Learn about Jamf Remote Assist, an upcoming new tool in Jamf Pro that enables administrators to remotely troubleshoot registered Macs.
Jamf Remote Assist (JRA) further enhances the capabilities of Jamf Pro 11 by delivering a modern, native experience for IT by remotely assisting end users on macOS devices with troubleshooting steps, including accessing the device terminal to run commands.
When an end-user encounters a support issue, Jamf administrators can securely launch a Jamf Remote Assist session to connect to the end-user’s device, even if the user is not on the internal network, all within the Jamf Pro UI, making it easy to securely manage the devices in their fleet remotely.
Let’s talk about what this experience looks like for IT administrators and end users.
The IT Administrator Experience
Jamf conducted a survey in 2020 and found that:
- 70% of administrators need remote screen sharing capabilities on a regular basis
- 58% must be able to use remote screen sharing solutions outside of their organisation’s network
- 59% require user permission for screen sharing
With JRA, IT administrators are given full access during the session, which can be configured in Jamf Pro.
Starting a remote session from Jamf Pro requires proper configuration:
- Session permissions can be granted or removed using the Jamf Pro account and group. There is also a checkbox under the Security section of Settings to enable or disable Jamf Remote Assist which is not hidden behind permissions.
- The end user’s Mac needs to have the correct settings to allow screen sharing in the Privacy Preferences Policy Control (PPPC) payload delivered to them via Jamf Pro!
End User Experience
While the trend of remote work adoption has slowed, the need for remote support has not gone away. According to a 2022 McKinsey & Company report, 58 per cent of companies offer remote work at least one day a week. This means it’s important to invest in remote support that doesn’t get in the way of end users and protects their privacy.
Users can participate or not participate in a remote session, depending on whether they are logged into their Mac. if they are logged in, the end user receives a notification about the status of the session and is allowed to approve or reject the session. If they are not logged in, administrators can access the Mac if they have local login credentials. jamf Pro will never initiate a remote session unless an administrator is authorised to do so and user privacy is maintained.
Jamf Remote Assit Q&A
Jamf Remote Assist took the stage at this year’s Jamf Nation User Conference and customers continue to express excitement about the feature. We would like to take this opportunity to answer some of your frequently asked questions about JRA.
1. Will there be an additional cost or will I need a new licence to use and enable Jamf Remote Assist?
No, there is no additional cost or separate licence required. Jamf Remote Assist is built directly into the Jamf Pro UI and included in your Jamf Pro instance.
2. Is Jamf Remote Assist available for Jamf Pro local and cloud customers?
Yes, Jamf Remote Assist will work for Jamf Pro Local as well as Standard and Premium Cloud customers.
3. Can I start a Jamf Remote Assist session on any Apple device type?
For the initial release, Jamf Remote Assist will only work with macOS 11 or higher. We will continue to gather feedback on different use cases and customer requirements for other device types such as iOS and iPadOS.
4. Jamf Remote Assist sessions can be started as attended or unattended sessions. What’s the difference?
If the end user logs into their computer, the remote session will start as a attended screen sharing session, the main use case being 1:1 Mac users. The user will be prompted that a screen sharing session is about to begin and they can accept or decline the session. Once the user accepts, the session will open in a new browser tab.
If the end user is not logged into their computer, the remote screen sharing session will begin as an unattended session if the administrator can provide local account credentials. Unattended sessions are most likely to occur in environments such as Mac labs. It is not possible to start a session on a locked device to protect user privacy.
5. Can a Jamf administrator using a Windows-based PC start a Jamf Remote Assist session on the user’s macOS device or does the administrator need to be on a Mac as well to start the session?
Jamf Remote Assist is browser-based, so administrators can access Jamf Pro and start a remote session from the Jamf web application to connect to the end user’s macOS device. The most commonly used browsers are supported.
6. Can files be transferred during a Jamf Remote Assist session?
Yes, file transfers and file copies can be done by dragging and dropping to and from the end-user device.
7. Will Jamf Remote Assist require local users to modify their firewall policies to allow connections to Jamf Remote Assist?
No. Local customers will need to work with their network team to allow connections to the Jamf Remote Assist service.
8. Will Jamf Pro continue to support TeamViewer once Jamf Remote Assist is released?
Yes, Jamf Pro will continue to support the current TeamViewer integration.
9. How can I learn more about Jamf Remote Assist?
Jamf Remote Assist is currently in beta! We invite you to join the Jamf Pro 11.1 beta and provide feedback on this feature. To join the beta, please visit account.jamf.com. If you would like to submit feedback or ask a question, please participate in the Jamf Pro Beta Forum.
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