Parallels links Windows on Mac integration with Jamf

In what may be a defining move for enterprise tech purchasers seeking a smooth way to manage a welcome migration from Windows to Apple, Parallels Desktop has rolled out integration with Apple-focused mobile device management provider Jamf Pro.

Parallels Desktop is a market-leading emulator for macOS that lets you run genuine instances of Windows (and other operating systems) on your Mac. The virtualization is rock solid, regularly updated, and improves each year. 

The fastest version of Windows runs on a Mac

Cast your mind back a couple of years and you might recall that the development team behind Parallels was astonished when Apple introduced the first Macs to use Apple Silicon; they found Windows virtual machines ran faster on those Macs than Windows itself runs on some PCs. One tester went on the record to say running Windows for ARM on an M1 Mac using Parallels Desktop 16 was “the fastest version of Windows” they’d ever used at the time.

The combination lets you use a Mac to run and access nearly all those legacy Windows services that have locked you into those systems for years. This can help organizations close a major gap: supporting employee preference for Macs, while still delivering essential Windows applications without the compliance or security headaches.

What does the integration mean?

The tie-up between Jamf Pro and Parallels answers that pain point, and makes it easier to automate deployment and updates, reclaim licenses when devices are reassigned, and apply consistent security and compliance policies across both macOS and Windows environments. 

What that means, really, is that enterprises working with both platforms — or actively migrating to Mac — can bridge many of the annoying problems found when moving between the platforms. Because Macs run Windows, too.

So, what does this integration provide?

You can deploy Parallels Desktop from within Jamf Pro’s built-in App Catalog.

IT can pair deployment with configuration profiles, which means you can automate license key provisions — so those Windows licenses can go to those who need them, rather than sitting around gathering update fees while contributing little else.

You gain compliance tools, including standards alignment from the console and granular control over updates, access, and data sharing with enforced security policies.

And, of course, Declarative Device Management on the Mac adds yet another layer of protection across your systems.

Once you have Windows working on virtual machines on a Mac, you also gain a more secure computing experience, in part because even if the Windows volume succumbs to one of the many viruses that infest that platform, your Mac volume will take the strain. But with Parallels’ management portal, IT can keep a beady eye on the condition of all the installs, helping ensure consistency, compliance and early warning of any vulnerabilities.

What next?

I’m the AppleHolic so of course I see major merits in this offer. To my mind, it supports the ongoing momentum in the Apple-in-the-enterprise space, an environment now seeing an acceleration in the adoption of Macs.

The great thing about the combination of Jamf and Parallels is that the move brings together two trusted names in the macOS space, combining virtualization and device management expertise in a good way. And while the combo can’t claim to counter every argument against wider Mac adoption, it’s certain to help convince some business customers they can migrate, the support to do so exists, and many legacy apps and services can come along for the ride — pending their inevitable replacement by cross-platform, mobile-friendly alternatives.

What’s behind all of this is momentum, in part built around Apple Silicon. The decision to put M-series chips inside Macs continues to pay big dividends, and these systems have enough power to handle running Windows alongside the host Mac OS. It means that if your employees would prefer to run Macs instead of Windows, they can do so. And in combination with Jamf Pro, your IT team might eventually recognize that, just like when iPod came to Windows, the combination of Mac, Parallels, and Jamf is a glass of water in the enterprise computing desert.

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