Level Up Security Knowledge with Jamf 170

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Customer Education has long pursued the goal of meeting you where you are. We create learning experiences for aspiring technicians and seasoned admins looking to expand their knowledge and better understand the tools available to them. We aim to provide context, use-cases, and additional resources to help you in your journey to support users. We created the Jamf 170 Course to respect the importance of keeping devices secure, remediating threats, and fostering a general understanding of attack vectors that malicious actors may leverage against your environment.

I began at Jamf as a trainer delivering the Jamf 200 Course (and for you grizzled veterans, the CCT). The 200 covered everything from turning on your Mac for the first time to writing a custom script and deploying it with a policy. For new Mac users, this resulted in a deluge of information in a short amount of time. For Mac aficionados, much of the elementary subject matter felt irrelevant. Over time, the Customer Education team identified several opportunities to better serve students and support our instructor-led offerings:

1. Provide a resource for students to review content outside of class in their own time.
2. Eliminate rudimentary content like completing Setup Assistant, identifying objects in System Settings, and using the trackpad.
3. Offer an economical, entry-level certification option.

This was the genesis of the Jamf 100 Course. It allowed us to provide the above subjects online, and permitted our designers and trainers to focus on the product for in-person classes while online training supports the basics.

In 2021 we released the Jamf 370 Course; a four-day instructor-led curriculum offering a deep dive into Jamf Protect and Jamf Pro. The course is immensely popular; seats fill quickly and security professionals are eager to learn more about Jamf Protect. As the first of its kind, we provided appropriate introductory information for features like built-in macOS security, the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix, and Center of Internet Security (CIS) Benchmarks prior to getting our hands dirty with Jamf Protect. This context is crucial to succeeding with the product. Similar to the 100 and 200, we identified an opportunity to rethink our pedagogy and rearrange this content.

In 2022 we started production on the Jamf 170 Course. The goal was the create a course reflective of the 100, but for the 370. We wanted to provide the context and resources to understand why computers are not impervious to breach, how malicious actors exploit our devices and our trust, and how to prevent or remediate such attacks. This new approach allowed the 370 to mature and develop into a course with more hands-on experiences. This would afford students the opportunity to push their knowledge of Mac security with an expert instructor in the 370, while learning the basics in the 170.

Like the 100, all of the written and video content in the 170 is free. We’ve also introduced software simulations. If you’re new to security and mobile device management, you can explore the interface and complete objectives in a secure, guided simulation to get acquainted with the platform.

Similar to the 100, we’re starting with a core set of content and plan to expand the curriculum over time. The Jamf 170 Course contains three sections with nine lessons, not including a course introduction and conclusion with suggestions for next steps. You’ll explore:

Section 1

1. Introduction to Apple Platform Security
2. System Settings
3. Layers of Defense

Section 2

1. MITRE ATT&CK macOS Matrix
2. CIS Benchmarks
3. macOS Security Compliance Project

Section 3

1. Introduction to Jamf Protect
2. Threat Detection Tools
3. Threat mitigation and Alerts

Like all of our certification courses, the 170 offers a certification endorsed by Jamf: The Jamf Certified Endpoint Security Associate exam. This 20-question evaluation covers content contained in the 170, aims to check for understanding of potential threats to your fleet, and how to mitigate those threats. A solid understanding of the content offered in the 170 not only prepares you to succeed in the 370, but to start using Jamf Protect to secure endpoints in your organization and ensure the safety of your users.

We’re pleased to offer the full Jamf 170 Course to you and your colleagues. The certification exam is available at training.jamf.com. For information about the exam, check out the About the Exam page. We also have a practice exam to test your knowledge before diving into the certification. Our goal is to create engaging and meaningful learning experiences, and your feedback helps steer us in the right direction; please don’t hesitate to reach out with your observations and thoughts on the 170. Thank you.