ActiveDirectory
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Microsoft opens up its Windows Insider preview for Business
Since Microsoft launched its Insider Program a few years ago, millions of people have signed up to test out upcoming versions of Windows 10 on their devices. One small issue, however, was a limitation forcing users to sign up with their personal accounts, even though many users either work in IT or have business laptops/software they need to test out. Now, following up on an announcement from February, Microsoft has opened up the Windows Insider for Business program, so people can sign in with an Azure Active Directory account (the used for stuff like Office 365).
TUAW and MacTech interview: Centrify
Centrify makes central management software tools for heterogeneous enterprise systems. In this video, Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine) interviews David McNeely of Centrify Corporation at WWDC 2012. David was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
How your company will control your Windows RT Tablet
Windows on ARM really opens up the world of Windows to some great hardware. So great in fact that you'll probably have to buy one yourself if you want one to use at work. But a time will come where you'll want to get your work email and maybe even an app or two. You might already realize that by adding an ActiveSync email account to your tablet opens your new device up to restrictions by your system administrator -- like requiring a lock screen password or the ability to remotely wipe it – and in the Windows x86 world, your company uses things like an Active Directory (AD) Domain and its Group Policies to lock things down. But, AD isn't an option for Windows RT. According to the Building Windows 8 blog, Microsoft has instead built in the ability to connect to the company network to access apps, while at the same time, gives the admin the ability to control all the familiar AD security settings like bad password attempts, complexity requirements and can even verify your anti-malware software status. Of course if you leave the company or just want to use your tablet without entering a password, you can always break the tie and regain control of the security.
Government / Military Mac users get PIV single sign-on from Thursby
Thursby Software is a longtime Mac development firm (since 1986) that has always had a mission: integrating Macs as full players in mixed-OS environments. While Mac OS X has gone a long way toward improving the situation of Mac users in predominantly Microsoft environments, there are still situations where third-party software may be required. Thursby's ADmitMac line of software is specifically designed to ease Mac integration into Microsoft Active Directory (AD) environments.Thursby's ADmitMac for PIV integrates US Government FIPS 201 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) with Macs. ADPIV, as the product is known, allows single sign-on with a PIV card. It verifies the PIV card against a centralized authority, obtains Kerberos tickets using PIV certificates and then makes those tickets available to Kerberized applications, and securely locks the Mac upon removal of the PIV card.ADPIV also allows password-free access to Exchange servers by providing authentication to those servers. ADPIV is currently available at the introductory price of US$149, with discounts available for larger quantities.
Apple posts seminar for Integrating Active Directory
Recently, Apple posted a new online seminar (linked from enterprise Apple Store pages) entitled "Best Practices for Integrating Mac OS X into Active Directory." This seminar will show registered participants how to deploy machines running OS X into existing Active Directory setups.Apple lists several things that are shown in the online seminar, some of which include: Integrating an Active Directory environment into Mac OS X Using the Active Directory plug-in in Mac OS X Configuring home directories (includes how to do this with mobile users) You can watch this free online seminar by going to Apple's seminar website and registering. You will then be able to stream the video using QuickTime Player, or download an iPod-compatible file.
Show floor video: Likewise Enterprise brings Macs into AD
When your corporate IT department says "Sure, we like the Mac, but we can't manage it through Group Policy, so it's inherently evil," you can offer several alternatives: Centrify, ADmit Mac, and Likewise (formerly Centeris) -- all will provide smooth integration of your Macs into AD and give the central command and control guys the feeling of power they crave. We caught up with Steve from Likewise on the show floor and got a quick walkthrough. Video after the jump.
LANrev v4 released
Got a big ol' bunch of Macs to be managed? Your choices are numerous, with Casper, FileWave and of course Apple Remote Desktop all smoothly monitoring and updating your OS X clients. Now, with the latest update to cross-platform asset manager LANrev (which bears a striking resemblance to another management tool -- not surprising, same development team!), we get supercharged Active Directory integration, new packaging and deployment tools for software installs, and theft prevention features like IP tracking and iSight snapshots. A 30-day demo is available.
The strange tale of Active Directory support in OS X
Applepeels is always an interesting read. If you aren't familiar with that blog, it is written by a former Apple employee who was fairly high up on the org chart, so he brings an interesting perspective to all things Apple. His latest post covers two things that are of interest to me: working with Steve Jobs, and Apple in the enterprise.I find it shocking (though not that shocking after using Apple's tool) that they didn't consider Active Directory integration as a top priority for OS X. OS X has come a long way in this regard, but here's hoping it is even easier in Leopard.
