Managing macOS devices in a business environment can be challenging, especially for organizations with IT staff who are most familiar with Windows-based systems. However, with Microsoft Intune, you can effectively manage macOS devices while leveraging your existing Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Getting Started: Apple Business Manager
The first step to managing macOS devices is enrolling them into your Apple Business Manager and Intune environment. If the devices are purchased directly from Apple or an authorized reseller, they can be automatically added to ABM before the device arrives at your location. For devices purchased elsewhere or removed from ABM, Apple Configurator can manually add them back. Here’s how:
- Apple Configurator for iPhone: Use the Apple Configurator app on an iPhone to pair with the Mac during the Setup Assistant process. This requires erasing the device and starting fresh but ensures the Mac is added back to ABM for future management.
- Automated Device Enrollment (ADE): Once in ABM, assign the device to your Intune MDM server to enable automated enrollment during initial setup.
This process ensures that all macOS devices are supervised and centrally managed through Intune. A supervised macOS machine is a requirement for certain features to be managed by Intune or any other MDM. More information about Apple device supervision can be found here.
Configuring macOS Devices In Intune
With devices enrolled, you can configure settings and policies to align with your organization’s security and operational needs. Intune offers great tools for managing macOS, including:
- Compliance Policies: Enforce requirements like FileVault encryption, System Integrity Protection, password complexity, and minimum OS versions to ensure devices meet security standards.
- Configuration Profiles: Settings Catalog can be used to configure Wi-Fi, VPN, certificates, and other essential settings. For advanced needs, deploying custom profiles using .plist files is best.
- Application Deployment: Install apps using DMG or PKG files or deploy apps directly from the Mac App Store.
Intune also supports shell scripts for advanced configuration tasks, enabling IT admins to customize settings beyond what’s natively available in the platform.
Identity Management and SSO
While macOS doesn’t yet support full Entra ID login integration natively, the experience has improved a lot over the past years, especially with Platform SSO. You can still streamline identity management with Managed Apple IDs and Single Sign-On. (However, this does not work if you are in a GCC High tenant.) Federating your Entra ID tenant with Apple Business Manager allows users to log in with their corporate credentials. Additionally, use the Kerberos or SSO Extensions in Intune to enable seamless access to corporate resources.
Key Considerations for Managing macOS Devices
Managing macOS devices comes with unique challenges compared to Windows PCs. Here are some important considerations:
- Apple’s Ecosystem: Apple devices require constant communication with Apple services for updates, activation, etc. Ensure your network allows traffic to Apple domains.
- Certificate Management: Maintain certificates and Volume Purchase Program tokens to avoid interruptions in device management. Set up alerts to a non-personal email, staff are alerted when they need to update these to avoid expiration.
- Re-Enrollment: If a device is removed from Apple Business Manager or wiped from management, re-enrollment requires factory resetting the device and using Apple Configurator to enroll it back into Apple Business Manager
Why Choose Intune for macOS Management?
While other Apple MDM solutions like Jamf offer more advanced features tailored specifically for macOS, Intune is an excellent choice for organizations already invested in Microsoft 365. It provides a unified platform for managing both Windows and macOS devices without introducing additional licensing costs or administrative overhead. For organizations managing a mix of platforms or looking to simplify their IT stack, Intune strikes the right balance between functionality and cost-effectiveness.
For stricter requirements, NIST’s macOS Security Guide outlines features to modify via MDM.