Apple Higher Education IT
News and Updates — Florida
July 20, 2026
I want to call attention to a session happening this week: Apple's live webinar on the macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP) is Wednesday, July 22, just two days from now. If your team touches Mac security baselines, don't let this one slip by. Details and two great companion resources are just below.
Speaking of security, always be diligent with OS updates and other security patches. The new malware campaigns mentioned below are worth being aware of.
If you're beta testing upcoming versions, macOS 27 beta 4 and iPadOS 27 beta 4 just released today. As always, please file feedback for any issues affecting your environment.
University of Utah has two very timely videos this edition: one on mSCP, hinted at above, and a session on preparing for macOS 27. I also gathered some resources on running AI models locally across a cluster of Macs, plus the usual roundup of upcoming events and training.
I've received some great feedback about the newsletter recently, and as always, I want to hear what's useful to you, and what you could do without.
A special nod to my colleague Aaron Davis. His newsletter inspired me to start my own, and he has been a wealth of knowledge in gathering articles and resources valuable to IT teams.
Thank you,
Tim
📍 Featured
mSCP Webinar — This Wednesday, July 22
Only 2 days away — register now if you haven't already.
Apple's live session on the macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP) — the open source effort developed with NIST to help standardize Mac endpoint security — runs Wednesday, July 22 from 3:00–4:00 p.m. EDT. mSCP just shipped version 2.0, and this is a good moment for any team building or refreshing Mac security baselines to get current.
Two resources worth pairing with it: Jamf's free Practical Guide to Mac Compliance PDF for the practical how-to, and University of Utah recorded a deep-dive session straight from mSCP's own project lead, Bob Gendler, a Mac Admin on NIST's Mac Management Team, covering what's new in mSCP 2.0 in detail.
Register for the July 22 webinar
Jamf's Practical Guide to Mac Compliance (PDF)
Watch Bob Gendler's mSCP 2.0 deep-dive (University of Utah)
What's New
Apple to Increase Spend with Broadcom to Produce Billions More U.S. Chips
Apple announced a new multiyear commitment with Broadcom to design and produce custom silicon components and cutting-edge wireless connectivity technologies for a wide range of Apple products. The new agreement, expected to exceed $30 billion, will lead to the production of more than 15 billion U.S.-made chips and support hundreds of American jobs. Apple has been working with the administration and businesses across the U.S. to help create an end-to-end silicon supply chain in America, and today's announcement advances those efforts. Read the announcement
Swift Dialog 3.1.0 Is Out of Beta
Swift Dialog — the popular open-source tool for user-facing prompts and notifications in Jamf and other MDM workflows — has officially exited beta at version 3.1.0, with new banner options. If you rely on it for update reminders or self-service prompts, worth a look at what's new. Configuration examples
Back to topIdentity & Platform SSO
Platform SSO comes in several flavors, each with a different user experience and approach to identity security: Password Sync, Secure Enclave, and Smart Card, each with its own strict delineation of supported features. In a recent Mac Admins Podcast episode, Okta's Arki Krowczynski and Dan Hefley joined hosts Marcus Ransom and Selina Ali to discuss the current state of the PSSO landscape and how to figure out which method fits your use case.
If you're configuring PSSO with Jamf Pro, a few guides from HCS Technology Group are worth bookmarking. Their Okta Platform SSO Simplified Setup guide covers Okta FastPass, Okta's passwordless, phishing-resistant authentication built on Device Access certificates, with step-by-step configuration for Password and Secure Enclave setups. For institutions using Microsoft Entra ID, start with their Jamf Pro and Intune Company Portal PSSO integration guide, then layer on the Simplified Setup addendum, which covers a macOS 26 feature that pauses Setup Assistant for an identity provider sign-in before the first local account is created, so users land at the desktop already registered for Platform SSO with no separate post-login step required.
Back to topIn the News
⚠️ New macOS Malware Campaigns — Stay on Your Normal Patch Cycle
Security researchers have reported multiple new malware campaigns targeting macOS in recent weeks, including techniques designed to trick users into running malicious commands and lock devices to pressure victims for credentials. As always, we won't detail attack mechanics here — the best defense is staying current on your normal update cycle and reminding staff and students to be cautious with unexpected prompts to run commands or install software from unfamiliar sources. Apple security releases
U of Utah MacAdmins: A Deep Dive on macOS 27 from SAP's Mac Team
The University of Utah MacAdmins Meeting recently covered macOS 27, a real transition point for fleet planning with Intel Mac support ending and Rosetta 2 nearing retirement. Robert Hammen, Principal Mac Consultant at SAP, where he helps manage nearly 60,000 Macs and previously spent five years at SpaceX overseeing the Crew Tablet iPad program, walks through what's changing: expanded Declarative Device Management, new network and certificate management options, FileVault and Platform SSO improvements, Managed App Framework support, and practical guidance on testing macOS 27 before it ships using AppleSeed for IT. A substantial, well-worth-the-time session if you're responsible for fleet strategy this fall. Watch the full session (51 min)
AppleCare Pricing Increase for Macs and iPads
Apple has raised AppleCare pricing for Macs and iPads. If your institution budgets for device support programs, worth factoring into upcoming procurement conversations. Read more
Back to top🔭 Worth a Look
Interested in Local AI Clusters?
Apple's latest Mac computers with Thunderbolt 5 have quietly become a serious platform for running large AI models locally, without cloud infrastructure. At WWDC26, Apple detailed JACCL, a new RDMA-over-Thunderbolt communication backend for MLX that dramatically speeds up distributed inference and training across multiple Macs — now official platform capability, not just a demo (MacRumors coverage).
exo is one tool putting this to practical use: it auto-discovers Macs on your network, splits models across their combined memory, and serves standard OpenAI/Claude/Ollama-compatible APIs — no manual cluster configuration required.
If your team is considering this, a few real-world details worth knowing before you try it, via Apple Silicon benchmarker Alex Ziskind's hands-on JACCL cluster writeup: RDMA has to be enabled per-machine in macOS Recovery, a full Thunderbolt mesh requires six cables for four nodes, and one missed environment variable can mean a 5–6x performance hit. Ziskind also found that a single higher-spec Mac sometimes outperforms a two-node cluster for certain workloads — worth testing before committing budget to a multi-Mac setup.
Learn more: WWDC26 session · Apple TN3205 · MLX docs
🌟 Accessibility Note
New research published in Autism in Adulthood estimates that between 135,400 and 286,254 autistic students are currently enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities, a substantially higher figure than prior estimates as low as 60,000. Researchers say the true number is likely still higher, since many students don't disclose or request accommodations. Worth keeping in mind as your institution plans accessibility and accommodation support. Read more
Upcoming Events
Higher Education Webinars
View all Higher Education events
| Date | Webinar | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| 📍 Jul 22 |
macOS Security Compliance Project for Higher Education
See our Featured section above — this Wednesday, 3:00–4:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Jul 29 |
Financial Sustainability with Apple Financial Services
Pay to Own with Guaranteed Buyback, device residual value, and cost savings with Mac.
Wednesday, July 29 · 12:00–12:30 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Jul 29 |
Securing Devices with Apple and Jamf
Apple and Jamf on endpoint security and mobile device management at scale.
Wednesday, July 29 · 3:00–4:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
Enterprise Technical Workshops Not Education-Specific
Apple's ongoing enterprise readiness workshop series — content applies broadly to any organization managing Apple devices. View the full series
| Date | Workshop | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 21 |
What's New for IT: WWDC26
Overview of features announced at WWDC26 for enterprise IT.
Tuesday, July 21 · 12:00–1:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Jul 23 |
Zero to Zero Touch | ABM to MDM
Procurement, automated device enrollment, PreStage, and a zero-touch deployment demo.
Thursday, July 23 · 12:00–1:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Aug 4 |
Managed Apple Accounts | Federation and Identity
Federation overview, identity provider best practices.
Tuesday, August 4 · 12:00–1:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
Introduction to Supporting macOS — 3-Part Series
Instructor-led virtual workshop for support staff new to Mac. Register for each part separately using your work email and institution name. View the series landing page
| Date | Session | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 28 |
Part 1 of 3
Apple Silicon and Intel considerations, macOS orientation, built-in accessibility, remote support tools.
Tuesday, July 28 · 2:00–3:30 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Jul 29 |
Part 2 of 3
Mac deployment and management overview, user accounts and single sign-on, app distribution and security.
Wednesday, July 29 · 2:00–3:30 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Jul 30 |
Part 3 of 3
Troubleshooting tools, installing updates, macOS Recovery, Disk Utility, Return to Service and Activation Lock.
Thursday, July 30 · 2:00–3:30 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
Summer 2026 IT Tech Camps
Apple's annual IT Tech Camps webcast series, highlighting new IT features from WWDC26. View the series landing page
| Date | Session | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 4 |
What's New for IT
Device management updates, Apple Intelligence controls, and key changes ahead of fall releases.
Tuesday, August 4 · 1:00–2:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Aug 5 |
Identity Integrations and Ongoing Security
In-depth look at Platform SSO capabilities and identity provider integration.
Wednesday, August 5 · 1:00–2:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
| Aug 6 |
Managed AI and Apple Intelligence in Your Organization
On-device inference, Private Cloud Compute, and IT management controls for Apple Intelligence.
Thursday, August 6 · 1:00–2:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
Academic Health Webinars
For a full list of sessions, visit apple.co/academichealthevents
| Date | Webinar | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 23 |
Reimagining Medical Education at The Ohio State University
A conversation with medical education leaders at Ohio State's College of Medicine on Apple technology in the student experience.
Thursday, July 23 · 1:00–2:00 p.m. EDT · Online
|
Register |
In-Person & Major Events
| Date | Event | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Wrapped |
MacAdmins Conference — Penn State
Recordings pending — most session videos land on their YouTube channel in the coming weeks. Save the date: July 13–16, 2027.
|
YouTube |
| Sept 23–25 |
JNUC 2026
Jamf Nation User Conference
|
Info |
Training & Resources
On-Demand Video Series
- Deploying Apple in Education — Fundamentals of Apple deployment for IT organizations — managing devices at scale.
- Education IT & Security — Apple Intelligence, device management, and enterprise-grade security standards.
IT Training
- Apple Professional Training for IT — Self-paced online training and certification for IT professionals, on your schedule.
- Introduction to Supporting macOS — A three-part instructor-led virtual workshop on Mac hardware, macOS, and help desk essentials. See dates above.
- Apple Readiness Workshops — Free, interactive sessions on ASM, new features, beta testing, and best practices, led by Apple Systems Engineers.
- Get to Know Your Mac — Free live virtual training for PC-to-Mac switchers and new-to-Mac beginners. Share with your end users.
- CDW Apple IT Training — Five training courses for IT teams supporting Apple endpoints.
- Jamf Training — Self-paced and instructor-led training for Jamf administrators.
Community & Reference
- IT Deployment and Management — Education Community Forum — Connect with Apple and peers on deployment tips, software updates, and best practices.
- Apple Education Store Help — Video guides covering proposals, orders, invoices, and returns.
Apple Platform Guides
- Apple Platform Deployment
- Apple Platform Support
- Apple Platform Security
- Apple Platform Certifications
Enterprise OS Reference
- Device management updates & deprecation lifecycle — how Apple communicates upcoming profile/config changes
- Apple security releases — Latest updates across all platforms
- Mastering Swift — New book on Swift scripting for Apple admins by Charles Edge, Jeremy Bannister, and Joel Rennich. Available for pre-order; ships September 15.
🌟 New to Mac?
A curated set of Apple resources to help you or your team get started — guides, keyboard shortcuts, training, and video tutorials, all in one place. Visit the resource page
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