Centrify provided one of the most critical IT management tools for heterogeneous computing environments with their Centrify Express^® for Mac^® product. This product enabled IT admins to integrate Macs with Microsoft^®Active Directory^®(MAD or AD). In effect, it gave admins the ability to simplify password resets and manage macOS^® systems and users. However, Centrify recently discontinued the product and left many looking for a Centrify Mac Express alternative.

Centrify Express For Mac Download
Centrify Express For Mac Smart Card
Centrify Express For Mac Smart Card
Centrify Express For Mac Smart Card
Centrify Express For Smart Card Mac
Centrify Express For Mac

The Authentication Service Agent for Mac one-off release v.5.7.0, build 224, will be available end of day December 28, 2020 on the Centrify Download Center. If the currently installed Agent is version of 5.7.0, build 218 (the GA release), a reinstallation is necessary. Version information can be found in the Centrify System Preferences panel. Centrify Express 2010 for Windows v.1.2.0 Centrify Express is primarily useful when you need proven Active Directory authentication for a small number of systems. Centrify Suite for Mac OS v.2010.2 Continue to move onto corporate desktops, corporate IT managers want to ensure these workstations are as easy to manage as their Windows counterparts.

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With support for more than 450 platforms, Centrify Services secure and manage the industry's broadest range of operating systems. Select one of the featured platforms to learn more about how Centrify modern PAM Services centrally secure and manage these operating systems.

AD and macOS^® Devices

The reason that IT admins need to leverage non-Microsoft tools to integrate macOS devices with AD is actually pretty simple: Microsoft and Apple^® have no reason to cooperate on this problem. By providing the ability to integrate Macs with AD out of the box, many users might actually pick macOS devices over Windows^® systems. With more organizations utilizing Mac endpoints than ever before, Microsoft may perceive this as a threat to their dominance in the operating system (OS) space.

Of course, that’s not Microsoft’s only stronghold. As the principal player in directory services solutions, AD is still embedded in the majority of organizations’ IT stacks. Simply put, if you’re an organization leveraging a directory service, there is a pretty strong chance that you’re using AD, hence the reason for Centrify’s Mac Express. Because Apple and Microsoft don’t see a reason to cooperate, an outside party created a solution that enabled IT admins to manage the Mac systems and users that were in their IT environments.

Centrify’s Mac Solution

The biggest reason for the Centrify Mac Express product was to bring Mac user and system management up to par with what was already expected between AD and Windows. There are two different aspects at play here when we begin to discuss what that looks like: system management and user management. For systems, Centrify Express enabled IT admins to leverage system features like setting screen lock timers, pushing automatic OS updates, and other GPO-like functions. For user management, the biggest draw for IT admins was that Centrify enabled IT admins to create an identity in AD and have that identity work on Mac systems. It helped to centralize both user and system management.

Unfortunately, for organizations that leaned on Centrify for their integration of Mac devices with AD, Centrify’s EOL represented a big blow to their ability to manage both Mac users and systems. So, many IT admins were forced to find a Centrify Mac Express Alternative.

Mac User and System Management from the Cloud

For IT admins in search of a solution that can fill the hole in their identity and access management (IAM) approach left by Centrify, JumpCloud^®has a solution called Active Directory Integration that can replace Centrify’s Mac Express product in your stack. With it, IT admins get the features of Centrify Express like Mac user management via Active Directory, system management with GPO-like policies, and additional features like syncing AD users to G Suite™ and Azure^® AD / Office 365™.

Additionally, JumpCloud’s AD Sync feature, a subset of its Active Directory Integration, enables end users on Windows and Mac machines to change their password on the system and have it propagate out to AD. Linux users can change their password in the JumpCloud user console and expect the same result, too. Plus, users don’t even need to connect to a VPN to make password changes happen. In addition, it works the other way too, with password changes in AD going out to systems. Effectively, it’s a bi-directional integration.

JumpCloud and AD

If you need to continue leveraging AD, JumpCloud integrates with your implementation and provide an easy way to push your AD identities out to all the resources that AD traditionally struggles to authenticate. That includes web applications like Salesforce^® and Slack, cloud infrastructure from the likes of AWS^® and Azure^®, files on-prem and in the cloud, networking infrastructure via RADIUS, and a whole lot more.

Or, if you want to simply leverage a cloud directory, JumpCloud can serve as the source of truth for your entire organization. This frees your organization from the on-prem configuration, maintenance, and security overhead that traditionally accompanies on-prem AD implementations. Plus, the product is continually updated, so new features are just around the corner.

Learn More about JumpCloud

Curious about a Centrify Mac Express Alternative and how it may work in your environment? Sign up today for a demo and see how JumpCloud can adapt to your unique situation. Or, if you just want to try it out today, sign up for a free account. We throw in the first 10 users free so you can evaluate precisely how JumpCloud works for you.

Background

Note: In this rare occasion I will discuss a capability related to Centrify Express. This product is limited to a number of systems and Centrify has added additional capabilities that enhance the value of the solution.

Last month, with the release of Centrify Suite 2016.1, Centrify expanded on the MFA Everywhere strategy adding support for UNIX systems (AIX, HP-UX, Solaris) for Server Login and Privilege Elevation. In addition, Centrify added MFA login support for Auto Zone. This means that Centrify Express for UNIX/Linux customers can use the industry-recognized Centrify Identity Service tenants can implement MFA or Step-up Authentication on login.
This quick article covers the steps to implement MFA as an additional control to access systems integrated to AD with Centrify Express for UNIX/Linux. The information in this article can also be applied to Classic zones and Auto Zone (workstation mode).
For an in depth discussion on Centrify Server Suite MFA, you can read this lab entry.
For information on how to get started with Centrify Identity Service, visit the Getting Started page.

Planning

Potential Stakeholders

Centrify Express For Mac