Jamf updates healthcare IT to protect data on Apple devices

Jamf has rolled out new functionality to help healthcare and IT teams protect patient data and streamline clinical access for their Apple fleet.

The company's director of healthcare product strategy Kari Chase says the last few years have shown that mobile transformation is changing the healthcare landscape.

"Jamf powers the optimal digital experience for hospital providers, patients, and families with the power of Apple," she says.

"With the rollout of these new updates, healthcare providers can transform the patient bedside experience and ensure patient privacy data is secure, devices are properly managed and endpoints are protected."

Streamline deployments with Healthcare Listener App Refresh

The new Healthcare Listener workflow called App Refresh provides health systems using iPad and Apple TV a faster way to refresh specific app content and prepare a device for the next patient.

Jamf says the automated workflow uninstalls and reinstalls managed apps and in-house books from bedside devices without requiring a full device reset.

The company says App Refresh enhances the experience for patients by removing all iOS and tvOS Setup Assistant prompts that follow a device reset (Language, Region, Wi-Fi). Instead, it configures the device so it is ready for immediate use without any manual setup.

For IT admins, the entire refresh workflow is shortened, the device remains online and managed by IT admins in Jamf Pro, and they have device visibility throughout the whole process. Jamf says for organisations who wish to maintain a full device reset between patients, Healthcare Listener will retain its current automated device wipe capabilities, allowing flexibility for all environments.

Extend control with the Parent App

The Jamf Parent app has existed for years as a way for parents and guardians to have limited management of their child's school-issued iPad from their own personal device.

The company says with a new Jamf Parent setting in Jamf Pro, there is now a workflow that extends Jamf Parent to provide temporary wireless remote management capabilities of a patient's hospital-issued device.

A parent or guardian can pair their personal device with the hospital's managed iPad through a QR code pairing process within the Jamf Parent app. Jamf says now, with the power of MDM, parents can limit patient apps, device functionality, and reset the device passcode.

When Healthcare Listener or Jamf Reset remotely wipes the patient's device, the Jamf Parent app session is disconnected automatically. This requires no work from IT and ensures parent devices can only perform management actions on hospital-owned devices while the patient is admitted. The company says this feature is great for pediatric care and behavioural health scenarios.

A faster and more secure sign-on with Microsoft Azure

Jamf says Single Login with Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset is a preview workflow (available for all Jamf Pro customers to test for free) designed to provide a simple and productive end-user experience for employees who use shared iOS and iPadOS devices.

It says the latest release of the Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset apps supports the wireless, over-the-air workflow for shared device management and includes:

• Cloud identity provider (IdP)-based network authentication with Microsoft Azure
• Role-based provisioning and access control
• Enhanced device passcode management
• Cross-app single sign-on (SSO) for supporting iOS/iPadOS apps
• A soft-reset logout workflow that doesn't require a device wipe