Frequently Asked Questions

What MDM platforms are supported?

</aside>

If your MDM platform allows you to deploy a Configuration Profile and a Package, Zappl will be supported. For advanced configuration and integration with your MDMs current application store i.e. Jamf Self Service, the MDM solution will need to support script deployments.

Where are the update packages hosted?

</aside>

At Zappl, we pride ourself on security and believe the safest place for you to obtain your application updates are from the vendors website itself. Our technology is designed to monitor your device, identify if an update is required, download from the software vendors website and install without impacting the users experience.

Do users need to logout or restart to apply the updates?

</aside>

No. We have always had a clear vision with Zappl, and that is the user experience must remain our focus. Zappl can be configured to your requirements as an administrator, but in its default form we will notify users that updates are required. If it is convenient, the apps will save the data, close the application, perform the update and re-open back where you were. You don’t need to logout or restart and it’s a great time to grab a coffee.

Does Zappl use Munki?

</aside>

No. Our aim was to develop Zappl from the ground up using Swift. We also wanted to move away from centrally hosting packages, and instead have the Zappl agent obtain any updates from the software vendors themselves.

How do we monitor our compliance?

</aside>

Zappl has a dedicated web portal that allows your team to monitor compliance of your devices. This is in the form of a compliance dashboard, device or application view, so you can quickly focus in on a group of users or applications. If you prefer a scheduled overview of your compliance, a PDF report can be scheduled to be emailed at your chosen date or time period.

Are un-managed applications updated too?

</aside>

Yes, Zappl runs independently to the MDM system and will monitor and update any 3rd party application that we currently support in our app catalog. With the increase of shadow IT practices within the enterprise, where users prefer to use their own applications and tools, we will actively patch these, even if they are not a company deployed application.

Are architecture-specific apps supported?

</aside>

Yes. We have a combination of universal and architecture-specific apps in our catalog. If the app has separate installers for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, the Zappl agent determines the architecture of the computer and then downloads the relevant installer.

Does Zappl support apps that require Rosetta?

</aside>

Yes. Some apps are still designed to run only on Intel Macs. For this reason, we install Rosetta as part of the Zappl setup process on Apple Silicon Macs that don't already have it. This ensures these devices can install apps requiring Rosetta immediately after Zappl is installed.

What if the user is on a video call when Zappl runs?

</aside>

Zappl comes with a very customisable Configuration Profile that allows you to be very granular with your update notifications. In its simplest form you can configure Zappl not to run on a device if a particular application is in focus I.e. Zoom, Google Chat or Microsoft Teams. We can also schedule it to not interrupt users on specific times or days if you know you have a deadline to hit.

What security checks do you make?

</aside>

The Zappl agent will download the software directly from the vendor. Prior to running the installation, we verify the developer signing information using either the signature on the .pkg file, or the signature of the .app file within a .dmg or .zip installer. If the signature does not meet the verified signature of the software vendor, the download is immediately deleted and the software is not installed.

As an additional security measure, we add an expected sha256 hash of each installer file to our app database. If a downloaded installer file does not match this expected file hash, the download is immediately deleted and the software is not installed.

Navigation

Frequently Asked Questions

Deploying Zappl

Deploy Using Jamf Pro