There is an important decision that all fleet managers are faced with when they begin searching for a vendor to provide Apple device management. This is if they want a solution that works through the Apple MDM – Mobile Device Management – and mobile config profiles or a different, third party agent running the devices in the fleet. This is an essential distinction to make, but there aren’t many resources that explain the differences in much detail or that outline the implications for the company’s IT operations.

Apple MDM & Mobileconfig File

MDM is the native protocol provided by Apple for device management. It is half of the Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager, which is Apple’s enterprise management program for schools and companies, with the other being the Volume Purchase Program, which is a system designed to manage to deliver apps and software licensing. This is the only game available right now to manage mobile devices, such as Apple TVs, iPads, iPhones, but just one of the options available for most Macs according to realtimecampaign.com.

How it Works

Apple @ Work: ‘Apple Device Management’ book is the resource all IT managers need to have, getting to know how everything works are also beneficial. Apple MDM works through the Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) along with a mobile configuration profile. This is essentially an XML file that includes several commands that are executed when applied to any Apple device.

While using the Apple MDM can take some time to set up in the beginning, it is worth it. The setup process involves registering with Apple, choosing the MDM server – either a private option or a cloud service – and having users select through a prompt to opt to enroll their device in the management. It is possible to click here for info on this. At this point, Apple periodically sends every device a message using an APNS that tells it to check in with the selecting MDM server.

Every time this is done, the device connects to the server, downloads the mobile configuration files, then execute the commands, deletes the file, and the reports to the server with the results. This is one of the offerings that make tools like Fleetsmith so appealing and beneficial to fleet managers.

When it comes to OS settings and Apple software, the mobile configuration profiles can be helpful and help to make any change needed. There are some features, such as kernel extension whitelisting and remote wipe that Apple only allows through the MDM.

Is There a Downside?

While MDM can do things, such as installing new software versions or setting changes, it can’t determine if the thing needs to be done. This creates quite a bit of manual work for the admins. Knowing the pros and cons is the best way to understand if this is a tool that fleet managers want to implement in their day-to-day operations.

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