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A common discussion this summer in the mailing lists and LinkedIn groups I'm in is about iOS and macOS betas. People who manage iOS and macOS devices need to be aware of the evolution of beta developments over the summer as we prepare to check compatibility with printers, external devices, and applications (local and offline). the cloud). Although I do not start with this process with Beta 1, I will usually start my "official" tests at the time of public betas. I have been running Mac OS and iOS for almost 10 years. I've learned a little bit about the process along the way. When you deploy macOS and iOS at the enterprise level, here are my tips on deploying macOS Catalina and iOS 13 (including iPadOS 13).
Through its mobile device management APIs, Apple has developed many tools that enable IT administrators to accurately control the deployment of their device fleet. Although macOS has excellent software update controls for many years, this is a recent addition to iOS (iOS 11.3). On the Windows side, especially in large transitions (7 to 8, 8 to 10, etc.), it is very common for IT managers to delay major updates for years. Many people would question that, but as a person in this role, I can understand that I want things to stay the same. If you control all your applications, it creates new complexities to update an operating system. On the other hand, Apple has managed to create new features for users without creating a significant workload for IT departments. Applications that require full disk access have some complexities, but other than that, I'm very lucky with the rapid deployment of iOS and macOS updates.
Apple's MDM controls support lazy delays for iOS and macOS for 90 days after the release. Although 90 days do not seem like much, I think it's six months because of the beta period. If I have compatibility issues with a major version of iOS or macOS, I will have six months, from the beta period to the publication, to fix it. My strategy could be an infernal bypass, work with
Suppliers or providers of changing software.
macOS Catalina test
When the public beta of a new macOS version is released, I usually move my main computer to start our tests. I will review the tasks and applications our employees will use to see if there are any issues or concerns that may require software upgrades or additional training. On the macOS side, one of the first things I'm going to work on is printing on our Xerox printers in several applications. Applications such as Word or Adobe Reader have specific printer dialogs that I want to check, are still in working order.
Since many of our applications are web-based, I will test the major web browsers to see if there are any additional prompts or security alerts that need to be addressed for end users.
As we get closer to publishing, I'll decide if we'll do a zero day deployment (which means we'll support it by the release date). If we want to delay, I will use Jamf Pro to block the publication for up to 90 days.
IOS and iPadOS 13 tests
As we use more native applications on iPadOS for our iPad deployments, I still delay the availability of a major release for 90 days to allow application providers to update themselves. While many of our students want to use the latest features, I am more concerned that our core classroom applications continue to work.
In the world of business, I would advise the same thing. Having applications that do not work is a bigger problem than having the latest features on the day of release.
I will test some of our apps during the summer, but I do not expect all our suppliers to be ready from the first day. Although they are perfectly capable due to the testing period, we often deal with large companies that do not often work at the speed I have.
Summary on deploying macOS Catalina, iPadOS 13 and iOS 13
Apple's annual software updates can often wreak havoc on IT services, but it's no longer time to stay on the same operating system for four to five years. Employees want the latest features and we need the latest software updates for security updates. Using your summer to test, then using your MDM to manage the upgrade process, should allow a smooth transition this fall. If you have tips on your strategy, leave them in the comments below.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more information on Apple:
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