Parallels has announced the newest version of Parallel Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM (parallels.com/mac-management).
Version 8 features new management improvements, including support for Apple VPP, custom inventory reporting, IPv6 support, Active Directory (AD) Red Forest design support and new mobile device management (MDM) task sequencing that streamlines workflows and increases automation, says Nick Dobrovolskiy, senior vice president of Engineering and Support at Parallels.
Parallels Mac Management 8 now features support for Apple VPP, which will automate deployment and inventory of company-owned App Store applications, managing them using the familiar SCCM application deployment framework.
Based on the Apple MDM protocol, Apple VPP requires the Parallels MDM server and is enabled by adding one or more VPP tokens to Parallels Mac Management.
After the VPP token is downloaded from the Apple Business Manager portal, VPP applications (for example, Microsoft Word for Mac) are pulled into Microsoft SCCM where they are manually pushed by admins to their respective users for secure installation. There are new control, automation and security features, such as:
° Custom inventory reporting: Now IT admins can tailor inventory data for comprehensive asset management, extending the granularity of IT assets control by reporting more detailed information. Scripts can now be deployed to Mac computers to collect and report custom inventory data to SCCM, removing cumbersome review steps for IT admins.
° IPv6 support: Enables IT admins to take advantage of modern network architecture and identify computers on SCCM more quickly and reduce router processing. To maintain flexibility for customers, Parallels is maintaining support for mixed IPv6 and IPv4 networks.
° Active Directory (AD) Red Forest Design Support: Parallels Mac Management 8 features support for AD Red Forest Design, bringing highly secure AD architecture to SCCM admins.
° “Install Configuration Profile using MDM” Task Sequence Step: IT managers can now install a configuration profile using MDM through non-OSD task sequences, simplifying software deployment by ensuring required KEXTs are approved strictly prior to application installation.
Parallels Mac Management 8 is available today, with pricing starting at $45 annually per Mac. Additionally, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition (parallels.com/business), a way to provide Windows applications to employees with Mac computers, can be added to Parallels Mac Management.
