Apple updates MDM tools for new Apple Intelligence features

Apple has introduced significant improvements for enterprise IT admins in the newly-released iOS 18.2, including the power to manage the latest salvo of additional Apple Intelligence features and more.  Here’s a swift look at what’s new.

Giving you control of Apple Intelligence

Apple’s approach to generative AI (genAI) is all about combining convenience with privacy. That means it has built large language models (LLMs) that work on the device, supplemented by highly secure cloud-based models that use highly secure Apple servers in data centers, and partnerships with third-party services to handle tasks the company’s own models can’t accommodate.

That last thing — use of third-party services — is where some Apple customers might need reassurance. That’s because people might at times share what should be confidential data with these services, which could place companies or individuals at risk of running afoul of data protection laws. Apple has only one genAI partner at this time, OpenAI, and to help mitigate such issues the ChatGPT developer says it does not keep private information pertaining to a request. With cloud queries heavily encrypted, Apple keeps no information at all, which is part of the attraction of using its own LLM models, and users can choose not to work with ChatGPT at all, if they prefer.

But what about unauthorized use of ChatGPT? Or even Apple’s own genAI models? Is there any way a data security-conscious company can try to protect its data against unauthorized sharing?

Now, there is. Starting in iOS 18.2, Apple has, as promised, introduced tools that let Mobile Device Management (MDM) services manage all the latest Apple Intelligence integrations, including ChatGPT, which itself includes search.

What this means is that IT admins can permit use of some, none, or all of the available Apple Intelligence tools, including the capacity to generate images in Image Playground. How this control is made available will likely differ between MDM providers, but you should see tools to manage iOS 18.2’s newly-added Apple Intelligence features arrive in your management console soon. Apple introduced MDM controls for Writing tools, Mail summarization, phone call recoding, and hiding apps in iOS 18.1.

Setting a default browser

While it took time to be convinced, Apple is beginning to allow people to use more browsers than before, potentially opening up competition in the browser industry. The thing is, not all browsers are created equal and it’s possible that some companies might require employees to use a specific browser on a managed device. This has now been made possible with an MDM tool that lets admins set a default browser and prevent users from modifying that browser, or choosing an alternative. (This should help companies maintain specified browser security policies, for example.)

What else is new?

These additions supplement an earlier wave of enterprise-focused admin enhancements introduced with iOS 18.1. 

• Hardware-based MFA in Safari is now more reliable when used with security keys.
• You can disable RCS messages on managed devices — essential, given the standard doesn’t yet support encryption.
• It is possible to prevent users from deactivating VPN use on a per-app basis.
• Admins can prevent apps from being locked or hidden by users.
• Service discovery in enrollment can request well-known resources from alternative locations specified by MDM 

Tell it from the rooftops

Each time Apple makes one of these iterative enhancements for enterprise deployments of its devices, it shows the extent to which it now deeply supports enterprise markets. If I’m honest, the company should try to make more out of this, particularly as its approach toward building an ecosystem for trusted AI marries so well and so deeply with its existing reputation around security, ease-of-use, customer satisfaction, employee loyalty and TCO advantages in contrast to other platforms. 

But for most admins, the critical piece in the company’s most recent MDM updates will likely be the control it gives them over Apple Intelligence, which should reassure business users that limited deployment of these tools can be accomplished in a deliberate and responsible manner.

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