Back in January, Jamf debuted Microsoft Azure Active Directory login on macOS. It was previously announced in October at JNUC. Since then, I have speculated about the possibility of G-Suite logins coming to macOS. While Microsoft services are very popular, G-Suite is used by 70 million teachers and students.
Today, Jamf has announced that G-Suite is coming to macOS as a unified login option for Jamf Pro customers through Jamf Connect.
Jamf Connect simplifies the provisioning process with macOS and is a simple way to manage accounts and authentication in organizations that use G-Suite for email, calendars, contacts, and documents. Some key features included are:
- Account creation – End-users can log onto a brand new Mac with their G-Suite username and a create a local password.
- Multi-Factor Login support – IT administrators can use supported G-Suite multi-factor authentication methods at the macOS login window.
In addition to G-Suite, Jamf Connect now connects with identity solutions from Okta, IBM, and OneLogin.
This news is exciting for me personally since my school uses G-Suite for services and Apple for hardware. By leveraging this new Jamf integration in our upcoming device refresh, users will be able to use a single unified login for macOS and access to all our G-Suite services. The workflow will allow me to hand a user a new in the box MacBook Air, and then they will log in to their G-Suite account upon boot up, and then Jamf will give them access to all of our needed applications while also setting the right configurations up. Based on how well this news is likely to be received by K-12 schools, I expect a lot of enhancements with G-Suite integration on macOS through Jamf in the future.
One thing I find interesting about Apple’s strategy in K-12 and the enterprise is they are all in on hardware, and not services. In the consumer world, they seem to be making a strong move into services.
