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As someone who had the only Mac in the company I worked for 20 years ago, it’s been a fun journey to see Apple grow so much in the enterprise, particularly the Mac. Macs have quietly become the go-to device for a lot of modern knowledge work, and with that comes a growing reality as AI functionality becomes baked into everything. AI tools are everywhere. Some are built into apps employees already use. Others show up through the browser or get installed without any oversight. Frankly, AI usage is the biggest examples of Shadow IT I’ve ever seen. Most of these tools are completely invisible to IT.
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About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
New research from 1Password highlights a problem for IT teams. Even with policies in place, enforcement is a struggle. AI is spreading faster than security can keep up, and the Mac sits right in the middle. It reminds me a little bit of when mobility and needing access to corporate resources, regardless of location, took hold in the early 2010s. When IT is on its heels and reactive, trouble can be lurking.
There is a good chance that many employees are already using AI tools on their Macs. Some might be part of a writing app. Others could be browser-based (even Google Gemini) or from the Mac App Store, which IT never approved. The problem is not that people are trying to bypass rules or securitiy. Some of this functionality is being built in from existing apps. The problem is that most organizations do not even know it is happening or where the data is going.
1Password’s research found that only 21% of security leaders say they have full visibility into what AI tools are being used. For Apple IT admins, that is a huge blind spot. When AI tools start pulling in sensitive company data, even unknowingly, the risk grows fast. That includes data being sent to tools that use public language models and could store or learn from what employees upload. Again, this feels VERY similiar when file sharing services moved to the cloud (Dropbox in the early 2010s, etc).
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The fix starts with visibility. Mac admins need to work with security teams to determine what tools are being used. That might include adding reporting for network activity, telemetry data, tracking app installs, or using SaaS discovery tools. It is also worth conversing with teams about how they use AI in their workflows. You cannot block what you do not know about. Similar to how companies track vulnerabilities in their approved apps. You’ll want to have a database of all your tools using AI and what’s happening with that data.
Policy enforcement only works if you can see what is happening
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