JumperAlien Mac OS

Apple^® has come a long way from the legendary Los Altos, CA garage. A recent study has found that 91% of enterprises surveyed have adopted macOS^® into day to day use. The result makes sense given the usability and aesthetic that users value in Mac^® products. For IT admins, however, the uptick in Mac usage has come with a challenge. In an industry dominated by Windows^®-centric system management tools, what’s the best way to manage macOS?

Jumperalien Mac Os X
Jumperalien Mac Os Catalina

JumpCloud ® offers a number of resources to help IT administrators preparing for the Apple ® macOS ® Big Sur release. Any IT teams managing Mac ® devices should prioritize getting an Apple MDM in place before Big Sur’s release later in 2020. Award-Winning Open Source Video Editing Software OpenShot Video Editor is a powerful yet very simple and easy-to-use video editor that delivers high quality video editing and animation solutions. OpenShot offers a myriad of features and capabilities, including powerful curve-based Key frame animations, 3D animated titles and effects, slow.

What Does macOS Management Look Like?

It is also critical to define macOS management. Historically, managing a Mac meant ensuring the systems was updated with the latest patches, secure, and running efficiently. However, with so many end users leveraging Macs, IT admins can’t just manage the device fleet without managing the user’s access to those machines. So, today, macOS management means user and device management.

It’s easy to wonder why managing macOS would be an issue. After all, if studies showing how popular the OS has become in the past few years are true, Mac management doesn’t seem like it should be any trouble for IT admins. But, by taking a look at the IT industry over the same period of time, the answer becomes clearer.

Mac Management Through the Years

System management in general has traditionally fallen to either Microsoft^® Active Directory^® or SCCM (previously known as SMS). There were other third party system management solutions available, but for most organizations, these Windows focused solutions were acceptable.

As macOS systems started to enter into the enterprise, the existing Windows focused solutions struggled. The result was that IT organization started to leverage identity bridges, which extended an AD identity to a Mac system as well as the concept of group policy objects (GPOs) to manage the system itself. Unfortunately, the identity bridge was not a Mac management silver bullet, however, and resulted in a bit of heavy lifting on the part of the sysadmin to implement.

Managing macOS in the Future

As the IT world has shifted to the cloud, new solutions have emerged in the macOS management space. Some Mac specific system management tools have hit the market to help IT admins manage macOS. These solutions are almost strictly limited to system management, however. An ideal solution should be able to not only manage the system itself, but also control user identities on an enterprise scale. This scope of managing macOS includes federating the user’s access to on-prem and web applications via single sign-on (SSO), and permitting network access to both local and WiFi connections. As well, IT admins can manage the entire fleet of Macs for updates, security, and maintenance issues.

Manage macOS with JumpCloud^®

A next generation directory service is doing just that, and not just for macOS. JumpCloud^® Directory-as-a-Service^® is a third party, cloud-based solution that authorizes access regardless of platform (macOS, Windows, or Linux^®). With Directory-as-a-Service, IT admins can permit user access to almost any resource necessary, regardless of location, protocol, or provider. For macOS specific applications, JumpCloud features a macOS app to facilitate management and user password resets. The endpoint-centric directory solution can also be used to manage systems on a fleetwide basis, using cross-platform GPO-like capabilities to federate prescribed commands, called Policies, across entire user bases.

If your organization needs to manage macOS and more, consider trying JumpCloud. Signing up is completely free and includes ten users forever to get you started. You can always schedule a demo to see the product in the hands of an expert, or contact our team with questions.

Maybe you’re a gamer, and you’re tired of all the new video games being released that aren’t compatible with your Mac. Or maybe you’re simply hoping to upgrade to a new computer, and Apple’s occasionally sky-high prices are just out of your range. If you’re tired of your Mac computer and hope to switch over to a Windows PC, the leap from one kind of user interface to another – not to mention the process of transferring all your files and programs – can appear intimidating.

In reality, it isn’t so hard to switch between the two systems. With a little guidance, you can leave your MacBook behind for good, and start zooming down the road to an efficient Windows 8 PC quickly and painlessly.

Backing Up Your Information
As Technology Guide pointed out, Mac OS X offers a program called Migration Assistant – but, regrettably for our purposes, it only works one way: from Windows to Mac. So don’t bother trying to utilize it for your big move. Instead, you have a couple options to get your data from one place to another. Most files, from music to documents, work well on either system, so it’s just a matter of transporting and organizing them.

You could do things the old-fashioned way: By using an external hard drive. Just plug in your external, drag and drop any data you need transferred, and bring it over to your new Windows computer. If you can, don’t bring your unused file clutter with you. Instead, keep things light – this is a good way to speed up your PC right out of the gate.

For the more tech-savvy, cloud-based backup is a good option. Using an online storage service like Dropbox allows you to sync up folders on both systems without going through the tedious process of moving around a bulky external hard drive every time you need to transfer data. Plus, setting a cloud synchronization schedule now will better protect you from data loss moving forward.

Getting Used to the New Platform
Since Mac programs are DMG image files and Windows uses .EXE applications, your programs unfortunately won’t work on both. Many vendors will offer free Windows-compatible versions of programs you’ve already bought on your Mac, but don’t bank on it. Keep in mind that, whereas program installation on Macs only involves clicking and dragging the icon to the Applications folder, you will usually need to run an installation program to get applications up and running on Windows.

Getting used to the new interface will likely take time if you’re not used to the Windows setup. As ITProPortal suggested, much of this transitional time will simply come down to reprogramming your muscle memory. Many of your favorite keyboard shortcuts are the same, however, you just need to remember to press the “control” button instead of the “command” key.

Protecting Your PC
One of the most important things to do now is install security software to protect your PC from malware, since Windows machines are more vulnerable to viruses than Macs. In addition, the Windows OS slows down over time with ordinary use. An optimization solution like System Mechanic Pro is the ideal remedy to both threats:

System Mechanic Pro combines the powerful AV solution System Shield with all the optimization tools in System Mechanic, the world’s best-selling PC performance software. System Mechanic relies on over 16 years of in-house engineering research to develop ever-evolving solutions to built-in Windows flaws that can accumulate over time. These include: slow program access, decline in RAM, slow boot time, bloatware, decreased web speed, registry errors, fragmented hard drive and more.

System Mechanic Pro adds powerful double-engine antivirus/anti-malware protection. The antivirus software built into System Mechanic Pro has been evolving and refining its advanced heuristics for nearly two decades. System Mechanic Pro is a security solution that regularly and automatically updates with the latest threat definitions, maintaining an ever-expanding roster of specific malware signatures and suspicious behaviors to help keep your PC secure.

UpToSpeed™ is iolo's ongoing article series written by PC experts for everyday computer users. Each article is packed with easy tips and practical advice on the latest issues affecting computers to help you get the most out of your PC.

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