The Complete It Toolbox You Need To Manage Macs In The Enterprise

When it comes to managing and supporting Apple devices successful business and endeavor environments, nan astir communal instrumentality aliases work that comes to mind is mobile instrumentality management (MDM). While MDM is 1 of nan astir powerful and basal devices Apple IT pros request — and getting moreover much powerful pinch nan summation of generative AI — it should ne'er beryllium thought of arsenic nan only tool.

That’s because supporting a fleet of Macs is much analyzable than doing truthful pinch iPhones aliases iPads.

The Mac has been astir a batch longer and has traditionally been a overmuch much unfastened device/platform. Users tin instal package without relying connected Apple’s App Store; it’s imaginable to activity pinch nan underlying exertion pinch entree to devices and nan bid line; macOS supports scripting and automation successful aggregate forms; deploying contented and apps to Macs tin beryllium done successful aggregate ways, depending connected circumstantial needs; and macOS supports aggregate personification accounts (network personification accounts, successful particular).

In a nutshell, that’s a batch to manage. With that successful mind, I’ve compiled a database of 60 devices — yes, 60 — crossed each parts of nan Mac situation that could beryllium useful for IT admins, depending connected their situation and needs.

Apple’s tools

Apple provides a number of important devices for endeavor IT, truthful let’s commencement pinch them. 

Support App — Support is an iOS app that walks you done troubleshooting steps for a assortment of issues. It besides lets you speak aliases chat pinch AppleCare. This is aimed mostly astatine consumers, but still has a spot arsenic a worthwhile troubleshooting tool.

AppleCare for Enterprise — As nan sanction suggests, this is simply a business focused type of Apple’s modular AppleCare support and warranty hold service.

Disk Utility — Built into macOS, Disk Utility lets you position nan various volumes and partitions and drives (internal and external) connected to a fixed Mac. It allows you to edit, reformat and effort to repair them if there’s an rumor pinch a peculiar instrumentality aliases volume. It’s a existent workhorse and nan first instrumentality to scope for to woody pinch retention issues.

Apple Business Manager — Apple Business Manager is nan hub for creating and managing users based connected an outer directory for illustration Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) aliases Google Workspace. It besides is simply a hub for deploying and managing devices (including for zero-touch deployment), implementing MDM, and managing different deployment tasks. Its usage is fundamentally mandatory.

Apple Business Essentials — A stripped down type of Apple Business Manager that provides akin personification and instrumentality management; it’s intended for smaller organizations.

AppleCare Enterprise — Is different 1 wherever nan sanction says it all. This is simply a subscription that allows you to get business and endeavor level support, including privilege on-site work and next-day instrumentality replacement. 

Activity Manager — Preinstalled connected each Macs, this app does precisely what it says: it shows you real-time accusation connected nan apps and work moving connected Mac, and allows you to termination processes if necessary.

Pkgbuild, productbuild (and hdiutil ) — Pkgbuild is simply a bid statement inferior for creating package files that tin beryllium utilized to deploy apps, settings and contented to Apple devices. Similarly, productbuild tin create installers focused connected a azygous app pinch nary extraneous content. Hdiutil, connected nan different hand, allows you to manipulate disk images.

Apple Configurator — There are 2 versions of this tool. One runs connected Macs and configures aggregate Apple instrumentality simultaneously, nan different is an iPhone version that allows you to quickly enroll Macs successful an MDM service.

Feedback Assistant — As you’d expect, this allows you to nonstop feedback to Apple. It besides serves a root of awesome news astir caller releases, including nan afloat merchandise notes for package updates.

Network and directory tools

One of nan main realities of supporting Apple devices successful nan endeavor is that they will request to merge good pinch devices designed astir a Windows-centric mindset. Apple does an fantabulous occupation making its products bully multi-platform endeavor citizens, but these devices tin thief capable immoderate gaps.

Parallels Mac Management/Microsoft SCCM — Parallels Mac Management is simply a package plug-in that allows users to negociate Mac and Windows computers utilizing Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). It tin besides beryllium utilized to negociate Parallels Desktop virtual machines (VMs).

NoMAD — Short for “No More Active Directory,” it describes itself arsenic a task to create a “macOS paper barroom exertion that provides each nan functionality of being bound to AD, and more, without having to beryllium bound.”

UMAD — UMAD (Universal MDM Approval Dialog) is open-source package that provides a civilization interface to simplify migrating from 1 Mac MDM to another

Xcreds — XCreds enhances nan Mac login model to let users to login pinch Azure, Google Cloud, Okta, aliases immoderate OpenID Connect passwords. XCreds verifies nan personification personality supplier and saves tokens to nan personification keychain for validation that nan unreality password is successful sync pinch nan section password. 

Certificate Request — Certificate Request is simply a inferior for macOS that allows you to petition and instal integer certificates straight from Active Directory. It makes requesting and managing certificates a one-touch process for usage successful configuring wireless, Mail, VPN, and different services connected macOS that require certificates issued by Active Directory.

Signing Manager — Signing Manager  provides a strategy for securing codification and package-signing certificates, including iOS, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS app signing without disrupting nan existent workflow. 

Diagnostic, maintenance, repair and optimization tools

Like astir hardware, Macs and different Apple devices require periodic attraction to execute astatine their champion and to troubleshoot any  problems.

Atomic — This is simply a instrumentality for examining a Mac’s on-board RAM and identifying problems pinch installed memory. Since Apple Silicon uses a unified SOC, this is much often a useful instrumentality for Intel-based Macs. 

Techtool Pro — This is simply a broad group of devices that support disk/volume repair and testing for underlying hardware problems.

Parallels Toolbox is a suite of 50 diagnostic devices for nan Mac created by Parallels arsenic an independent merchandise abstracted from nan company’s  virtualization and SCCM-integration tools. 

Disk Drill — Disk Drill is simply a information betterment solution for macOS and iOS.

Paragon — This is simply a group of suites/apps designed to observe hardware-induced problems connected Apple devices and supply broad disk/volume guidance beyond what’s disposable successful Disk Utility. It besides provides for unafraid information removal arsenic good arsenic iOS instrumentality retention management.

DiskWarrior — For decades, Disk Warrior has remained arguably nan champion disk and information betterment instrumentality disposable for techs to usage successful repair and betterment efforts.

Drive Genius — Prosoft’s Drive Genius provides disk monitoring devices arsenic good arsenic retention guidance and retrieve options; it tin besides automate problem and malware detection.

DaisyDisk — DaisyDisk is simply a instrumentality for visualizing nan existent disk usage connected Macs; it tin thief find what’s taking up shard thrust gait and what tin beryllium removed to reclaim disk space.

Clean My Mac — MacPaw’s Clean My Mac is useful for performing each mode of attraction tasks and afloat removing unneeded apps and information to support a Mac moving astatine its best. It tin besides beryllium utilized to troubleshoot problems and forestall immoderate information threats.

Clean My Mac for Business — The endeavor type of Clean My Mac is designed to execute nan aforesaid tasks arsenic its user counterpart but for an full fleet of Macs. It tin beryllium an adjunct to MDM or, for smaller organizations without dedicated IT staff, it tin execute respective cardinal functions of MDM.

Clean My Phone — MacPaw’s Clean My Phone does nan aforesaid kinds of tasks arsenic Clean My Mac, isolated from connected nan iPhone.

CCleaner — CCleaner provides a scope of attraction and support devices that are disposable for macOS, iOS, and different computing platforms.

Disk Clean Pro — Available successful nan macOS App Store, this inferior provides automated monitoring and guidance of storage, file, and image usage connected a Mac. 

Mac Cleaner Pro — This instrumentality helps visualize, negociate and free up retention abstraction connected a Mac. Pear Cleaner is nan companion app that allows you to do nan aforesaid connected an iOS device.

Malware/Threat detection tools

Cybersecurity is 1 of nan biggest challenges IT departments face. There was a clip (when Apple devices commanded truthful small marketplace share) that they had “security by obscurity” because it wasn’t worthy nan effort for malicious actors to target them. That’s nary longer nan case.

Pareto Security — Pareto focuses connected nan small-business marketplace pinch a non-invasive malware and information threat monitoring wherever accepted MDM mightiness not beryllium an disposable action for your mini business.

Suspicious Package — A package guidance solution that allows you to create, edit and inspect packages. 

Intego — Intego provides a number of different information tools, including malware detection, unafraid instrumentality wipe, web postulation contented monitoring, and VPN service.

AVG Security — AVG is simply a well-known subordinate successful nan instrumentality and information information management. For Macs, it provides malware-detection devices and further information features to artifact imaginable phising attacks, contented blocking and firewall features.

Avast — Like others connected this list, Avast provides malware detection, contented filtering, accessory (webcam) blocking, and advertisement blocking. 

Norton 360 — Norton is simply a seasoned of nan cybersecurity battle. One of nan astir respected endeavor information vendors, it sports a wide scope of personal, mini business and endeavor information solutions for Apple and different devices. 

Bit Defender — Bit Defender is an anti-malware institution focused connected nan mini business (and consumer) markets. 

Sophos — Another seasoned of nan information crusade, Sophos provides endeavor malware detection.

Kanji EDR — Kandji is 1 of nan top Apple-specific MDM providers; it’s developed a solution that uses AI to show instrumentality postulation for patterns of malware aliases a device-based information threat. It tin proactively return corrective action, if possible.

Remote support tools

Remote entree devices are basal successful today’s IT landscape, peculiarly arsenic we’re still successful a clip erstwhile distant activity remains astatine comparatively precocious levels. These devices connection various levels of distant support: Putty; Apple Remote Desktop; HelpWise; TeamViewer; GetScreen; and Apple’s Face Time. 

Deployment tools

Munki — Munki and its related devices are fantabulous options for deploying package and packages to Macs successful an endeavor environment.

MIST — Mist is simply a Mac inferior that automatically downloads macOS firmwares and installers.

Payload-free Package Creator — A instrumentality for creating, inspecting and managing macOS packages.

ProfileCreator — An open-source macOS app, Profile Creator offers a measurement to create modular aliases customized configuration profiles.

InstallApplications — InstallApplications is an open-source instrumentality that tin dynamically download packages for usage pinch InstallApplication. This is useful for DEP bootstraps, allowing you to person a importantly reduced first package that tin easy beryllium updated without repackaging nan original.

S.U.P.E.R.M.A.N. — S.U.P.E.R.M.A.N. optimizes nan macOS update acquisition for businesses.

Onboarding tools

DFU Blaster — This instrumentality from TwoCanoes tin beryllium utilized to put a Mac into DFU mode pinch nan property of a azygous fastener and reconstruct immoderate type of macOS nan Mac strategy tin support.

DEP Notify — DEPNotify is simply a small, light-weight notification app that was designed to fto your users cognize what’s going connected during a DEP enrollment.

MDS — Also from TwoCanoes, this instrumentality tin group up and proviso Macs retired of nan box; it sports zero-touch configuration, akin to what’s disposable pinch MDM aliases Apple Business Essentials. It tin besides negociate section retention and Recovery mode/volumes. 

Backup and restore 

Erase-install — This unfastened -ource book automates downloading macOS installers and optionally erasing aliases upgrading macOS successful a azygous process.

Carbon Copy Cloner — The grandaddy of backmost up, reconstruct and disk cloning, Carbon Copy Cloner from Bombich has been a trusted Mac support devices for decades. CCC Mobile Backup is nan iOS sister to Carbon Copy Cloner; it nan handles measurement management, encryption, verification, and backup versioning.

User self-service options

Self-service options that let users to find nan answers they request connected their ain (and that let IT to pass straight pinch users), person go cardinal devices arsenic users person grown much technically literate. Responding this measurement saves a batch of overhead, and it gives users a safe/curated assets alternatively of thing random they mightiness find by searching Google aliases asking ChatGPT for help.

Hello-IT — Hello-IT is simply a group of self-support apps that tin beryllium provided by IT services to extremity users.

swiftDialog — Another open-source tool, swiftDialog creates user-focused messaging and notifications.

Virtualization tools

Virtualization is astatine a crossroads connected macOS astatine nan moment. Intel Macs could easy virtualize Windows to tally Mac and Windows apps broadside by side. But Apple Silicon Macs, since they aren’t x86-based, airs problems. It’s imaginable to virtualize nan ARM type of Windows and Parallels has announced an emulation characteristic to tally x86 Windows versions, but nan characteristic is successful an early beta authorities astatine nan moment. 

Virtualization tin besides beryllium utilized to create macOS VMs for testing and related purposes. This expertise continues connected Apple Silicon, but location are immoderate limitations, peculiarly if you request to virtualize older macOS versions.

VirtualBox — VirtualBox is Oracle’s free virtualization tool. It isn’t anyplace astir arsenic afloat featured arsenic different options, but it avoids imaginable costs. There are preview builds of nan package for Apple Silicon, but they presently only support moving ARM-based Linux distributions. 

Parallels Desktop — Parallels makes nan premier virtualization package for macOS and has moreover been named an authorized and trusted solution by Microsoft. The institution offers various versions of Parallels Desktop, including Pro, Business and Enterprise editions that present varying characteristic sets and distant deployment and guidance of VMs successful a business aliases endeavor environment. You tin usage Parallels to virtualize ARM versions of Windows with, arsenic mentioned, support for x86 versions a activity successful progress.

VMWare Fusion — Fusions feels for illustration nan forgotten mediate kid of virtualization. It gets much updates than VirtualBox and tin tally ARM-based versions of Windows and Linux (though not macOS), but its characteristic group isn’t arsenic robust arsenic Parallels — peculiarly for endeavor environments.

I’ll admit that this database is rather agelong (and took a while to compile), but each instrumentality present will beryllium useful successful immoderate measurement to galore endeavor operations, large and small. The cardinal is to find nan devices that you request arsenic an Apple IT Pro and determine which useful champion successful your circumstantial environment.