Jamf wants to make AWS EC2 instances safer than ever

Apple device management platform Jamf has launched a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) which it says will help users manage Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances, and get an added layer of security.

First rolled out in 2006, AWS’s EC2 instances allow users to run virtual machines on the company’s cloud platform.

Jamf says the collaboration will allow organizations to provide managed, trusted access to their macOS workloads on AWS, enabling teams from fields such as software engineering, security, and creative teams to use virtualized macOS environments.

What else is on offer?

Amazon EC2 infrastructure is built on Mac Mini’s held in its data centers. 

JamF says its solution means organizations can now provide trusted, secure access to virtual Macs, in the same manner, they do physical Macs, providing flexible resource allocation to organizations that rely on Mac as an important part of their business.

The announcement comes as AWS has been expanding the number of Mac VM options that it offers. For example,  EC2 service will now let users rent and run an M1 Mac Mini in the cloud.

Using these types of Amazon EC2 Mac instances, developers can develop apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Safari as well as provision and access macOS environments.

In terms of pricing Jamf’s solution starts at $4 per device per month, with no user minimum, and is available now.

“As a service provider managing tens of thousands of Macs across our enterprise customers, we understand the value that Jamf provides. It enables us to ensure the security, management, and seamless onboarding of Apple devices into our platform of services,” said James Ridsdale, founder of dataJAR. 

“Our employees love using Mac and we are seeing a significant increase in Apple device adoption across our customer base. Jamf allows us to manage this scale efficiently. We are excited to see Jamf’s work with AWS to continue to provide more options for organizations who are looking to adopt a range of computing options for their employees, contractors, and engineering workflows through the management of Amazon EC2 Mac virtualized instances.”