Apple’s Vision Pro is getting MDM support

Apple is already hard at work on the next iteration of vision OS 1.1 and the big news for the enterprise is that Apple will soon introduce support for device management for the Vision Pro with this release. Jamf and others are already adding this support to their device management systems.

This really had to happen. After all, Vision Pro users will soon realize the device is a well-equipped virtual office you can take anywhere. That means you must protect and manage those devices.

Exploring new ways of working cannot take place at the risk of security, performance, and privacy. With device management support, that problem is alleviated.

What are you getting with MDM for Vision Pro?

MDM features in the visionOS 1.1 beta include account-driven enrollment and important management features, such as:

• App installation
• Managed Apple IDs
• Network configurations
• Single sign-on
• Support for Exchange and Google Workspace
• DNS encryption
• Content filtering
• Zero trust network access, and more.

Put simply, MDM support for Vision Pro is now equivalent to device management support across all of Apple’s devices. Vendors are moving fast to deploy it. Jamf Trust already supports the headset in beta, and I’m confident every other MDM provider will do so before visionOS 1.1 ships — probably sooner. 

“Apple Vision Pro offers businesses an exciting opportunity to transform the way employees get work done,” said Matt Vlasach, vice president of product management at Jamf. “Importantly, it supports all of the core foundations of an enterprise-grade device, from Secure Enclave, to device management, to biometric authentication, to zero trust networking.”

Wherever you go, take your office on your head?

Recognize this: Just as the iPhone replaced so much of the kit we once used at the office, Vision Pro can replace (at least some of the time) the place we do business.

Those Personas in collaborative suites are your colleagues, partners, and potential business connections. Apps — including Word, Zoom, Webex — provide (some) of the computer and communications you usually need. It’s a wearable Mac, and while the v.1 keyboard is getting criticism, you know the typing experience will improve, because it must.

Further out, all of those remote collaboration apps that have been exploring virtual spaces come into their own in Apple’s space. Why hike miles across town to hang out at water coolers when you and your global colleagues can work together on projects in realistic 3D environments across time zones?

Sure, sometimes you need a human connection. But I think people will eventually find they get a lot done in two hours wearing a Vision Pro.

Doing the business (case)

This is why the device is (as expected) turning out to be a particularly good fit for business, education (one university already offers a free set to MBA students), and healthcare. A US hospital has already opened a Spatial Computing Center of Excellence to explore valid uses for these devices, such as for anaesthesiologists who must monitor multiple vital signs across an array of equipment during surgery.

“We believe [Vision Pro] is conducive to enterprise use cases such as virtual simulation, digital showrooms, remote training, in-field remote break/fix, and/or virtual marketing,” wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Eric Woodring. “The addition of 5G connectivity would improve these use cases; nevertheless, this means the Vision Pro has real potential to disrupt the enterprise despite being primarily marketed as a consumer device.”

He makes a good point. And just as it was inevitable the device would gain MDM features, so too should it end up with a 5G eSIM, once Apple builds a low-energy variant that sits comfortably on the SOC. That may not happen for a while; iPhone call integration is pretty limited at present — all you can do is make and take a FaceTime call. But everything about the enterprise case for Vision Pro screams out for this.

This work in progress is going to evolve fast.

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.