Five programmes every creative team needs

By Ana Perez March 13, 2023

Software can make the difference in your creative output. Creative teams usually put a lot of thought into deciding which app to draw or animate with, but often they don’t pay much attention to other aspects of their work like security or device management. Good software isn’t just a tool for your creatives to do their work, but should also improve productivity and security and make management easier.

In this article, our experts explore our top five picks for software and why we recommend them to all creative teams, no matter your industry or size.

SentinelOne

SentinelOne is cybersecurity software that’s scalable and innovative. SentinelOne identifies threats in real time, which diminishes the possibility of successful attacks. It also uses autonomous technology, meaning its AI can detect and respond to threats more quickly and effectively than it would if it needed manual input, while also removing the possibility of human error. SentinelOne is the only security vendor to achieve 100% on the MITRE ATT&CK Evaluation. MITRE is widely known to deliver a well-balanced view on the performance of security software.

SentinelOne is key part of our security offering due to its strong commitment to the Apple ecosystem, which is unmatched by other providers – and as you know we’re all about macOS, the favourite system of creatives everywhere. SentinelOne can protect your whole estate even if you have a mixed ecosystem of macOS, Windows and/or Linux. Creatives often underestimate how much user information they’re handling, and how vulnerable that makes your team to phishing campaigns and other kinds of attacks.

Pricing: £13.25 per user per month for a team of 10.

Jamf Pro

Jamf is the industry standard when it comes to management solutions for Apple devices. Jamf Pro is specifically designed for businesses and is a must for creative teams of all stripes. It provides zero-touch deployment, which makes management easy across your team, and boosts security with many of is features, like allowing you to lock devices remotely in case of theft or loss and adding extra security to your BYOD schemes. It also integrates with Apple Business Manager to support new features from day one.

When it comes to Apple device management, Jamf is indisputably the leader, and with Jamf Pro you can meet both simple and complex enterprise management requirements. We recommend keeping on top of your device management because as a creative team or marketing agency, you will handle a fair amount of project work. The security features present in Jamf will allow you to provide only partial access to anyone you’re collaborating with to prevent any data leaks. It even allows for zero touch deployment, which is perfect for project workers and new starters alike.

Pricing: £6.52 per user per month for a team of 10.

Extensis Portfolio

This digital asset management tool is specifically aimed at businesses. Extensis Portfolio is a particularly fast management tool for two reasons: the first is that it is entirely cloud-based, so there are no waiting times while files are being transferred to and from storage. The second is that it uses AI algorithms to automate time-consuming workflows. It also provides many shortcut processes, like Auto-tags with smart keywords and tight filters for better searches, which increase productivity.

In our opinion, the strongest quality of Extensis Portfolio for creative teams, however, is its integration capabilities. It’s very straightforward to integrate it with all the other apps you’re already using, like Microsoft 365, Adobe and even Google Docs. The option to configure integrations with pre-built APIs is a really important point – with the right help from your developers, you can integrate Portfolio into any systems, workflows and infrastructures you have in place so your creatives can work seamlessly.

Pricing: £36.67 per user per month for a team of 10.

CoSoSys

CoSoSys provides data loss prevention through device control, encryption, and data scanning. CoSoSys allows you to have complete visibility of data within your organisation, and it offers simplified deployment and pre-defined policies, meaning it’s super quick to set up. There are additional features that let you simplify the management process even further, like the central administration tool.

CoSoSys’ release cycle is Apple-compatible, so it doesn’t face the problems of more Windows-focused security solutions that struggle to keep updated. In fact, another reason why we recommend CoSoSys is the parity it offers between macOS, Windows and Linux so perfect whether your estate is all-Mac or hybrid.

CoSoSys is perfect for preventing data loss when dealing with freelance project workers and outsourced creative agencies, and will provide an additional layer of security when your team is working remotely. This is a particular concern for those working in film editing these days: when even the biggest releases are being leaked before release, it’s worth keeping your project safe. CoSoSys can prevent unauthorised file uploads and even USB drive access to those seeking to make away with your files.

Please enquire to confirm pricing.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Your creative team is probably already using Adobe apps – they’re industry-standard and some of the best creative software out there. But Creative Cloud goes beyond just a collection of apps, especially if you opt for the All Apps plan. It gives you access to all the creative apps your team needs, no matter what type of work your team does, in a cost-effective bundle. This opens doors that your team might not have considered before, whether that means training to unlock new skills or diversify your content output.

That’s not the only reason why we recommend switching to Creative Cloud, however: All Apps comes with advanced technical support, integration capabilities, access to Creative Cloud Libraries, the latest updates, additional storage, and a centralised web-based Admin Console, which greatly simplifies and streamlines licence management.

Pricing: £68 per user per month for a team of 10.

Looking to deploy software in your team? We can help. Call 03332 409 321, email solutions@Jigsaw24.com or pop your details in the form below and one of your agents will get in touch with you as soon as possible.