Introducing Apple Business - Smarter Apple device management for SME

This is exciting news for organisations using Apple devices!

On 14th April, Apple is launching Apple Business, which is not just an upgrade to Apple Business Manager but a truly revolutionary new hub for everything an Apple-focused business needs. Apple Business brings together all the great features of Apple Business Manager:

• Automated device enrolment into your device management solution (MDM, more on that later!)
• Apps & Books store for business, with options for buying in bulk
• Managed Apple Accounts, giving the business control over Apple Accounts
• Federation against Microsoft, Google and others for authenticating Managed Apple Accounts
• Device ownership verification, which lets you remove activation lock

But here’s the really exciting part: Apple Business also includes these amazing new and integrated tools:

• Built-in mobile device management specifically designed to make IT easier for businesses without dedicated IT teams
• All the features of Apple Business Connect to help you brand your organisation in Apple Mail and other apps, plus location information to enhance your place cards on Apple Maps and Safari
• Integrated mail, calendar and directory services so you can start a new business with a professional identity and communication system. You can even host your own domain.

For those of us who have been in the industry for a while, it’s great to see Apple removing barriers to entry for professional device management. This makes modern MDM workflows more accessible than ever for small to medium-sized enterprises who rely on Apple devices but haven’t yet fully embraced mobile device management.

Apple Business acts as a gateway into MDM without any cost, much like Apple Profile Manager did for schools when iPads first became popular. Back then, Profile Manager helped education providers understand why centralised device management was important, and it paved the way for revolutionary technologies like zero-touch deployment, silent app deployments and automated software updates.

Today, Apple is giving the business world a fresh look at that same moment.

And that’s also a fantastic moment for the MDM community!

This update isn’t about replacing dedicated MDM providers; rather, it helps organisations really grasp the benefits of MDM, making it easier to see where more advanced platforms fit in.

For example, solutions like Jamf Pro will shine even brighter as businesses:

• Experience the benefits of MDM with Apple Business
• Recognise where deeper workflows, identity and security controls are needed
• Seek tools that scale alongside their teams and future growth

Apple Business will give businesses a first taste of MDM, where perhaps cost and complexity were too much to handle before. For many, this will be their first step into exploring the richer, more powerful features of specialised platforms like Jamf.

Apple is making device management easier, and businesses of all sizes now have a smoother path into modern, secure, centralised device management. This launch is a big moment for Apple in business, and I for one am really looking forward to seeing the benefits of that across the organisations working with KRCS.

Philip Woods
Director, KRCS.