This is from the release about JAMF Pro 10.37, but leaves a lot to the imagination:
App Installers
App Installers allow you to deploy apps from the Jamf App Catalog to a smart computer group and automatically updates and deploys those apps. This streamlines the app lifecycle management process by removing the need to manually monitor, package, and update apps.
The documentation page isn't much more help:
Patch Management
You can manage the software updates in your environment using the built-in functionality in Jamf Pro. Managing software updates allows you to ensure that the software in your environment is up to date on target computers, and allows you to update the software if it is out of date.
You can manage both third-party macOS software updates and Apple Updates using the following methods available in Jamf Pro:
Patch ManagementYou can use the Patch Management workflow and other technologies available with Jamf Pro to manage the third-party macOS software updates in your environment. This method offers the capabilities to view the software currently installed on the computers in your environment, to notify when new software is available, and to distribute the new software to target computers.
App Installers You can use App Installers to distribute available third-party macOS software titles from the Patch Management Software Titles list in the Jamf App Catalog to a smart computer group. This method distributes the software title once and automatically updates the software title when a new version is released. Software UpdateYou can use Jamf Pro for Apple Updates by running Software Update on computers. This method allows you to install all updates available from Apple.
You can also manage the software updates in your environment using Title Editor, a Jamf-hosted service that extends the built-in Patch Management functionality in Jamf Pro. You can use Title Editor to create custom software titles, override existing patch definitions, and create custom patch definitions.
Related Information
It sounds like I will be able to choose an app (eg: Google Chrome) from the App Installers section / Patch Management Software Titles list, Point it to a Smart Group (and only a smart group?), and it will automatically install said app to the machines in the smart group, and then automagically keep them up to date with no admin intervention?
I am currently using Patch Management and manually uploading .pkg files to JAMF Pro, creating new Patch policies whenever a new version comes out, and then scoping it via the same method I scope a Policy. The Macs come online, check in, and update their apps with some user notice if the app is open and silently if the app is closed.
Looking under Computers/MacApps, I have the following options:
So I go to Cloud Services Connection and it asks for a JAMF username and password:
Cloud Services Connection Setup Enter your Jamf ID credentials to enable the Cloud Services Connection.
I add my email and password and it says now I am connected and gives a EULA to agree to regarding "yes, I own a license for the apps I am asking for".
Now, back to Mac Apps in JamfPro/Computers and I can now select an app like Acrobat Reader from the same list that Patch Management uses for updates, with an option to toggle "deploy" on and off, and a drop down menu of my Smart Computer Groups.
I am guessing that this will look for my Intel Macs, push a copy of Acrobat Reader to them (not sure what happens if they already have it) and then automatically update it as new versions roll out with no admin interaction? And I am curious as to why I now need to make smart groups rather than using the old way of scoping like a policy? I thought the idea was to limit the use of Smart Groups as they can take a lot of CPU cycles?
