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InfoQ Homepage News Apple Improves iOS Devices Deployment and Management for Enterprise and Education

Apple Improves iOS Devices Deployment and Management for Enterprise and Education

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Apple has recently announced some changes to its Device Enrollment and Volume Purchase Programs aiming at improving large-scale deployment of iOS devices to enterprise and education customers interested in deploying company-owned iOS devices or instituting a "bring your own device" (BYOD) policy.

To account for all the changes, Apple has issued a new iOS deployment technical reference guide and Device Enrollment Program guide.

According to Matthew Panzarino reporting for TechCrunch, one of the main improvements in the new Device Enrolment Program is support for hands-free configuration of deployed devices. The Device Enrollment Program allows to "claim" those devices and assign them to users via the Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution used by the customer. According to Apple, it is possible to automate MDM enrollment for every device and immediately configure account settings, apps, and access to IT services over the air, without need for physical access to each device to complete the setup.

Another important aspect of the program, according to Fraser Speirs, Head of Computing and IT at Cedars School of Excellence in Scotland, is that devices can be automatically enrolled in MDMs and that the enrollment can be locked, so that users cannot circumvent it.

The new Device Enrollment Program is exclusively available for devices bought directly through Apple. This is related, says Speirs, to the philosophical decision that admins should not be able to "capture" devices that they don't own. Furthermore, it is only available in the US, where Apple operates a direct sales model. For all other devices and/or countries, it remains possible to configure a device through Apple Configurator, which requires connecting the devices through USB before they are provided to users.

Apple has also overhauled its Volume Purchase Program, which allows organisations to bulk buy applications that can be installed on multiple devices at once. Furthermore, VPP purchases can be made via purchase orders by enterprise customers, offering thus a new channel for institutions to acquire software directly from Apple.

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Community comments

  • Managing BYOD

    by Adam Greenblum,

    Your message is awaiting moderation. Thank you for participating in the discussion.

    BYOD will continue growing as mobile devices continue to play a greater role in our lives. That's why major IT players like Apple are offering solutions to address such BYOD challenges as security and device management.

    Does BYOD come with headaches? Of course it does. However, security issues and IT management headaches (how do I support all those devices?) can be addressed by using new HTML5 technologies that enable users to connect to applications and systems without requiring IT staff to install anything on user devices. For example, Ericom AccessNow is an HTML5 RDP client that enables remote users to securely connect from iPads, iPhones and Android devices to any RDP host, including Terminal Server and VDI virtual desktops, and run their applications and desktops in a browser. This enhances security by keeping applications and data separate from personal devices.

    Since AccessNow doesn't require any software installation on the end user device – just an HTML5 browser, network connection, URL address and login details - IT staff end up with less support hassles. The volunteer or temporary employee that brings in their own device merely opens their HTML5-compatible browser and connects to the URL given them by the IT admin.

    Visit www.ericom.com/BYOD_Workplace.asp?URL_ID=708 for more info.

    Please note that I work for Ericom

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