
Managing an Apple computer park is not easy. You have to take various things into account to guarantee optimal management.
Managed or unmanaged?
Do you make sure that the Apple devices in your area are provided with the right software, updates and security patches? Or are you confident that each individual user assumes this responsibility for his or her device?
Cyber attacks take place daily. Large companies or institutions actively monitor and act on this, SMEs are (too) often only confronted with the nasty consequences.
If you want access to details of a product to be launched from your competitor or if you want to know the content of an annual report before the general public learns the latest news from your competitor, you can obtain this “easier” through the communication agency (SME) than at the contractor. Maybe your internal communication or marketing department works with Macs. Are these secured and up-to-date?
If there is no policy or automation with regard to installing updates and patches, then at least ensure that the installed software is monitored so that you at least know where the vulnerabilities are.
Central or decentralized?
How do you approach this? If you only have a few devices to manage, you could still do this manually. A weekly check-up at a fixed time for example.
If you want to manage multiple devices in your computer park or if your (mobile) colleagues no longer come to the office at fixed times, it is best to centrally arrange the deployment of updates and patches.
Which tools?
To centrally manage your devices and to always have an up-to-date overview, it is best to use a client management tool with extensive integration to macOS. The best known are Jamf, FileWave, and Munki. In addition to the standard MDM feature set, these tools also have other options. For example, if you want to install printer drivers or applications that are not offered through apple mac support Dubai, MDM is too limited for your scenario.
What is the difference between these tools?
If we zoom in on Jamf, FileWave, and Munki, we immediately notice fundamental differences. Jamf and FileWave are commercial products. Not Munki. Jamf and Munki mainly work via PKG files. These are the installers that are also made available by most software manufacturers. FileWave works alongside PKGs with their own FileSet technology. FileWave and Jamf have extensive inventory functionalities.
Do it yourself or outsource?
The investment in client management tools such as Jamf, Filewave, Munki alone is of course not sufficient to achieve the desired result.
Specialists must be trained and released and they must be available at all times and assume their responsibilities. Preferably more than one person who deals with this. The systems on which these tools run must also be maintained. In addition to the cost of the licenses, the cost of the infrastructure, training, deduplication knowledge and working hours must also be included. The latter can run high. After all, it is not enough to blindly push every update to all clients. This analysis and testing are also among the tasks of the specialist. And what if you decide to make the switch from Jamf to FileWave. Or the switch from FileWave to Jamf? The cost price for training, migration and (re) installation can then increase considerably.
Managed by Allington offers a solution to this.
Since it is a managed service, it is not necessary for the customer to invest in tools. The investment in “knowledge and skills” to operate the chosen tools is also lost. In addition to the OS, Managed By Allington also allows the selected business software to be installed, managed and updated automatically.
Managing the applications are not limited to installing and updating them, the applications can also be removed from the devices if necessary. The system also allows ‘self-healing’. If a managed application is no longer in the agreed state, (for example, an update has been installed by the user, or the application has been corrupted) – this will be corrected automatically.
By using Managed by Allington it is possible to transform an organization from a reactive to proactive user support.

