Apple @ Work brought to you exclusively by Mosyle, the only unified Apple platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates all the solutions needed to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage and protect Apple devices at work into a single enterprise-grade platform. More than 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices ready to work effortlessly and affordably. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is all you need to work with Apple.
Security concerns keep every IT professional up at night. Even for Apple admins, you’re just one zero-day exploit away from a nightmare. It is also a concern if your fleet is not compliant with their organization’s IT policies regarding macOS updates. Hundreds of organizations use Nudge to keep their Macs up to date, and it’s one of the most underrated macOS administration tools available.
About Apple @Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. With his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, mobile device management system, Wi-Fi enterprise grade, thousands of Macs and thousands of iPads, Bradley will highlight the ways Apple IT leaders deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, IT management stories and ways Apple could improve its products for IT services.
What is Nudge for macOS?
Nudge is this handy, lightweight open source app designed to gently nudge employees to update their company’s Macs, ensuring everything is what IT expects. It intelligently displays reminders where you can’t miss them, and those reminders start showing up more often until your Mac is updated and checks all the right boxes. Below is an older but still applicable presentation on Nudge.
How does Nudge work?
Nudge runs silently in the background via a LaunchAgent. You dictate its behavior by defining update frequencies and version mandates in a profile or JSON file. It works by comparing the installed version of macOS to your stipulated requirements. Nudge remains inactive if the current system version matches or exceeds the required one. Conversely, if the system version is overdue, Nudge sends a notification to the user, highlighting the gap between the current and necessary versions of macOS.
Every time Apple rolls out a new update, your task is to refresh the profile with the latest required version and the corresponding deadline, and then deploy this updated guideline. Although I haven’t explored the JSON configuration route, it seems to be a viable, perhaps preferable, alternative.
As the update deadline approaches, Nudge’s reminder frequency intensifies. After the deadline, his insistence intensifies even more. Essentially, your role as an Apple IT administrator with Nudge is to update and manage a profile or JSON file with the necessary instructions, adaptable at any time in response to Apple’s updates. It also offers several optional configuration options.
How to deploy Nudge?
Although you can deploy the Nudge setup directly to a Mac using a package deployment through your device management system. It is generally recommended to create a managed configuration profile (.mobileconfig) and pass it through your device management system.
Conclude
If Nudge were a commercial application, it would still be one of the most valuable tools for macOS administrators. As an open source tool, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the team behind it. Thousands of businesses are thus better secured. It does a great job of “nudging” people to update their Mac to the required version on a time system that allows them to stay productive, but letting them know that very soon you will be required take the time to update.
Check out the Nudge Github page to get started.
FTC: We use automatic, revenue-generating affiliate links. More.