working with the operating system and hardware that makes them more productive,” he said. “For many, that means combining Apple devices with macOS and iOS for their endpoints as well as using services like AWS.”

Achieving this goal is an IT administration challenge, which requires enterprises but incumbent solutions such as those from Jamf, JumpCloud, Kandji, Addigy, and the growing number of enterprises now supporting platform deployments heterogeneous and specific to Apple. These solutions need to manage devices, users and, increasingly, also provide access. (Jamf’s recent decision to partner with AWS comes to mind here.)

“With the right approach in place, you can centrally control access and prevent potential attacks. You can also make it easier to operate and support all of these devices over time,” Bridge said. “By eliminating all kinds of friction, whether it’s managing identities in the cloud, securing access, keeping machines up to date, or even just knowing how you pay. for something – is critical to achieving the goals that teams have around their IT.”

JumpCloud enables IT admins to control user access to AWS resources, manage Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) and endpoints, and automate IT workflows, all in one clear billing stream.

The “fools” usually pass

What’s most important about this story is that it shows how Apple continues to elevate its status as a viable solution for business users. Partnerships like these testify to this transformation.

They also help erase years of misconceptions within this industry. This shows that Apple’s devices can easily integrate into existing infrastructure.

Device management is quickly streamlined, with many alternatives and the ability to select MDM vendors that can meet varying business needs. And as Apple’s market share continues to grow, it’s a growing industry.

Overall, I see this as a nod to the “Crazy Ones”, who, as Steve Jobs once said, often seem to be the ones who get things done and change things. Because since that ad went out, that seems to be precisely what they’ve been doing.

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