Beyond Scripting

Client Platform Engineers, device administrators, and others charged with managing large fleets of devices need to be able to wield open-source tools, conform them to their unique use cases, and get them on devices securely. This has traditionally been done with other languages, some of which have evolved since the early days of Unix – the early days of the very idea of an operating system. But the increasingly closed nature of Apple devices means that these skills need to move to Swift, and all the good and bad that comes with that. This book is about how to build Swift applications that automate tasks on Apple devices. Things like pulling information down from a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to configure settings, deliver apps to devices, and gain telemetry into areas of the system that might not otherwise be available to legacy scripting tools that can’t get entitlements to manage various aspects of systems. We want to make the world a more secure place, and this is one of the ways we get there. Beyond Scripting gets more into long-term code maintenance, distribution methods (especially for admins that don’t use the App Store), unit testing, entitlements, and other more advanced topics that will be required to go beyond a team of one. What You'll Learn How to wield Swift for secure device automation tasks. How to convert your code into compiled scripts. How to build functional programs for device inventory. How to integrate with enterprise systems for seamless operation. How to master Mobile Device Management (MDM) with Swift. Who This Book Is For This book is for client platform engineers, device administrators, and anyone managing large fleets of Apple devices.