This post is an update to my previous deep dive on macOS Platform SSO during ADE using traditional password authentication. This time, the focus shifts to Secure Enclave-backed authentication and what it means for the future of passwordless Mac onboarding. Turns out passwords may not have been humanity’s greatest invention after all.
Apple continues pushing enterprise identity away from traditional passwords and toward hardware-backed authentication. With macOS Platform SSO evolving inside Automated Device Enrollment (ADE), Secure Enclave authentication is becoming one of the most important shifts in the modern Mac onboarding experience.
And unlike most “next generation authentication” marketing buzzwords vendors throw around like confetti at a tech conference nobody wanted to attend, this one actually changes how authentication works at the device level.
Traditional Platform SSO Authentication
Until now, Platform SSO has primarily centered around passwords.
During Setup Assistant, the user:
- authenticates with the identity provider,
- enters corporate credentials,
- creates or syncs a local account,
- and establishes ongoing authentication using a password-backed identity.
Even though the identity source is cloud-based, the workflow still depends heavily on shared secrets and password synchronization between the identity provider and the local macOS account.
It works well, but it still carries many of the same challenges enterprise IT has dealt with for years:
- password drift,
- password resets,
- credential caching,
- phishing exposure,
- and local account synchronization issues.
Because apparently humanity decided the best way to secure global enterprise infrastructure was “please remember this complex phrase and don’t write it on a sticky note.” Stunning strategy.
How Secure Enclave Changes Platform SSO
Secure Enclave authentication fundamentally changes this model.
Instead of relying primarily on passwords, authentication becomes hardware-backed and cryptographic. The Secure Enclave stores protected authentication material directly on the Mac and isolates it from the operating system itself.
During Setup Assistant with Platform SSO:
- The user authenticates with the identity provider
- A hardware-bound credential is established
- The Secure Enclave securely stores the credential material
- Touch ID validates user presence
- Authentication requests are cryptographically signed by the device
The important distinction is that Touch ID is not the identity itself. Touch ID simply unlocks access to the hardware-backed credential stored inside the Secure Enclave. The credential never leaves the hardware.
Where Workspace ONE Fits Today
Currently, when deploying macOS Platform SSO with Microsoft Entra ID in a Workspace ONE UEM environment, the Microsoft Intune Company Portal application is still required. Not for device management and not for enrollment, but because Company Portal currently acts as the authentication broker for Platform SSO with Entra ID. That distinction is important and also slightly absurd from an architectural perspective. Organizations running fully on Workspace ONE still need a Microsoft application installed solely to broker the authentication relationship for Platform SSO. Enterprise identity architecture remains a fascinating collection of “temporarily permanent” compromises.
What Changes Next
The bigger shift coming is the ability for Omnissa Access to act as the Platform SSO broker directly.
Once available, organizations will be able to:
- use Workspace ONE UEM for device management,
- use Omnissa Access as the broker,
- authenticate against Microsoft Entra ID,
- and leverage Secure Enclave-backed Platform SSO authentication during ADE.
This removes the dependency on Company Portal while allowing the authentication flow to remain fully integrated with Entra ID.
More importantly, it creates a far cleaner identity architecture:
- Workspace ONE manages the device
- Omnissa Access brokers the identity flow
- Entra ID remains the authentication source
- Secure Enclave protects the credential material
That is a much more cohesive enterprise story than “install another vendor’s app because modern identity systems are apparently powered by contractual hostage situations.”
Why This Matters
This is larger than simply “using Touch ID to log in.” Apple is slowly turning the Mac into an active cryptographic participant in enterprise identity rather than just another endpoint consuming passwords.
Secure Enclave-backed Platform SSO during ADE represents the beginning of a passwordless onboarding experience where:
- device trust,
- user identity,
- biometrics,
- and hardware-backed authentication
All become part of the enrollment process from the very first login. And honestly, that future cannot come fast enough. Passwords have survived far longer than they deserved.
Without further ado, here is the walkthrough video covering macOS Platform SSO using Secure Enclave authentication during Automated Device Enrollment.