Hexnode expands Linux patching & login controls in ANZ

Hexnode has expanded its Linux support in Australia and New Zealand, adding patch management in Hexnode UEM and cloud identity-based device login in Hexnode Access. The move is aimed at organisations managing devices across multiple operating systems.

The update brings Linux patching for Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian and Fedora into Hexnode's central management console. It also adds Linux to the list of platforms supported by Hexnode Access, which lets employees sign in to devices with existing work credentials and automates local account setup.

For IT teams running mixed fleets, Linux can require separate workflows for updates and user account administration. The latest changes are designed to bring Linux devices under the same management and identity controls already used elsewhere in an organisation.

A survey cited by Hexnode found that 57% of technology decision-makers in Australia and New Zealand identified manual effort as a source of friction slowing outcomes. The company used that finding to frame its case for reducing the number of tools and processes needed to manage Linux devices.

Patch controls

The Linux patch management feature lets administrators schedule updates, set approval rules, and restrict installations or reboots to maintenance windows. IT teams can also roll out patches in stages across groups of devices, allowing them to test for issues before extending updates more widely.

Administrators can automate updates based on criteria such as severity or release date, or choose specific patches for targeted deployment. The platform also provides central visibility into missing updates and deployment results across managed Linux endpoints.

Patch management supports Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and later, Linux Mint 21 and later, Debian 10 and later, and Fedora 36 and later. The announcement also referred to patching controls for Macs, including N-1 patching and regular expression rules for selecting specific update versions, though those features remain separate from the Linux rollout.

The staged deployment model reflects a common enterprise endpoint management approach, with IT teams pushing updates first to smaller groups before expanding them across a wider fleet. The process is often used to reduce the risk of compatibility problems affecting large numbers of devices at once.

Identity access

On the access side, Hexnode Access now supports Linux device login on Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat and Linux Mint. Users are given a "Login with work account" option that links device access to cloud identity systems already used by their employer.

The supported identity providers listed in the announcement are Google Workspace, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, OneLogin and Hexnode IdP. Once a user is authenticated, the system can create or link a local account on the device.

This is intended to reduce the need for separate device passwords and manual account provisioning. It also gives administrators a way to set limits on offline access, defining how long a linked user can continue to access a desktop before they must authenticate again.

An offline fallback option is included for periods when connectivity is interrupted, subject to the access limits configured by administrators. That means organisations can tie Linux login to cloud identity systems without removing local access entirely when a connection is unavailable.

Sahad M, Chief Technology Officer at Hexnode, said the expansion is intended to bring Linux into the same governance model as other operating systems used by large organisations.

"Organisations should be able to choose the operating systems their workloads demand while maintaining consistent standards of control," Sahad said. "That means deciding which software changes reach which devices, controlling how those changes are introduced, and connecting device access to identities the organization already manages. This expansion brings Linux further into that operating model."

The changes reflect a broader push by device management suppliers to cover more operating systems from a single administrative layer. As Linux use grows in some corporate environments, particularly for specialist workloads and developer systems, IT departments have faced pressure to apply the same update and access policies they use for Windows and macOS devices.

Hexnode is the enterprise software division of Mitsogo. The latest Linux additions are intended to help organisations in Australia and New Zealand reduce the operational burden of supporting mixed-platform environments while keeping software updates and employee sign-in under defined administrative controls.