Unified passwords have simplified multi-device access and now support flexible user self-service
What is our primary use case?
Jamf Connect is valuable for new users who are Mac users but have never worked in an Active Directory domain or have independent Macs. Initially, there was skepticism about this feature, but after a couple of weeks, it proved to be a good tool because many users are using multiple devices. They are not bound to one device; sometimes they use one Mac, one Windows, one Mac, one Linux, one Windows. For those kinds of users, it is an awesome solution because it syncs their password across the devices they are using, which was not the case previously.
Regarding multi-factor authentication in Jamf Connect, we are already using that in one of the customers, and it is working fine. However, it depends on the MFA provider, not with Jamf Connect itself. Jamf Connect simply integrates with MFA, guiding it to which MFA it needs to connect, and it is there. MFA is kind of separate; it is not a part of Jamf Connect, but we can use MFA with Jamf Connect, and it is working fine.
My experience assessing Jamf Connect's integration with cloud identity providers like Okta and Azure AD has been seamless. We got the proper support from Okta, and we did it perfectly fine. Another integration we did with Azure is also fine, and we are looking for another one integrated with Google service.
What is most valuable?
The features of Jamf Connect that I have found most valuable so far include the ability to sync the password with the Active Directory or Azure, and we can provide an option for users to connect to the self-service or get admin rights for a couple of minutes, around half an hour. Those are the two key features which are very awesome and they are working well in the person project.
What needs improvement?
One area of Jamf Connect that I think could be improved is the recent merger with Self Service Plus, which is a solution we did not want. As a technical person, I do not want to see that because these two are separate things and should be kept as separate. After the integration, they removed the menu bar option for the previous users of Jamf Connect, which is odd for the user because they know where they need to click to sync the password or go to the self-service and other options. However, with the integration of Self Service Plus, it is not there. That is a minus point as of now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
For stability and reliability, I rate this aspect as a ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate how scalable Jamf Connect is between nine to ten. The reason I rate it this way is that for premium customers, Jamf gives them the option to delay updates. For normal subscription clients, they push the version updates directly while informing them of the update schedule. For premium users, they ask if they should implement the update this time or wait. I think they should ask every customer beforehand about changes, allowing them to skip one or two versions, but for normal customers, they should at least offer the opportunity to skip two version updates.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the technical support of Jamf between nine to ten, apart from one incident. Regarding the incident I mentioned, I would classify it, but the issue rate them a seven.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
I usually participate in the initial setup of Jamf Connect. My usual setup process for Jamf Connect involves first discussing with the client and the client technical team if it is available. We ask them how they want the end user to see the tool. We come up with two to three different configurations where certain features are available or not. In the basic one, we publish all the features of Jamf Connect and show them that this is the basic one. This is the one where a user can see limited features. If they are utilizing the self-service, we can include it, or we cannot include it. We also highlight an important part for some customers regarding how often it syncs the password or checks the password, every five minutes, fifteen minutes, or one hour. We bring these kinds of solutions to the front of the customer, showing them the real-time configurations, not a PowerPoint. We explain to them, and occasionally we take parts from different configurations and come up with a customized one for that customer, depending on their needs from an end-user and technical point of view, as well as their MFA solution.
What about the implementation team?
We have a very good team of Jamf admins, and while we initially discuss with them, I would say that once a month, for any client, we open a ticket for Jamf technical support.
What other advice do I have?
After the pandemic, my customers prefer the deployment of Jamf Connect on the cloud. However, for distributions, we prefer that the point should be local depending on the site and the number of devices we manage. Everything is on the cloud, but distribution points could be local.
To be very honest, my experience has been that initially, it was a bit challenging for us as well, but after one integration, we understood everything, and after that, it is seamless for us. However, sometimes clients have different expectations, perhaps based on information they have found on the internet or from someone else. They are seeking that kind of option in Jamf Connect, but if it is not available, we cannot do anything. We explain to them politely that this is not a part of Jamf Connect. We cannot embed it because it is not developed by the vendor's team. We can work on the expectations they have, looking for free or open-source tools or priced ones, where our sales team comes into the picture. Depending on the environment and client requirements, things vary.
A potential challenge for new users of Jamf Connect during the deployment stage, as I have seen, is that initially they face many problems. After our first implementation, we created common questionnaires and steps and, with each version change of Jamf Connect, we prepare documents to float to new users. We inform them about upcoming changes they will notice on their devices, such as the screens they will see, their login credentials, and how often their passwords will change or sync. If their password is mismatched, they will encounter similar screens. After that, they generally understand well. We also provide that document and other technical materials to the service desk teams, so if one hundred users come from a pool of ten thousand, they know what to explain. In rare cases, they need to do troubleshooting because if it is a new configuration, issues are somewhat rare, but in the technical world, they can arise. We explain to the service desk team what they need to do in those scenarios. We have already implemented Jamf Connect in seven different clients without issues reaching us; our service desk team has fixed those issues.
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?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
