Jamf Connect Reviews

Primarily, we wanted to use it as a tool to enable multifactor authentication for our Mac users in both business entities. The goal was to integrate with identity providers such as Microsoft Azure, Okta, and another one that I'm currently blanking on. 

In addition to multifactor authentication, it also helps retain the credential set in the Jamf Connect tool once you're logged in. This eliminates the need to log in repeatedly across various web applications, as it integrates and sends the necessary messages to the identity provider (IDP). So it's both a user convenience and an enhanced security feature. 

Jamf Connect is a pretty simple and straightforward tool overall. It has basically two components. First, there's the component that manages the login window experience on macOS, and then there's the component that manages the experience after you log in, integrating with the sites and everything else.

The only real thing that I could say could use improvement is that sometimes there are minor bug issues here and there, which seems to be the case with many Jamf products. They constantly bring out new features and implement many things to support the community. 

However, sometimes they have regressions or bugs that resurface in later versions, which can be frustrating considering the professional-level software you are paying for. It seems like they should be more thorough in their code development and testing. So, overall, it's just a lack of consistent experience sometimes with some of their features. On the flip side, they do provide great support overall.

I have implemented Jamf Connect at two different business entities over three years. So I've been looking into it for about four years in total. I've been familiar with it over the last three years.

It is very stable. The only minor issue I have encountered is that sometimes when new users receive their machines, there is a slight timing issue where our custom wallpaper background image doesn't appear before the Jamf Connect login window. Instead, they briefly see the default macOS login screen. It's a small compliance concern since they didn't see the special image the very first time, but overall, it's not a significant problem.

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.

Scalability-wise, on a scale from one to ten, I would rate it very high. It's a relatively small client running on your local computer that communicates with your IDP. If you're using an Active Directory solution in-house, it can sync up with that as well. So it's quite flexible in terms of compatibility.

In our organization, around 500 users use Jamf Connect.

The customer service and support are great. If we go back five or more years before they became a publicly traded company, Jamf had excellent support. However, since their big public offering two, three, or maybe four years ago, it feels like they have declined a bit. This is often the case with publicly traded companies, as their objective shifts from providing great products to maximizing shareholder value. So instead of a ten, I would give them an eight. They are still pretty good.

Positive

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a ten out of ten.

We were also implementing Jamf Pro and Jamf Connect for device deployment, specifically for zero-touch device deployment. This way, we can easily send the devices to new users and have them log in with their IDP credentials the first time. However, I encountered one issue, which was more due to my lack of knowledge. When I reached out to support, they couldn't provide a solution for me initially. But once I understood how to do it, the process worked smoothly. I was able to implement it repeatedly while experimenting with different settings to meet my organization's needs and get the job done, especially in the context of zero-touch enrollment, where things can be a bit tricky. It seems like the issue I faced was related to the zero-touch enrollment process and the pre-stage enrollment of pro users. It wasn't a problem with Jamf Connect itself.

In my mind, I was operating under the assumption of running Jamf Connect. I was authenticating to the same Identity Provider (IDP) but through the web view that's built into MacOS's setup process. So, I was wondering why it worked in that setup process but didn't work when I tried to authenticate directly through Jamf Connect. Instead, it redirected to the web view.

I have worked in on-prem organizations, including my current one. The previous organization I worked for used the public cloud. Basically, if you had a Pro DataPoint, you could walk around with a drive and plug it into multiple computers. However, that method is not very efficient in the modern era. It's more convenient to use other mobile device management solutions that work with macOS to deploy it. So it's not dependent on using Jamf's infrastructure, but it works better with their built-in app solution, making it more of a one-click job rather than having to perform multiple tasks yourself to set it up.

It's relatively inexpensive. However, there aren't many other players in this specific space offering what Jamf Connect does. There's an open-source product called NoMAD that was acquired by Jamf, which they rebranded and repackaged as Jamf Connect. Of course, free is great, but NoMAD only provided active directory integration and IDP integration. There are a few plugins available, like Microsoft's login plugin and Apple's deprecated login plugin from a few years ago, which essentially have similar functionality as the modern macOS.

All of those other options were free, but they didn't offer the same breadth of capabilities as Jamf Connect. Additionally, you would still need to pay for the other aspects of those provider services. For example, Microsoft bundled it with other services for users of Azure Office 365. So, up until a few months ago, the Microsoft product was technically in beta and not fully supported for production environments due to potential support limitations. However, it has now been released as a non-beta product, providing full support.

I'll give it a ten. It's a great product. I can't imagine how we could go back to life before we had it in our environment. It simplifies managing our devices, simplifies the user login experience, and improves the quality of service. Users don't have to log in to each and every website individually with their credentials.

We use the solution for user account authentication and deployment purposes.

The solution provides our customers with a seamless experience logging in with their existing credentials.

The solution's most valuable features are integration with an active directory and ease of deployment.

The solution's UI could be more user-friendly for the setup process.

We have been using the solution for a year.

I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten.

I rate the solution's scalability a ten out of ten.

The solution's initial setup process is straightforward.

The solution's price is reasonable.

I advise others to use the solution for its support features. I rate it a ten out of ten.

We use Jamf Connect to provide Azure connectivity with MacOS devices. Azure Active Directory policy changes on Azure are reflected on the MacOS devices and user accounts. About 1,000 users at my organization use Jamf Conect to log in. Around 5 percent cannot use the solution because it's unavailable on their device.

The most valuable feature is ease of access. It's convenient to do things like resetting passwords. Previously, users were bound to their domain. We had to bind the user to the domain and log them in through the AD. Now, using Jamf Connect, we don't face any of these challenges. Resetting passwords is hassle-free so we can regularly rotate passwords according to best practices. 

We've had some issues when users restart their devices because the device asks for credentials afterward. Jamf Connect asks for a username, password, and MFA. 

I have worked with three all three Jamf products for the past year: Jamf Pro, Jamf Connect, and Jam Protect.

I rate Jamf Connect eight out of 10 for stability.

I rate Jamf Connect eight out of 10 for scalability.

I rate Jamf support nine out of 10. 

Positive

Deploying Jamf Connect isn't complex. 

I rate Jamf Connect eight out of 10. I like it better than any other MDM I've used for Apple devices. 

We required a solution during the pandemic to sync user local passwords with IDP passwords.  

The solution needs to improve its licensing. Instead of having separate licensing files for Jamf Pro and Jamf Connect compared to other MDMs. 

I have been working with the product for three years. 

I would rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten. 

I would rate the product's scalability an eight out of ten. My company has around 2000 users for the product. 

You can accomplish setup if you follow the tool's documentation. However, you will need to have three to four configuration profiles. 

I would rate the product a seven out of ten. 

It's connection with Azure is the most valuable. It is easy to deploy and connect. 

The configuration could be faster. 

I have been using Jamf Connect for two years. 

It is stable solution. 

We shifted because of the availability of the solution. Also for its easy deployment. 

The initial setup is straightforward. 

The pricing is good. 

It is a scalable solution. Not many users are using the solution.