Mac-based Security
and Compliance Services
Cybersecurity is crucial in the federal government to protect sensitive data, national security, and public services from cyber threats. Government agencies handle vast amounts of classified and personal information, making them prime targets for cyberattacks. Ensuring that endpoint devices—from laptops to mobile phones and tablets—remain compliant with stringent security standards in remote and hybrid workplaces present a series of challenges for Federal and State/Local Government IT departments.
An Evolving Security Landscape
The digital infrastructure used by government agencies is historically known for being behind the times due to a variety of challenges ranging from budget to stringent security requirements and the lengthy processes involved in approving, acquiring and implementing new technology. Compliance has also grown more challenging due to the rapid adoption of the remote work environment—it is increasingly up to the end user to ensure their devices utilize two-factor authentication, proper password protocols and remain up-to-date.
Under these circumstances, it has become more important than ever to establish a seamless, cost effective and secure method to monitor, update and audit devices. Recent changes in the cybersecurity requirements laid out by the Federal Government emphasize the importance of endpoint visibility and calls for up-to-date regulations and compliance reporting by government agencies and their subcontractors, establishing a NIST-led framework to improve the security and integrity of the technology supply chain.
As part of its effort to establish a security framework for government users, NIST has collaborated with government Mac users including NASA, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and Los Alamos National Laboratory to establish a baseline of how devices should be managed and secured in the federal space.
Establishing a Mac Compliance Framework
This is where a Mac®-specific solution, driven by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), comes into play. Although Windows computers have traditionally been used in the federal space, adoption of Mac devices in the workplace has skyrocketed in recent years, and that trend is expected to continue due to a simple, cost-effective and automated compliance solution. The combination of a mobile device management (MDM) solution, a reporting tool and a compliance framework enables IT administrators to seamlessly and remotely secure, monitor and audit their organization’s fleet of devices via a single pane of glass.
Using best-in-class software from Jamf, Splunk and Apple® and based on NIST’s open-source macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP), it has never been easier to secure and manage devices in highly-regulated workplaces or industries. This compliance approach, combined with the institutional knowledge and implementation capabilities that Mac Business Solutions offers, enables government agencies and enterprise organizations alike to confidently modernize their operations by utilizing Apple devices throughout the organization.
Security with a Single Pane of Glass
Mac Business Solutions offers a roadmap to compliance that leverages NIST’s mSCP framework to set a baseline for security, ensuring that the solution is always in sync with ever-changing government regulations. By using a reporting tool such as Splunk in concert with Jamf Pro MDM and Compliance Reporter, all enterprise devices can maintain compliance — with this solution, if a device falls out of compliance the problem is automatically remediated. This approach not only guarantees that all devices are constantly protected but also removes the need for consoles, security ports, helpdesk tickets or administrator involvement.
This solution can be deployed to all devices with no action required from end users, making it ideal for remote employees. Whether it’s a new Mac out of the box or an existing device, these three tools work in concert to immediately establish a security baseline and start feeding data via Splunk, allowing Compliance Reporter to monitor for compliance. Because the solution is pushed out through a MDM tool, there are no consoles, aggregators or central management systems involved, making a clean and secure solution that can be managed in one place.
Start your Journey to Compliance
Through Mac Business Solutions’ compliance services, government and enterprise organizations can confidently deploy Apple devices in highly-regulated environments, regardless of whether the work environment is in person, remote or hybrid. Thanks to automated remediation, seamless data collection and timely security baselines from NIST that can be imported to any machine, security and compliance for Apple devices—even in today’s complex and evolving environment—has never been easier, cheaper or faster.
This compliance solution comes at a critical time when a variety of highly-regulated industries are already adopting Mac systems or offering employees their choice of devices to use in the workplace. Organizations including IBM, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and agencies within the Department of Defense and Department of Energy all utilize Apple devices.
Schedule a Consultation
Mac Business Solutions is prepared to guide organizations that already use Apple solutions in the workplace through a compliance roadmap adoption and deployment process. MBS also serves as a one-stop resource for integrating Apple devices into workplace environments and ensuring they are compliant from the start.
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