Apple brings device management to Vision Pro for enterprise users | TechCrunch

Image Credit: Ron Miller The recent buzz surrounding Apple’s entry into the virtual reality market, Vision Pro, has been hard to miss. While it’s too early to gauge its business performance, Apple is making efforts to cater to IT departments. One such move is the integration of Vision Pro into Apple’s Device management, offering IT professionals the ability to manage these devices similar to iPhones, iPads, watches, and Macs, including onboarding and provisioning new equipment. Unlike previous focuses on virtual reality for tasks such as manufacturing and field operations, Apple sees the potential for utilizing Vision Pro for training and exercising. Additionally, constant access to a computer can benefit experienced workers. The beta release of visionOS 1.1 now includes device management for the first time. “We’re bringing device management capabilities into beta,” said Jeremy Butcher, Apple’s global marketing director, to TechCrunch. “We know businesses want to manage these devices on a large scale. So the good news is that we have a lot of technology to bring to Vision Pro in that regard,” he added. It’s notable that Apple is offering IT tools typically found on its other devices, such as single sign-on, information management, and security, for Vision Pro as well. Steve Sinclair, part of Apple Vision Pro’s global sales division, emphasized the company’s focus on supporting enterprise systems to enhance AVP’s adoption. “We’re focused on making sure we have the business building blocks that companies expect to be supported online, making sure we’re managing and protecting business information and data security, and we can start with some of the basic barriers and address brand innovation,” he noted, highlighting support tools for Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace, and cloud products. Partners like Jamf, a company assisting with Apple device management, are also expected to incorporate AVP into their management system. Apple Vision Pro presents businesses with an opportunity to revolutionize employee work methods, supporting the entire enterprise device infrastructure from Secure Enclave to device management to biometric authentication to zero trust network, according to Mat Vlasach, VP of product management at Jamf. Device controls are available in beta starting today.

Author: OpenAI