DDM OS Updates – What’s New?
Just last year, Addigy launched an open beta of OS updates via DDM for Apple devices. This feature is opt-in for all Addigy admins, and as we’ll see, there’s a lot that DDM allows you to do.
We’ve released this open beta to stress-test this feature and to get your feedback. We hope to release this fully at the end of the month to all Addigy customers!
What Does the Beta Do?
Addigy’s beta allows administrators to deploy OS updates to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS via Declarative Device Management (DDM). These updates allow for a richer user experience in deferral and forced installation, improving the end-user experience while also ensuring that updates are done on devices on time. With DDM OS Updates enabled on your Addigy instance, any major and minor OS version updates for macOS 14, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17 and up will be enforced via DDM. Updates like Safari and XProtect definitions for macOS will still take place via purely MDM (since DDM takes OS builds only).
What’s New
Since the launch of our beta we’ve been continually adding new features and functions based on your beta program feedback! The most requested items were:
- Date of Enforcement selection for DDM OS updates (the day the OS will force the update if the end user has not already updated)
- Pending Update Visibility (The ability to see what DDM updates are pending on a device)
- Beta OS updates
Date of Enforcement
The DDM update enforcement allows for a day and time value to be set for the update to take effect. This happens after OS release and takes effect on the device in the device’s local time. If the device is not online at that time, the OS update will prompt the user that the update will start shortly after the device next comes back online.
The recently added additional scheduling functionality allows for the selection of what days of the week update enforcements can be set for, as well as the ability to stop the setting of enforcement times during specific upcoming calendar days. If Apple publishes an update that would be enforced and take place during this avoided time period, the update will take place on the next available day that updates are enforced after the avoided period passes.
For example, an update comes out from Apple on a Monday, and you have updates set to install 3 days after Apple publishes them, specifically at 4pm local time Monday thru Friday. This update would normally install on a Thursday at 4pm, if the device is online. However, you have an update avoidance period booked for that Thursday into the next Tuesday for a change control freeze. That means this update will now install on the following Wednesday.
Pending Update Visibility
The device’s GoLive data page shows the additional data about pending updates. Here you can see the number of pending updates, what status that update is in as it downloads, gets prepared for installation, and the installation itself.
In addition to the per device data shown in GoLive, you can also view the status of a policy deployment as a whole in the Policy Status tool. This will list out the updates pending or completed across all devices in the Policy. If you expand a given version it will indicate the device and its status, along with how current that status information is.
What’s Next for DDM OS Updates?
The opt-in of DDM-enforced OS updates will continue for a few weeks to come. After that time this feature will be available for all Addigy customers with macOS 14, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17 devices in their fleet.
DDM-enforced OS updates are a powerful tool that allows greater control over your Apple device fleet. If you haven’t seen DDM-enforced OS updates yet, be sure to check the beta in your Addigy instance today! We thank you for your time and participation in the beta. If you have any questions on the beta please reach out to [email protected].
