Extending Our Single-Pane of Glass Device Management Platform — Now Including Linux

At Esper, we are committed to innovation, ensuring our platform remains easy to use, robust, and flexible, to meet the evolving needs of our customers and their diverse hardware. Managing Linux-based devices has long been a gap in enterprise tooling. Today, Esper is closing that gap. We are thrilled to announce that Esper will support devices running Linux, extending Esper’s modern mobile device management (MDM) platform across Android, iOS, and now Linux.

Enterprises in industries such as restaurant, hospitality, and retail use Linux devices for digital signage, point of sale, edge AI use cases, and more — or, as a gateway device to enhance and supplement the capabilities of non-Linux devices. But managing Linux devices presents a host of new challenges that traditional MDM solutions with a focus on Android, iOS, and Windows often fail to meet. These challenges include:

• Unique tools and workflows: Managing Linux devices requires specialized tools and workflows for developers and technical IT teams, posing challenges for establishing a uniform management strategy.
• Device diversity: The wide variety of Linux devices makes a one-size-fits-all approach impractical. Legacy MDM tools often fall short with their cookie-cutter approach. Configuring and troubleshooting these devices in remote or inaccessible locations adds to the complexity for IT teams.
• Scalability needs: As device deployments grow, scalable management platforms are essential. Managing an increasing number of devices without compromising performance or escalating costs is critical for IT Ops and Support teams to maintain efficiency.
• Strict user role management: Linux device management tools provide deep access to the device (e.g. SSH to root). Ensuring appropriate (read: highly restrictive) access for developers and IT teams is critical, highlighting the need for robust and efficient user role management capabilities.

How Esper Helps Manage Linux Devices

With our relentless focus on helping customers with their dedicated MDM use cases, Esper is uniquely positioned to tackle these challenges head-on. By extending our device management platform to include Linux device infrastructure, customers will benefit from a seamless and efficient device management experience — one that aligns with our existing capabilities and workflows for managing Android and iOS devices. Our goal is to simplify Linux device management, ensuring our customers have a powerful, reliable, and user-friendly platform at their disposal.

Esper's approach to Linux device management is rooted in our deep understanding of industry-specific needs, modern cloud-based development, and our commitment to providing top-tier support for diverse device ecosystems. Esper solves customer challenges with:

• Mixed OS device fleets capabilities: Enterprise customers choose the best devices for each individual use case, resulting in diverse device fleets. To reduce the IT team burden, Esper provides optimal, streamlined workflows that make it easier to manage Linux devices alongside Android and/or iOS devices within a single pane of glass.
• Advanced script management: Esper offers enhanced script management capabilities, providing maximum control and customization through an intuitive platform. Execute and re-run scripts with ease, avoiding the cumbersome processes often found in other solutions. Perform group-level actions and send scripts to multiple devices at once.
• Remote management: Many Linux devices are headless, which requires secure remote access to configure and manage them efficiently. Esper provides Seamless Provisioning for Linux devices (no touch configuration), making it simple and fast to deploy new devices. It also provides SSH capabilities to securely and remotely access them when they are in the field.
• Effortless scalability: Esper simplifies scaling across your entire device fleet, ensuring consistency and reducing manual efforts. Configure Linux devices with Blueprints, the simplest way to configure, manage, and update devices in real-time and at scale. Define your desired state once and apply it to as many devices as you want, ensuring consistent behavior across your fleet.
• Secure, granular user management control: Esper simplifies user management with an intuitive interface for setting user permissions. Our Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) mechanism ensures compliance, increases flexibility, and reduces security risk exposure by allowing precise control over who can access and manage specific devices.

Want to see our Linux capabilities in action? Watch our demo to see scripted Blueprints, command execution, and secure remote tunneling — all from one platform.

Request Early Access

Customers have expressed the challenges of finding a solution for their mission-critical dedicated devices running Linux alongside their other devices. These challenges include sacrificing essential capabilities, allocating resources to build and maintain custom solutions, and compromising security without dedicated management tools. Esper’s device management platform offers dynamic, user-friendly workflows with powerful capabilities that empower developers and IT teams with maximum control.

If you’re attending the National Restaurant Association Show (NRAS) in Chicago, IL, from May 17-20, and want to see Esper’s Linux solution in action, meet us at booth #9018 to see a demo.

And for those not in attendance, you can request to join Esper’s Linux early access program by submitting your company information here. Esper is limiting the number of early access customers to this program, so be sure to apply soon.