Smplify wants a human checkpoint between AI agents and your device fleet
One of the great things about Apple device management solutions is that the market for them is growing . Another is that because no two enterprises are alike, there is scope to bring different offerings to the market. I spoke with Ben Greiner, co-founder and COO of Smplify , a new-to-market device management vendor, to find out what his company provides to IT. Smplify, which just announced $1m in…
Apple device management solutions are growing in popularity, and companies like Smplify are entering the market to cater to the unique needs of various enterprises. Ben Greiner, co-founder and COO of Smplify, recently announced a $1 million pre-seed funding round. Smplify's product offers a headless management tool, available through API and CLI, which can be integrated into existing tools used by IT teams. This allows for greater flexibility and customization.
Currently, many IT professionals assume a human is overseeing device management, but with the emergence of AI agents, that human oversight is becoming less necessary. As AI agents can act at machine speed, IT must implement systems to manage and audit their actions. According to a OneTrust report, 87% of organizations are embracing AI agents, yet only 47% have clear governance and controls in place.
This presents a potential disaster waiting to happen, as Gartner predicts that 40% of enterprises will demote or decommission autonomous AI agents due to governance gaps.
One of the primary concerns regarding AI agents is accountability. If an agent submits changes at lightning speed, who can approve them? If a rogue agent wipes thousands of laptops before anyone notices, it highlights the need for human oversight and approval in the AI management process. Smplify's approach provides a "last-mile control plane" to address this issue, ensuring that any risky actions by AI agents are held back until human approval is granted. This would help prevent catastrophic damage and maintain accountability.
Smplify builds its platform to manage devices, incorporating Apple's Declarative Device Management (DDM) protocols. This platform emphasizes versioned intent, review, and approval, ensuring a clear history of every change made to devices. By embracing Apple DDM's principles, Smplify aims to provide a balance between AI agency and human oversight, much like how human IT professionals work today.
Written by urgent.news from Computerworld's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
