Managing data collection agents has long been a game of herding cats with a hangover for IT and Security teams. Linux hosts need one tool like Beats, Windows servers might simply use Windows Events Logs Forwarding, Kubernetes nodes with Fluent Bit, and Macs—if you’re even collecting from them—may use Universal Forwarder. The result? A patchwork of agents, ballooning complexity, wasted hours, and the kind of headaches that no amount of coffee can fix.
That’s why we built Cribl Edge to be highly flexible: a single agent for unified collection of security and observability data across Linux, Windows, Kubernetes, and now—macOS.
Why Unified Data Collection Matters
A single, centrally managed agent for unified collection delivers major operational and security benefits:
Optimize resources: Remove duplicate data collection and reduce local resource consumption.
Give Control Back to Your Team: Make changes without waiting for endpoint access to reduce MTTR, and eliminate the need for a separate SME for every agent.
Reduce Risk: Upgrade quickly to stay secure with minimal downtime, and streamline monitoring and troubleshooting by removing redundant infrastructure.
Simplify Operations: Reduce complexity, avoid configuration errors, and decrease management overhead. Aka way fewer “what broke this time?” moments.
Why macOS Support Matters
With Apple now representing over 63% of enterprise endpoints, organizations rely heavily on Macs across engineering, design, executive, and developer teams—and studies show their use continues to grow. At the same time, Linux and Windows servers are multiplying too (thanks, AI workloads). Historically, most organizations often had to juggle separate agents for each platform. Cribl Edge changes that, and now can provide the same seamless data collection experience for macOS that was already supported for Linux, Windows, and Kubernetes.
In a hybrid, globally distributed workforce, every endpoint matters. Teams must have visibility into what’s happening on Mac devices—not just for compliance, but for faster troubleshooting, monitoring performance, and keeping environments secure. With Cribl Edge now supporting macOS, you can:
Eliminate the hassle of juggling different agents for different platforms.
Reduce operational overhead with one centrally managed agent.
Gain unified visibility for stronger security and better performance monitoring.
Getting Started
Already running Cribl Edge on your Windows Servers or Linux hosts? Perfect. You already know the drill, as the experience is the same for Macs. Just download the macOS software which is delivered as a universal binary that supports both Apple silicon and Intel x86 processors, and packaged in a signed .pkg installer for secure and straightforward deployment.
Simply add your Macs to the fleet and manage them centrally from your Cribl Leader—no extra hoops required. You can upgrade macOS nodes right from the Cribl UI (or via manual steps if that’s your jam). And when it’s time to track down a specific node during a troubleshooting fire drill (oof), you can easily filter by macOS to pinpoint it fast.
And don’t worry about mobility: if a Mac goes offline, restarts, or takes a well-earned nap in sleep mode, Cribl Edge will automatically reconnect when the device wakes up.
In this preview release, there is support for file monitor (manual mode), diags, installation and upgrades. Upcoming releases will expand capabilities further with support for Mac Unified Logs, System State, and System Metrics. Cribl Edge currently supports macOS Tahoe, Sequoia, and Sonoma.
Whether your users are coding in VS Code, crunching numbers in spreadsheets, or designing in Photoshop, if they’re on a Mac you’ll be able to collect their data reliably.
Flexibility for Today and Tomorrow
In today’s hybrid world, data is everywhere—and your ability to collect it shouldn’t be limited by the operating system or the logo stamped on the device. With Cribl Edge, enterprises can finally unify their endpoint data collection strategy across every key platform.
Unified data collection at last. It’s about time!
Ready to see it in action? Try Cribl Edge for macOS today. And as always, we’d love your feedback on this preview feature in the #edge channel on the Cribl Community Slack.
