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PeerSpot user
Senior Desktop Engineer - Mac at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Self-service feature provides users with the ability to install software and run scripts that typically require administrator intervention

What is our primary use case?

We offer software to users via self-service and push applications out for major security releases when needed. We also use it to block software from running.

Aside from software distribution we also use it for management of security settings and monitoring of systems for security compliance.

How has it helped my organization?

Without Jamf we wouldn't be able to manage the systems at all. I have looked at many other solutions over the years. I have been a Mac admin, and Jamf provides the only complete solution for managing Macs at large and small scale.

Currently, only a small team manages over 500 Macs with plans for growth over the next two years. In the past, I have managed over 2000 devices with only two administrators. This wouldn't be possible without Jamf Pro.

What is most valuable?

Self-service is invaluable to our organization; it provides users with the ability to install the software and run scripts that typically require administrator intervention.  

Extension attributes are key for compliance monitoring and overall client health statistics. The ability to get any information from machines via a script is so useful.

Smart groups are important for all of the above and much more; it's so easy to scope items to systems if you know how to create the groups. All of the above are probably the most powerful and useful features of Jamf Pro.

What needs improvement?

  • Patch management is lacking greatly; more options are needed in order for us to consider using it at all.
  • An overhaul of how configuration profiles are needed, there are too many issues associated with the current mechanism. 
  • I would also say that configuration profile payloads need updating to remove old ones and add new ones.
  • I would love to see any update on Jamf admin; it's very much in need.
Buyer's Guide
Jamf Pro
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Jamf Pro. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1713960 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Support Analyst at Alder Creek Middle School
User
Great policy management, lots of API integrations, and helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "With the countless API integrations and Jamf Marketplace add-ons, Jamf is customizable and is a total device management tool for Apple's ecosystem."
  • "There needs to be a mass policy change tool."

What is our primary use case?

We manage macOS and iOS devices using Jamf Pro. We are a K through 12 school district and have single users and shared devices. We use Jamf Pro to set up and keep all our Macs and iOS devices up to date and make sure all our corporation's software is installed. Jamf has the ability to not only deploy configuration profiles but also deploy management policies. This allows for a total deployment tool to manage all aspects of our fleet.

How has it helped my organization?

Jamf has given us the ability to manage and make live changes to our entire fleet at a click of a button. At any time, I can see a user's devices, what their IP is, what apps they have been using, and any pending software updates. This allows us to give real-time updates and reports to management and allows our IT staff to better assist our end-users in our organization.

What is most valuable?

Policy management is very valuable to us. It can do so many things - from setting up accounts to installing new software or just editing a .plist file. It can do it all! 

You also have Jamf's recon tool that keeps your inventory up to date and allows you to pull real-time reports of your devices. 

With the countless API integrations and Jamf Marketplace add-ons, Jamf is customizable and is a total device management tool for Apple's ecosystem.

What needs improvement?

The mass update management tool could be better. We need the ability to tell Macs on next check-in to run all software updates that are pending and authenticate this via bootstrap and root. It should offer a run-on login window so no client needs to be logged in.

There needs to be a mass policy change tool. We would like the ability to make changes to multiple policies at the same time. For example, 50 Printer policies for different printers. We'd like to be able to change the scope or change the driver on the policy en-masse.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Jamf Pro for five years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is very scalable! There are tons of API integration and add-ons. Also, Jamf has zero-day support and is always adding new things.

How are customer service and support?

Jamf is fast to reply and if the person you get doesn't know the answer they will stay with you through the process and help you find the answer.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used Meraki MDM. We switched as it could not do everything we needed and we needed a complete management solution. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

New users should make sure they pay to do the onboarding, and then, once onboarded, attend Jamf user groups and join the Jamf Heroes group.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other options.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Jamf Pro
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Jamf Pro. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PeerSpot user
Apple Distinguished Educator at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Enables us to build a better inventory of our devices
Pros and Cons
  • "Jamf Pro has allowed us to make sure settings for our devices are easily installed so our end-users don't need to worry about a significant amount of steps for setup. We also use this to send applications to devices."
  • "We would love to see the ability to have settings apply to mobile devices on a time schedule. This would allow us to plan some tasks ahead of time."

What is our primary use case?

We are a kindergarten to eighth grade school district in Illinois and we have the need to manage our student and teacher devices. We manage a total of 1,600 devices between macOS laptops and Apple iPads. As students move between grade levels and application needs changes. 

In addition, we need to make it easy so our students and teachers don't need to worry about making tech work, but instead can pick up and use devices without needing many tech skills. We also want to make sure multiple users in our organization have the ability to manage devices.

How has it helped my organization?

Jamf Pro has allowed us to make sure settings for our devices are easily installed so our end-users don't need to worry about a significant amount of steps for setup. We also use this to send applications to devices as well as the day-to-day usage of devices, we have a significant deployment that occurs every year with mobile devices for new students. We have also been able to use Jamf Pro to begin building a better inventory of our devices, have greater insight into patch management, and making sure our devices are up to date.

What is most valuable?

The ability to build configuration profiles for devices to send settings to devices and making it easy for our students and teachers to install applications has been the most valuable. 

This has meant that when a teacher has an upcoming project, we can be sure applications that may be needed will be on the devices ahead of time so they can use their instructional time to teach. In addition, creating smart devices and user groups means our environment can be very flexible and make changes to our deployment without a significant amount of additional work. 

What needs improvement?

We would love to see the ability to have settings apply to mobile devices on a time schedule. This would allow us to plan some tasks ahead of time. For example, we often have testing needs throughout the school year and the ability to do things like set a date to install an app and a date to remove an app would help us schedule upcoming tasks better. The same would go for things like web clips; we often share links with students for accessing content and being able to have this appear/disappear on a date would be helpful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Jamf for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very good.

How are customer service and support?

Support has been responsive to our needs.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

MaaS360 - this worked for our smaller deployment of about 100 devices, but as we expanded devices in our organization we needed a more flexible solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was simple.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented in-house.

What was our ROI?

It is tough to quantify the value but it has allowed our team to be more efficient.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When evaluating solutions to look at the pricing delta between products rather than the total cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other solutions. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1525428 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mac Specialist at Compugen
MSP
Good workflow automation that we use to create a zero-touch onboarding for our users
Pros and Cons
  • "Having the ability to automate our workflows has been great."
  • "One of the big areas in need of improvement is automated device naming for computers."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is to manage everything Apple in our environment. This includes everything from assigning the asset to the user, controlling licensing via the App Store, custom policies, and configurations.

The goal is to ease the burden on our Service Desk, while also enabling the user to be more self-sufficient.

In the past, I have used many MDM solutions and most of the time it came down to poor documentation with them compared to Jamf.  We found the resources provided were more then enough to get us up and running. Plus, the continued support from their staff has been awesome! 

How has it helped my organization?

We have found Jamf to be the critical part of everything.

Having the ability to automate our workflows has been great. Also, having the knowledge base of other Mac Admins at our disposal with the Jamf Nation, that's something that very few if any, MDM providers have.

We currently have a zero-touch workflow, where we are able to deploy the full MS Office Suite, complete encryption, and block activation lock, all while the device is being enrolled for the first time.

The user doesn't have to reach out to IT at all during the process, which definitely improves the onboarding experience.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is Jamf Nation. It contains valuable information, tips, tricks, and resources to go to when you might have issues. Oftentimes, the issue you are facing isn't something new at all. There are always others who have run into it and can provide valuable insight to resolving it. If it is something completely new, you have a plethora of other admins at your disposal who are able to quickly assist you.

Integrated patch management is easy to keep your software up to date on devices

Painless app deployment means that we can simply package and deploy. With some other MDMs, you have to convert to a proprietary file or have to upload multiple files to properly complete the loop.

What needs improvement?

One of the big areas in need of improvement is automated device naming for computers. You can do this via mobile devices in the pre-stage but not for computers. Having the ability to assign devices to a specific pre-stage enrollment group, and having said group identify all of the systems via a specific prefix/suffix, would benefit us a lot and keep better consistency when it comes to users' machine names.

Improved Patch Management is something that is in the works, I know, but having access to more applications or even improving the method to organizing/configuring patch management will be beneficial. Currently, setting it up is a painful process.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Jamf Pro for the past four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, our experience has been very good. There have been instances of downtime, whether it be scheduled or not, but for the most part, everything has been up and running consistently. 

The downtime I'm referring to is either scheduled maintenance (because we are a cloud hosted environment) or there have been server outages with AWS.  Overall though you can quickly pull up details regarding those pieces.

From the perspective of stability with the product on a day to day basis, its stellar.  Being cloud hosted we have been able to consistently add new policies, devices, scripts, running things every 15 minutes on our fleet and never any hiccups.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We use Jamf Pro's hosted services. Scalability has never come up and performance has always been top-notch.  The only slowness is when your internet is lacking.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would say tech support has been great overall. Sometimes, it's a bit tricky to get the point across or even to identify the root cause, and it might take a couple of back and forth encounters, but once that clears up then it's a smooth experience.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before we implemented Jamf at a previous workplace, we were using AirWatch to manage our mobile devices and binding our Macs to AD using Centrify. We switched to Jamf to improve mobility for our users as well as alleviate account issues with binding.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was pretty straightforward, to be honest.

You needed to configure some prerequisites with Apple (ABM, APNS, VPP) but once everything was up and running, the rest was pretty seamless. The hardest part is taking a high-level look at your environment and determining how you want to manage the devices with the various scopes.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it via Jamf directly.

What was our ROI?

It is hard to put exact numbers on ROI but it's also hard to even think about the things we are doing now if we take Jamf out of the picture.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's hard to say with this.

A lot of the resources are great and enable Admins to configure the environment solo for the most part. I would recommend you have at least one of the Admins go through the training course to better enable themselves.

Depending on how much support you require, it might make sense to add that to the licensing agreement. I've seen the difference in the support structures, first hand, and I definitely enjoyed the dedicated support tiers.  

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did a POC for AirWatch (which we had for mobile already), InTune (back then, it was very much in its infancy), and Jamf.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Director, Mac Technical Support at Marymount Manhattan College
Real User
Nice GUI, and the self-service feature empowers our users
Pros and Cons
  • "The design of the GUI, as compared to other solutions, really makes a difference."
  • "I would love to see an integrated ticketing system built-in, better reporting templates to help analyze the data (software usage, etc.), and integration with FREE SSL Cert (letsencrypt.org) with auto-renewal."

What is our primary use case?

Using this solution has brought order to chaos.

We use Jamf to manage labs and laptops. It was a huge pain bringing in the different Mac computers/setups/software under one roof. No one knows what life was like before automated enrollment (formerly DEP). We currently are on-premises but are strongly moving toward the cloud.

I think the price difference to NOT MANAGE our own servers is small compared to saving me hours of headaches looking for and testing solutions/upgrades. 

How has it helped my organization?

Using this solution has brought order to chaos.

The biggest things that Jamf Pro has done are:

  1. Support my Tier 1 tech support to quickly help our users
  2. Empower our users to help themselves with our Self-Service portal.
  3. Save my sanity before I almost decide to change careers. I love what I do but Jamf Pro makes my job 'fun' to do, especially when the need to replicate solutions diminishes because of Self Service!

What is most valuable?

There are many valuable things in this solution.

The design of the GUI, as compared to other solutions, really makes a difference. There are other software products that we use in-house that I specifically avoid because the interface is not as easy to use, a headache for reporting and frankly, not too good to look at. GUI Design matters to me. 

What needs improvement?

I would love to see an integrated ticketing system built-in, better reporting templates to help analyze the data (software usage, etc.), and integration with FREE SSL Cert (letsencrypt.org) with auto-renewal.

Wishful thinking on that last one because Jamf recently acquired DigiCert. One can only hope.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Jamf Pro for more than seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of the company, I think they are going in the right direction so it seems stable. They've been acquiring smaller companies every year adding to the Jamf Pro feature market.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Jamf Pro is definitely scalable. Companies can start out with three computers and go up to ten thousand if needed.

How are customer service and technical support?

Jamf Support post-setup is reliable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use another solution prior to this one.

I was considering other solutions many years ago and it was my techs that convinced me on Jamf. After all, if they suggested it, that usually means they will use it. Any complaints usually lead me to say "You wanted it. Let's deal with it or find something better."

I'm still waiting seven years later for a 'better' proposal. ;] 

How was the initial setup?

If you're new to Jamf Pro it may seem complex at first, but that's with anything new and different. Overall, I feel that the initial setup is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We had Jamf do the setup. They contracted but I would say that the person they sent was knowledgable, efficient, and supportive.

What was our ROI?

My ROI is one hundred percent.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The setup is pricey upfront for support and setup. However, I do think it's necessary to get your environment up and running, especially if your techs have not been exposed to Jamf Pro yet.

The prices definitely could be better for smaller companies.

What other advice do I have?

My advice is to get the Training Pass. Train your staff, otherwise, you're wasting your money on any software in general (not being used).  

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2139858 - PeerSpot reviewer
Works at Unbabel
Vendor
Top 20
Great alerts, zero-touch deployment, and patch management
Pros and Cons
  • "We are able to configure the laptop with the security requirements needed, default applications, and so on without touching it."
  • "The solution needs cheaper training."

What is our primary use case?

We are a medium-sized company, and our fleet is 95% Macs.

Jamf helps us to manage Macs remotely via an intuitive dashboard.

Managing macOS can get difficult sometimes without the help of an MDM. With Jamf, I have control of the fleet with a few clicks.

Being able to update third-party applications without the need for other external tools is another plus. 

With minor modifications, we were able to have an almost zero-touch deployment. This way, we know that all Macs will always have the same configurations.

We are also working on the self-service app, which has a lot of potential. 

How has it helped my organization?

With Jamf, we can create almost a zero-touch deployment which saves a lot of time with flashing the OS, manually installing the apps, and configuring some settings.

This has enabled us to save time for each onboarding/offboarding/laptop change.

I worked in an environment where we had only 10 Macbooks and no MDM, and without Jamf, it was super hard to manage the Macbooks. With self-service, the sky is the limit. You can do whatever you want with it.

There are some out-of-the-box integrations that can help you achieve some results.

What is most valuable?

Smart Groups with alerts is useful. This will let me have visibility of the environment without having to constantly see what is happening. 

After some tweaks, zero-touch deployment is another valuable thing. We are able to configure the laptop with the security requirements needed, default applications, and so on without touching it. This feels great, especially when you send a brand new sealed Macbook to some user.

Another awesome feature is Patch Management. Until this day, many people don't know that this exists. However, it helps a lot with patching third-party applications.

What needs improvement?

The solution needs cheaper training. Some companies don't have that much budget to invest in training. 

They need integrations with known/other services out of the box.

Reports for execs could be more colorful/attractive.

The documentation for the API is still confusing.

Until this day, I still don't know what's the best way to securely run your API in an end-user endpoint.

Some documentation could also be updated or created in cases where a large population uses the same environment (like Jamf + Google + Okta) or something like that. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for two years.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Kandji and ManageEngine in previous jobs.

Jamf was already in my current environment, and it just works, so there is nothing to say here.

What was our ROI?

For what I remember, 30%

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Mohit  Dumbani - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at a tech consulting company with 201-500 employees
Reseller
Top 20
Enhances user experience with seamless onboarding and customization features
Pros and Cons
  • "One valuable feature of Jamf Pro is Jamf Connect, which helps synchronize passwords from Active Directory to Mac."
  • "Jamf Pro should be standardized into one MDM product to make it more affordable and accessible."

What is our primary use case?

In India, most enterprise customers who adopt Apple as a platform prefer Jamf Pro as a solution. It offers a wide range of features and user productivity solutions, including Jamf Connect and Jamf Protect

Many enterprises use it to manage their Apple fleets, especially those who are premium customers and can afford the price.

How has it helped my organization?

Enterprises prefer Jamf as it enhances the user experience, especially during onboarding. For instance, branding and customization features allow organizations to centralize messaging and even play videos with CEO messages on the login window, providing a seamless experience for employees.

What is most valuable?

One valuable feature of Jamf Pro is Jamf Connect, which helps synchronize passwords from Active Directory to Mac. Another is customization and branding, which are crucial in the enterprise space, helping organizations deploy their vision on Apple devices.

What needs improvement?

Jamf Pro should be standardized into one MDM product to make it more affordable and accessible. The App packaging process is time-consuming and could be improved. Additionally, the user interface is somewhat complex for first-time users, and streamlining it could enhance the overall experience.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Jamf Pro for four to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is excellent. I would rate it ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is also excellent. I would rate it ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Once the solution is deployed and purchased, Jamf provides good support. I would rate their support nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Many customers already using Intune to manage their Windows infrastructure are open to exploring Mac management using Intune as well.

How was the initial setup?

The setup process is simple. However, having three different products like Jamf Pro, Connect, and Protect can complicate license activation. A centralized activation process would improve the experience.

What about the implementation team?

Many partners sell the solution and move on, offering limited resources for ongoing support, which impacts the activation and deployment experience.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Jamf Pro is considered a premium solution, and pricing can be a significant factor, especially in price-sensitive markets like India.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have conducted numerous POCs with Intune, which provides a cost-effective alternative bundled with Microsoft's volume licenses.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Jamf Pro for enterprise customers, but for those already using Intune and looking to evaluate Mac, Intune may be their preferred choice.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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PeerSpot user
reviewer1909128 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Support Specialist at VISBY MEDICAL, INC.
User
Great support, allows for blocking certain settings, and helps manage Apple devices
Pros and Cons
  • "It's as easy as procuring the licensing for the apps and then setting it to the volume purchasing back in Jamf."
  • "Apple does block certain actions from happening or disallows Jamf from making certain changes."

What is our primary use case?

We use this program to manage all of our Apple devices in our different locations. We have Zoom rooms set up that use iPads that we configure to stay in single app mode so users are unable to change anything. 

We also use it to manage the kiosk we have set up when we have guests. We have also implemented a BYOD policy where we have users sign up with Jamf and it allows us to push apps from our business to their phones. It's nice. We also make sure they select the "personally-owned" option so we don't accidentally take full control of their device.

How has it helped my organization?

It has made our day-to-day job so much easier since implementing Jamf Pro at our company. We have a simple to use one-stop-shop for all our Apple devices. We can manage all our Macbooks and see what apps are installed or even see what macOS version they are on. Then we can remotely force install the newest version of the macOS and either allow the user to upgrade on their own or force it to upgrade then and there. Jamf Pro is great for lost devices as well, they have a "Lost Mode" command that will ping their last known location and even make a noise.

What is most valuable?

The first most valuable feature I found was the ability to simply push out applications to devices, Mac or iPads/iPhones. (We also have the ability to manage desktops and AppleTV devices if needed). It's as easy as procuring the licensing for the apps and then setting it to the volume purchasing back in Jamf. 

Another great feature is the ability to set all different kinds of restrictions on the devices. We can block certain settings, the App Store, or even specific apps! We can even do the opposite and only allow selected apps.

What needs improvement?

It's really hard to figure out anything that needs to be improved in Jamf. They do everything so well and they are constantly updating the system. 

Since we are in the cloud, it just updates automatically and little bugs/glitches are always being fixed. 

Apple does block certain actions from happening or disallows Jamf from making certain changes. This is the only true issue I can see, which is not truly a Jamf issue. I would just hope that one day Apple will allow Jamf to make changes to the screen sharing changes so that way we can fully support remote employees. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost two years now.

How are customer service and support?

Support is great. They have multiple ways to contact them and are fairly responsive. They will also follow up a couple of times before closing the ticket due to no responses.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user