The burgeoning enterprise Apple space saw thousands of IT admins virtually attend this week's JNUC event, and the week tails off with news from Addigy and cybersecurity firm Acronis.

Securing the Apple enterprise

Addigy has confirmed that its cloud-based Apple device management tools now integrate with Acronis. This integration means IT can use Addigy to extend Acronis security tools to Mac and iOS systems via Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud. The idea is to bring all this control inside one management tool.

The move reflects continued effort on the part of Acronis to provide tools that managed service providers (MSPs) can use to deploy its cyber protection solutions across the Apple ecosystem. The combination means IT admins can deploy strong security across their devices through a single console.

A new ecosystem needs new protection

We know that Mac deployment in the enterprise continues to climb. Jamf CEO Dean Hager this week pointed out that his company, another Apple management vendor, now serves multiple customers who have deployed more than 10,000 units of Apple equipment across their enterprise.

His company has also claimed that 90% of employees will take a pay cut or change jobs to use the platform they want - and that 62% of them will choose Apple when they can. Acronis and Jamf announced a similar integration earlier this year.

Addigy also stresses growing Mac adoption, saying "at least 55%" of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) now support Macs in their business.

New threats too

The increased prevalence of Apple's systems in the enterprise means criminals, states, and spooky surveillance firms are making huge efforts to crack Mac, iPhone, and iPad security.

Jan-Jaap "JJ" Jager, board advisor and chief revenue officer at Acronis, warned in the release: "Cybercriminals are already reacting to this shifting landscape and ramping up their attacks against Apple devices."

In recent months, we've seen some examples.

The sinister Pegasus virus from NSO Group joins a range of smaller and larger exploits, some of which Apple has described as being in active use. While for the most part the cost and complexity of successfully developing exploits against the platform requires huge investments, and such efforts are usually targeted at individuals, the value of business data means service providers working with or in enterprise IT must maintain constant vigilance. And credible threats have been identified.

More than 130 different malware items have affected as many as 300,000 Macs, Apple's software engineering chief, Craig Federighi, said earlier this year. A recent Atlas VPN investigation claimed that 670,273 new malware samples were identified in 2020, compared to 56,556 in 2019. Cyberattacks are projected to cost the world$10.5 trillion annually by 2025.

Protect your business

Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud has several features that help protect organizations, even when the attack nodes sit far beyond traditional permiter security protection. Not only can configuration be applied remotely using standard macOS enrolment tools, but security can be personalized for different clients. That last item means that service providers making use of Addigy tools to support multiple SMBs can deploy the most relevant protections to each customer, rather than being stuck in a one-size-fits-all model.

Acronis integrates with numerous service providers, including Addigy and Jamf. Datto, CloudBlue, Matrix42, Connectwise, and many other widely deployed apps and services work with this software.

We'll likely learn more pertaining to Acronis and its plans to integrate with the growing industry around Apple-focused security and protection next week, when the company begins its annual CyberFit Summit. Apple, meanwhile, is working to promote good security practices across global supply chains.

Also read:

• Lock it down: The macOS security guide (updated)
• Strong and stable: The iOS security guide
• Apple's Platform Security guide

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