Hopefully, you all attended our first-ever virtual VMworld (or you’re reviewing the on-demand video library). If so, you may already know about several incredible new additions we’ll soon be delivering for macOS management in Workspace ONE because John and Robert covered these topics in detail in their session titled “Managing Macs and Offering Mac as Choice.”
At VMware, we’ve been managing macOS devices with Workspace ONE for years, and we’ve been adding functionality to that management capability the entire time. However, over the next few months, we’ll be rolling out new functionality that will allow you to manage macOS with far more granular control and automation to improve admin productivity and deliver a superior employee experience.
New macOS Management Functionality Coming*
Sensors for macOS – Your Ticket to Freestyle1 and More
NOTE: If you’re not familiar with our upcoming Freestyle workflow solution, check out the VMworld on-demand breakout session “An Introduction to Freestyle Orchestrator.”
VMware will soon roll out Sensors as a critical new data collection capability for macOS admins. Sensors for Windows 10 have been available for a while now. In the next few months, we’ll be improving and adding them to macOS.
Sensors help admins collect an advanced set of device attributes, above and beyond what macOS generates by default. Admins can view sensor results in the new, dedicated Device Details tab. Sensors for macOS add immense value for Workspace ONE Intelligence customers who can use them to create incredibly rich custom reports and dashboards and trigger automation. Admins will also use sensor data as criteria to create powerful rules with Freestyle1 – once released – to automate decisions like whether resources should be installed or executed.
New Scripting Engine
While introducing Sensors as a new means of collecting device data, we’ll also be launching a new resource type called Scripts. The scripting engine helps automate the configuration and provisioning processes by enabling admins to edit, deploy, and manage scripts for macOS directly from Workspace ONE. When Freestyle Orchestrator launches, these scripts become resources admins can leverage in complex workflows.
The scripting engine includes the ability to add a custom timeout, monitor success or failure, add static and dynamic variables, trigger scripts based on system events or specified times, and more. Admins facilitate end-user self-service by publishing scripts to the application catalog in Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub. With this capability, admins customize the app catalog with organization-specific functionality that previously may have required a call to the helpdesk.
Sensors and Scripts are available for testing in Beta. Checkout Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub 20.10 Beta https://beta-ea.vmware.com/key/getbeta
Upgraded Onboarding Experience
We see increasingly more customers drop-shipping Macs, PCs and other devices directly to end-users from the factory. To help make that process even easier, we’re upgrading the macOS onboarding experience to provide rich feedback to the user during device setup. The new onboarding screen makes it easier for IT to maintain that streamlined, out-of-the-box onboarding experience in drop-ship scenarios.
Available for testing in Beta. Checkout Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub 20.10 Beta https://beta-ea.vmware.com/key/getbeta
Application and process restriction
Finally, we’re building a new security extension into the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub that allows IT to restrict specific applications or processes from running on managed devices.
Available for testing in Beta. Checkout Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub 20.10 Beta https://beta-ea.vmware.com/key/getbeta
New Badged Training Course for Workspace ONE macOS Admins
New Online Program
We appreciate your commitment to VMware with your investment in Workspace ONE UEM for macOS management. As we work on bringing critical new macOS management functionality to you, we’re here to ensure you’re getting the greatest possible return on that investment. To that end, we will be launching our comprehensive online training program for Workspace ONE macOS administrators, something eagerly anticipated since we first talked about it at VMworld.
The course itself will be free to all Workspace ONE customers and delivered 100% online in the VMware Learning Zone. The training program covers all generally available macOS management capabilities in Workspace ONE. Additionally, we plan to expand the training with new modules related to the VMworld announcements as we release them, so even admins who have been using Workspace ONE to manage Macs for years are sure to benefit.
We also plan to release an exam to cap off the training course. Those who take the exam for a nominal fee and pass will receive a “Workspace ONE macOS Administrator” badge that shows your understanding of applying Workspace ONE to macOS management.
If you haven’t started managing macOS because you weren’t sure exactly how to go about it, now is the time to get up to speed. Workspace ONE delivers capabilities for device diversity at your organization, and macOS is a critical piece of that scenario. If you’re using another tool to manage macOS, this training course is an opportunity to learn about the full macOS management functionality built into Workspace ONE. You can consolidate all your device management into ONE solution that will save your organization money, time and effort.
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Resources
VMworld on-demand breakout session “Managing Macs and Offering Mac as Choice”
VMworld on-demand breakout session “Apple at Work with VMware”
1VMworld on-demand breakout session “An Introduction to Freestyle Orchestrator”
*DISCLAIMER: I’m covering features in this blog that are currently under development and, therefore, may change to some degree based on feedback we receive as we continue to test. This overview represents no commitment to deliver these features in any generally available product. Technical feasibility, market demand, and other feedback will affect the final delivery. VMware has not determined pricing and packaging.
