Fleet consolidates the management of Apple, Windows, and Linux devices from a single platform
Fleet, the open-source platform for IT and endpoint security teams with lots of computers, is announcing a new version of its mobile device management (MDM) platform that eases operating system (OS) sprawl, enabling the management of every kind of corporate device—including those using Apple, Windows, and Linux—from a single place. By reducing the demands on IT departments who manage these devices, Fleet’s latest platform iteration promotes both customization and zero trust, according to the vendor.
Many IT departments resort to using a combination of solutions such as Jamf Pro, Jamf Protect, Microsoft Intune, Ivanti MobileIron, or WorkspaceONE to manage the differing OSs being used in their enterprise. Maintaining these platforms for an indefinable length of time incurs many challenges regarding resources, labor, and maintenance.
Fleet—the IT team’s pickaxe—consolidates the management of enterprise systems by allowing IT to enroll Windows and Linux devices in the same Mac-first platform they use to manage Apple. As a modern, vendor-agnostic device management platform, Fleet lowers the barriers to integration while delivering a solution accessible to both admins and engineers alike, according to the company.
“The idea is that it should be easy in and easy out,” said Mike McNeil, CEO of Fleet. “This should be the last MDM migration that you ever do.”
Additionally, Fleet provides an open API for every endpoint, offering a consistent interface throughout every OS. This avoids an overwhelming number of vendor-specific permissions and audit logs, allowing IT to accelerate “zero trust” initiatives.
“Many companies and organizations today are using multiple MDM platforms in addition to their own internally developed efforts based on Mac, Windows and Linux device mix and a variety of other factors,” said Ken Buckler, research director at Enterprise Management Associates. “The resulting complexity and the need for platform-specific training and staffing can make it harder to adhere to specific workflows and hinder productivity, while also significantly increasing costs. Platforms like Fleet that provide unified support for all major operating systems with a modern user experience address these issues and provide strong value in the market today.”
Fleet also serves to reduce risk for MDM configuration changes, ultimately driving rapid engineering time via unified approvals and versioning, according to the company.
The particular accommodation for Linux and the engineers that rely on presents significant value, according to Fleet. Being able to pass audits and offboard employees—without forcing engineers to give up their Linux computers—allows IT to accommodate every employee workflow more successfully.
Fleet’s ongoing mission is committed to the open source community, ensuring that organizations can take advantage of software that seeks to improve their work, not capitalize off of them.
“It's really all about openness. The thing that's going to make Fleet interesting as a brand in the next five years is the commitment to…being open, having an open handbook about how we run the company [with] everything we do…[as] open source,” said McNeil. “We want to create a world where our grandchildren are monitored by open source software, ideally, as opposed to mysterious proprietary software.”
For more information about this release, visit https://fleetdm.com.