Safeguarding Your Apple Business

We all know that iPhone, iPad and Mac are important for a business to thrive. If you’re like many businesses around the world, depending on your end users to handle their own Apple devices, mixing business and personal data through services like iCloud, it might be a good idea to think about it again.

In today’s world, where keeping our data safe and secure is super important, it is just not safe to leave the management and protection of our most important devices and data to the end users.

Like with any business challenge, we all keep an eye on the return on investment for our efforts. The good news is that most of the advantages we discuss in this article are free, and the potential benefits could be huge when you consider the cost of losing data.

Let’s break down the solution into four key steps, which we’ll go over now.

Step One - Enroll with Apple Business

It can feel like you’re climbing Everest while just starting out, especially when you’re dealing with things like getting your IT and devices under control. But don’t worry, you can take the first step by signing up for your free account at business.apple.com. Once you’re set up, you can start registering all your Apple devices through your Apple Business account. This will give you a clear view of which devices have access to your company’s data and help you build the groundwork for making changes.

Step Two - Apple Accounts and data security.

Without a solid data and device policy, there’s a good chance business and customers’ data might slip out of your hands. This isn’t because of sneaky hackers, but because iCloud backups (which employees probably use with good intentions) automatically save application data, notes and photos along with the whole device backup.

Whether or not end users log in to work devices with their personal Apple Account or create an iCloud account linked to their business email, the same thing is true. The Apple Account belongs to the person who set it up, and only they can access it. If they leave your business that data is out of your reach and could be destroyed or shared without your knowledge.

The best way to prevent this is to use Managed Apple Accounts, which you can get for free through your Apple Business account. These are iCloud accounts, but they’re under your business’ control. You can easily reset, access or disable an account through Apple Business, and the accounts (and the data they hold) are all yours to manage.

Step Three - Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace

Many businesses are also using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. The good news is that Apple Business works with both services, using your Google or Microsoft account details to sign in to iCloud and create a (federated) Managed Apple Account.

This means that a Microsoft-based business can take away access to both Microsoft and Apple online services by simply turning off a user’s Microsoft account. It’s a significant move towards giving your business more control and better management of its data.

Step Four - Enrol your Apple devices in to an MDM

Once you have set up Managed Apple Accounts, it is important to make sure that any Apple devices connected to them are safe. The simplest way to do this is by using mobile device management (MDM) and end-point protection like Jamf Protect.

More great news here is that Apple Business includes an MDM, so you have a true one stop solution which is free of charge. See our write up with more information on the Apple Business platform.

Step four might feel like a big jump, but by taking your time with steps one, two and three, you’ll be on your way to getting an Apple Business account, registering your Apple devices for management, and keeping your data safe with Managed Apple Accounts. That’s quite an accomplishment!

Once you decide to complete the journey to management, you’ll use the Automated Device Enrolment feature of Apple Business to enrol devices in to your preferred MDM. Some MDMs are free like the built in features of Apple Business, while others have an annual fee, but there’s no right choice for all businesses.

Our experienced team of non-commercial systems engineers are available to discuss your business needs and make the right recommendation to handle important business tasks such as managing settings, installing apps, updating operating systems, ensuring compliance to wider standards like Cyber Essentials, ISO-27001 and CIS benchmarks.

Have more questions?

If these steps seem a bit overwhelming, KRCS can provide a fully managed service to guide you from the beginning to the finish line. We also offer focussed professional services to provide support whenever you need it.

Please reach out by email or give us a call on 0115 985 1797; we’d be happy to chat about your particular requirements. No matter where you are in your journey, we’re here to help.