Written by Diane Meza The demand for skilled Apple IT professionals isn't slowing down. As more schools and businesses build their operations around macOS and iOS, they need people who know how to manage, secure, and support those devices at scale — and the talent pipeline hasn't kept pace.Mesa Community College is helping close that gap. Through the Maricopa Information Technology Institute (MITI), in partnership with Jamf, the college offers the Enterprise IT Professional Apple Technology course series: a hands-on iniative built to turn students into job-ready Apple IT professionals.Learning by doingUnder instructor Carl Cortez, students get more than lecture time. The initiative combines classroom instruction with real device management experience, covering how to work with macOS and iOS and how to manage them in both business and education environments. Along the way, students earn Jamf 100, Jamf 170, and Jamf 200 certifications, credentials that carry weight with employers already

Launching the inaugural Mac Admins User Group Paris meetup during Apple annual developer conference week was quite a challenge… but a good one, and I must really thank all the Jamf team for helping us to make it happen in such a short time! As a long time Mac user, I loved the energy from Apple Expo in the old days. Since its termination, Paris has long needed a localized hub for Apple IT professionals to connect face-to-face. I worked on different Mac admins events in the past (Command IT, Gete.Net Connect), but I felt that choosing WWDC 2026 as our kickoff theme for this new Paris User Group provided the perfect catalyst, uniting the community around massive technical shifts. WWDC 2026 Highlights for Mac Admins Apple made it absolutely clear this year that Declarative Device Management, aka DDM, is no longer just the future, but the present standard. Hopefully, the message was well sent, and as our favorite management tools have been updated to use DDM properly, and this transition s

Mac Apps, App Installers, Jamf Apps, Jamf App Catalog… whatever name you know it by, the feature found in your Jamf Pro server at Computers – Mac apps – Jamf App Catalog is a great tool for deploying and patching many commonly used Apps which aren’t available through Apple’s App Store. For the sake of clarity, I will refer to them as App Installers for the remainder of this post. App Installers do have some caveats which are documented here. Being aware of those is well and good, but even the most experienced admins can make mistakes. Jamf Pro will not alert you if you have done something like overlapped scopes for different deployments of the same App Installer title.If this occurs, that App Installer will likely cease to recalculate its deployment as more Macs are added to the Computer Group it is scoped to. If you toggle the “stuck” app’s deployment off and back on again, it’ll force it to recalculate and the Macs it was missing will begin to receive it.This overlapping scope behavi

Another year, another Jamf Nation Live London and Berlin in the bag! And this might be bold to say, but I think it was the best one yet. This year, the Community team wanted to approach things differently. Rather than assuming we know what you need from us, we wanted to hear it directly from you, the community members, so we could understand our gaps and figure out how to close them. My "vision" was simple: create an interactive space that got attendees to stop and think about where they are in their Apple admin career, and see other people right there alongside them. We built a wall showcasing the different stages an Apple admin might find themselves in, from just starting out in management and security, all the way through to leading teams and strategy, with plenty of stops in between. Attendees filled in cards with a mix of light-hearted preference questions (light mode vs. dark mode... guess what won? 🌚) and the areas where they'd like more help, like AI integration, career growth

Many organizations recommend or prescribe a specific web browser for their users. The user can change the setting in the user interface, even though it is not really obvious where to look. Many MacAdmins would like to pre-set this browser and the default during enrollment. However, there are several challenges associated with this in macOS. It would be really nice if Apple provided some means to manage this with a configuration profile. If you agree, please file feedback with your AppleSeed for IT account. While we wait for that, what can we do?   Use the browsers Most third party browsers have a built-in command option to set themselves as the default browser. Most Chromium based browsers (Google Chrome, MS Edge, etc.) can be launched with the --make-default-browser option: open -a "Google Chrome" --new --args --make-default-browser open -a "Microsoft Edge" --new --args --make-default-browser For Firefox, the options are different: open -a "Firefox" --new --args -silent -nosplas

I joined Jamf as a training instructor in March of 2022. It was a strange move for me. Prior to that, I was a mostly lone-wolf Jamf Pro admin, enjoying my days in relative solitude with a CodeRunner window and my ticket queue open, communicating mostly by typing words into a document or a chat window. When I did have to hook my laptop into a projector or share a screen during an online meeting, the majority of the time I was meeting with colleagues that I knew well already. For an introvert, not really too big of a lift, I think. So jumping into a job role where I would not only be speaking, but managing a class full of a dozen different people, mostly not-colleagues, but customers, nearly every week for four days straight, was as you can maybe imagine, a bit of a shock to the system. There were a lot of lessons I had to learn very quickly, and some new problems to try and solve, though most of them are rather specific to this job I know few readers share. But there are a few I think a

Microsoft has announced plans to move storage of the Workplace Join Key out of the user’s Login Keychain and into Apple’s Secure Enclave:    Microsoft Enterprise SSO plug-in for Apple devices - Microsoft identity platform    Announced in March 2024, Microsoft Entra ID will be moving away from Apple’s Keychain for storing device identity keys. Starting in Q3 2025, all new device registrations will use Apple’s Secure Enclave. There will be no opt-out of this storage location.  Applications and MDM integrations that have a dependency on accessing Workplace Join keys via Keychain will need to start using MSAL and the Enterprise SSO plug-in to ensure compatibility with the Microsoft identity platform.    In the same document, Microsoft provides guidance on how to test the Secure Enclave today to ensure the change will be compatible with your environment when the change goes live:   If you would like to enable Secure Enclave based storage of

I'm ​@TyBorrell the product manager for Jamf AI Assistant. My second week at Jamf, I was at JNUC in Denver, talking with admins about AI. I haven't stopped since: what they're trying, what's working, what they're quietly unsure about. Here's what I keep hearing, and then I'd like to ask you something.At Jamf Nation Live London this year, 221 admins were asked what they need help with most, and AI integration topped the list at 84%. It came up across every career stage, from first-timers to people running teams. What I keep hearingMost of it comes back to a few questions:How do I use AI to manage my fleet more intelligently? How does it make me a more impactful contributor at my org? How do I free up time for the parts of the job I actually want to do?People are approaching AI every which way. Some have built plenty, some are just starting, and none of that is the point. If you'd like to work through it alongside other admins, there should be a place for that. An invitationI created a g

Introducing the MacAdmins Definitive Resource DirectoryOne of the greatest difficulties I found when I began my career as a Mac Systems Administrator was not learning the technology or the tools, but rather finding out where I should be looking. The MacAdmins community holds a vast amount of information and resources, however, due to the sheer volume and the fact that there is so much spread around the web, it can become quite intimidating, especially for newbies.This is why I decided to create the MacAdmins Definitive Resource Directory: https://github.com/maccy10/definitivemacadmins Reasons for Building This ProjectOf course, there are already other very good, curated collections of links, and it would be unfair not to mention the projects that inspired this one:* Community is Valuable: A List of My Favourite Community Resources: https://community.jamf.com/tech-thoughts-180/community-is-valuable-a-list-of-my-favorite-community-resources-53430* https://github.com/JordyThery/bookmarksJ

Last year, I had the extraordinary privilege of travelling to Zimbabwe to meet and teach some of the most driven, curious students I've ever encountered — the cohort at the MATTER Career Readiness Institute (MCRI). If you're not familiar with MCRI, let me explain why it matters. You may already know the Matter Innovation Hubs (MIH): tech-forward, student-centred environments designed to foster active learning and creativity for children who often lack access to critical educational resources. MCRI takes that mission further. It's a post-secondary workforce training program with a bold goal — equip young Zimbabwean students with the skills needed to become software engineers and secure remote employment with Western companies. In an environment where opportunity can be rare, MCRI is opening doors that were once closed, helping students turn potential into power.  How the program worksStudents apply from local secondary schools, go through a rigorous selection process, and dive into a cu

There’s a certain irony in traveling 3,500 miles to Leiden only to feel like I was heading home.I’m a New Yorker now, living in Yonkers—a city that owes its very name to the Dutch. It comes from the title Jonkheer (or “Young Lord”), the nickname for Adriaen van der Donck. Back in the day, the area was simply known as “The Jonkheer’s land.” As the years passed and the English took over, “Jonkheer” evolved into “Yonkers.” So, when the opportunity came to attend MacAdmins-EU in Leiden, Amsterdam, it was an immediate “yes.” I wasn’t just visiting the “Old World”; I was tracing a line back to where the story of my hometown began. The Jordy Factor The spark for this trip started when ​@Jordy-Thery told me to “save the date” for the end of April. He couldn’t say much more at the time, but I was already sold. I’ve followed Jordy on the #macadmins Slack and LinkedIn for years, finally meeting him in person at an event in Nashville a few years back. He represents the soul of this community—a lea

In April, I had the opportunity to attend MacAD.UK in Brighton for the first time. It was the conference’s ninth year and the tenth anniversary of the very first gathering, which made it feel like a special moment to be part of. Even more importantly, it was my first professional conference presentation, made possible by the Charles S. Edge New Speaker Grant from the Mac Admins Foundation. The MacAD.UK team also played an important part in making it possible for me to speak at the conference, and I’m incredibly grateful for that support. I had applied earlier in the year and, to be honest, almost forgot that I had done it. So, when I received the email from Chris Dawe saying I had been selected, I could hardly believe it. The excitement was quickly followed by nerves, because I knew I would soon be meeting with Chris and Diego Laconelli and later with ​@rebecca_latimer. Speaking English does not always come naturally to me, so I spent a lot of time getting ready for those conversations

The Dinner Table Tech DeskLet’s be honest, we’ve all been there - so let me paint the picture. It’s the holidays, everyone is gathered around the table, you’ve managed to dodge most of the argument inducing conversations and you’re about to take that first mouthwatering bite out of <insert your favorite festive food here>. Suddenly someone pulls out their iPhone and says one of these (or many other) nightmare inducing phrases; ”Hey can I ask you a question about iCloud real quick?” or “Hey, how many Apple IDs should I have?” These questions are par for the course when you are the designated tech person both at work and at home. I’m having a little fun here and I know that we all do our best to help out that relative to the best of our ability and get them not only back up and running ASAP but hopefully also feeling good about their tech. It’s likely the reason we keep getting asked for help, because we are good at it (and be honest, you enjoy it at least a little)! This article i

There are hundreds if not thousands of Terraform examples and walk throughs on the internet today. Most of them start in a clean environment. They assume a brand new account. No history. No surprises.But that’s rarely the situation most of us inherit.More often, we’re working on something that’s been evolving for years:Resources created manually in a GUI Naming conventions that shifted over time Temporary fixes that became permanent Configurations that “just work,” but nobody is entirely sure whyApplying Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform in an existing, already-provisioned environment is often called Brownfield Terraform.You’re not building from scratch.You’re (very carefully) translating the current reality into code. What Does Success Actually Look Like?Before getting into mechanics, it helps to define the goal. In a brownfield migration, success is not:Rebuilding everything Refactoring immediately “Cleaning it up” on day oneSuccess is simpler. You run: terraform planAnd T

I found out on a Monday evening in July, riding the subway home from work. I opened Gmail on my phone somewhere under Manhattan and saw I'd won the Jamf diversity scholarship, and I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the ride. I texted my partner right away. I'd applied because my department couldn't afford to send anyone, and JNUC had always lived in my head as this glowing space from the way senior engineers at old jobs talked about it. JNUC was in Nashville that year. I'd been to the city before for work, but never really gotten to enjoy it. Walking into the venue I just thought, wow, this is huge. I loved the vendor floor, finally putting faces to the account people I'd only ever emailed, and I got to meet up with an old coworker from a previous job, which made the whole thing feel less like a solo trip. One moment I keep coming back to: I was heading up the escalator and a woman struck up a conversation with me. Turned out she was also from NYC, and we ended up talking tech and Jam

For over 16 years, Apple admins have gathered at the Jamf Nation User Conference (JNUC) to learn, connect and discover better ways to manage and secure Apple devices. In its tenth year, the JNUC Diversity Sponsorship awards 10 individuals a full conference registration, a meet-and-greet with Jamf leaders, a networking happy hour and a $500 stipend to help cover expenses. We're looking for passionate people eager to learn and bring fresh perspectives to the tightest community in high tech.Applications close at 5 p.m. CST on May 1, 2026. Apply now!Read further to get all the details about Scooter and Alan's first-hand experience as scholarship recipients. SCOOTER’S STORYMy name is Scooter Kohler and I currently work at Alhambra ESD in Phoenix, Az. My journey with Apple hardware didn't start in a server room; it started in my daily life. I’ve been a MacBook user for the entirety of my adult life, drawn in by the clean hardware and stayed for the intuitive nature of the software. When the

Apple Intelligence is finally here now that iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 has shipped. However, many people and organizations want to know how they can block it.Apple Intelligence is an Opt-In service from Apple, so unless you Opt-In, there’s no concerns about AI, on or off device.Officially, Apple has provided the following configuration profile keys for the X.1 OSes for the preference domain com.apple.applicationaccess.allowWritingTools allowMailSummary allowGenmoji allowImagePlayground allowImageWandAnd DDM management of Math Notes.There’s also the key allowAssistant to disable Siri, which has become more intelligent with Apple Intelligence.Currently in the X.1 OSes, these are the features which are available and able to be restricted: Siri, Writing Tools and Mail Summary, even though there are controls for the other features not yet implemented.This will allow you to fully block those features. But is that it? …the answer is …No. So even if you implement all the Apple supplied restrictio

A complete, step-by-step deployment guide - including macOS Onboarding and Jamf ConnectAuthor: Meir ElimelechWith contributions from: Omer Ninyo / ​@Ninyo Why this guide exists – and who should read it Jamf’s move to make Self Service+ mandatory for macOS has prompted many organizations to re-evaluate their deployment and enrollment workflows. While Jamf’s documentation covers the supported installation and migration paths, real-world environments often include a mix of enrollment models, identity integrations, and timing-sensitive workflows that are not always addressed in isolation.This guide exists to provide a single, practical reference for migrating to Self Service+ across all common macOS scenarios — from brand-new enrollments to existing fleets, with or without Jamf Connect.It is intended for Jamf administrators, partners, and consultants who want to understand not only how to deploy Self Service+, but when different approaches are appropriate. In particular, it highlights a cr

 In any technology job across industries there’s an evident gender gap. As a young professional, I was fortunate enough to find role models who shared their tips on claiming a seat at the table, which helped me overcome imposter syndrome. When I think about “men’s overrepresentation” in technology, I’m always reminded that community and networking is one of the most powerful tools to make your mark.I wrote this article to celebrate International Women's Day, but even better to bring up this topic in April. Celebrating women is never wrong to do beyond the month of March. I connected with leaders I admire in the Mac Admins space about the moments which defined their career, the advice that spurred them on to pursue their dreams, and the big wins defining their career so far. Kim Trojanowski, ​@ktrojano Systems Administrator II - School District of Waukesha & Admin - Women in Tech Apple AdminsJamf GroupThe “oh no” moment:It was my first day at a new job and I was shadowing my new co-

As a Jamf trainer, there are two questions I’m asked time and time again:How much scripting is involved in the Jamf certification courses? How can I prepare before attending a remote instructor-led course?If you’re planning to take a Jamf certification course and want a clearer idea of what to expect, and how to set yourself up for success, this guide is for you.The Jamf Pro Training PathThere are three core Jamf Pro instructor-led courses, each designed to build on the previous one as your skills develop:Jamf 200 – Core understanding of Jamf Pro, as well as an enterprise-focused examination of the macOS and iOS platforms Jamf 300 – Deeper understanding of the macOS and iOS management capabilities within Jamf Pro Jamf 400 – Automation and APIsLet’s take a look at what scripting knowledge is expected at each level, and how you can prepare. Jamf 200The Jamf 200 course provides a solid introduction to Jamf Pro, along with an enterprise-focused overview of macOS and iOS device management.

Mac Admins Europe is a new conference built by and for the European Apple Admin community, bringing together admins from education, enterprise, and beyond to share knowledge, swap war stories, and find their people closer to home. Organizers ​@mischavdbent , ​@rob_potvin, ​@Armin and me reflect on what's driving the growth of the community, why now felt like the right moment and what success looks like.When you look at the European Mac admin community today versus a few years ago, how has it changed, and what made you feel the time was right for a dedicated European event?A few years ago, the European Mac admin community felt more fragmented. There were great people doing great work, but a lot of it happened in smaller pockets — local meetups, Slack channels, or at events outside Europe.What’s changed is confidence and scale. macOS and Apple platforms are now firmly embedded in education and enterprise across Europe. That’s created more Mac admins, more diverse roles, and more shared c

Before we get too far into this I want to say one thing. I am not a medical or mental health professional. I’m a Jamf Engineer who has thought a lot about this but by no means am an authority on the subject. The following article is my reflections and not any type of mental health treatment. Now that that’s out of the way…here we go! Nobody goes to school to be a Jamf Engineer or Admin. The vast majority of us ended up in this field because we like to tinker with things, eventually break them and are forced to fix them without any help or education. For a lot of us, we ended up in this field by doing other things in a job where we do have formal training.When you fix what you’ve broken, you feel great. But when you can’t fix it, some of us give up, others seek advice, some keep plugging along to find the solution.  But what happens when you end up in a corporate environment and you have to tackle things that you inherited, need an upgrade or you just need to do maintenance, most of it

 On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the New York City Jamf User Group (NYC JUG, or simply “the JUG” to its members) celebrated its 12th anniversary. The date marked exactly 12 years since the group’s first meeting.Meeting an average of four times a year, NYC JUG has built a long tradition of bringing together the Apple admin community in New York City. In the dozen years since its inception, more than 400 admins have participated in the group. Along the way, the community has helped launch several spin-off groups including Women in Tech, MacAdmins LATAM, and MacAdmins NYC, all started by NYC JUG members.How It StartedBack in 2014, as a longtime member of the Apple admin community and a Jamf customer, I posted on Jamf Nation to see if there was interest in getting a group together to share ideas and build a sense of community. Apple admins were often the minority at the companies where we worked, so the idea of getting together to help each other was something I felt strongly about.   Wit

A Read-only Friday post by William Smith Only those in IT would ever get it. My dad loved listening to a radio broadcaster named Paul Harvey. Wow could that man tell a story! (I’m referring to the radio broadcaster, but my dad knew how to draw a crowd of listeners too.) Paul Harvey ended his daily broadcasts with a segment called “The Rest of the Story”. He would generally start with a seemingly simple and banal story about something or someone. But as he told the story, the details would take on some life, and the tale would grow bigger until he revealed the one key element he’d been holding back that tied everything together. A really weak glue was of no use at all ‘til an office secretary found a use for it… “And that’s how Post-It Notes were invented!” Or an author was shaving one morning and thought of a story but for years no one would buy it… “Until one day Frank Capra decided to produce it as It’s a Wonderful Life.” Harvey would end every one of these stories with his signature

As MacAD.UK approaches its ninth year, and the tenth anniversary of its very first gathering, the conference has become a fixture in the Mac admin community. What began as a small, ambitious idea from a handful of passionate techs has grown into one of the most recognizable Apple admin events in Europe. This year marks another milestone: a move to the iconic Brighton Dome, a venue that has hosted musical legends To understand how MacAD.UK evolved, what makes it different from a typical tech conference, and why the community keeps coming back, we sat down with the organizers, Liam Donnelly, Ade Leader, and Alex Hawes to talk origins, ethos, and the moments that remind them why they do this work.  Macaduk is now in its 9th year. What was the spark that started it all, and did you ever imagine it would grow into what it is today?  The event was started by a couple of senior techs at Amsys, including David Acland, who was our CTO at the time, and Dean from Jamf, if I recall correctly. They