I was asked by my kids elementary school Principal to learn about MDM and how to deploy it in the school. It is an independent school and does not work in the public school system. I am wondering what is required to setup and deploy a MDM on iPads in the school? What physical device do I need in the school that is required to run a MDM? Let me know if anyone has any idea.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Before setting up MDM on the school iPads, I recommend you supervise them, in order to have a total control over these devices. For the supervision, the process is fairly straightforward. If the school has purchased the devices from Apple, its authorized reseller or carrier, you can directly add their details in the Apple School Manager.
Apple School Manager is available free of cost. You can add the device details to the school’s Apple School Manager account to ensure that the authority and ownership of the iPads lies with the school. This can be done using the Device Enrollment Program (DEP), which is available within Apple School Manager. You can also set basic restrictions and permissions on the iPad usage with Apple School Manager.
If your school’s devices were purchased from a third-party vendor, you’ll have to manually supervise them one by one, with the help of a Mac and a lightning cable. Don’t worry, it’s a simple process, just slightly cumbersome.
You can also install and run an MDM on the ipad without supervision, but the device restrictions cannot be configured to the T so I would recommend the supervision. After supervision, the process of adding devices to the Apple School Manager is similar as mentioned above.
Now you have to choose an MDM provider and add it to the Apple School Manager account. To run a cloud-based MDM like Scalefusion, any computer- Windows or Mac will do, since a cloud-based MDM is accessible via a web browser. You can then configure app and content settings, usage policies and a bunch of other details.
You can refer to this document. The Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager operate similarly.
What is required to setup and deploy a MDM on iPads in the school?
