Jamf Blog
August 4, 2017 by Kerry Fortman

Earning your diploma in Apple management: Part 5

In the conclusion of our five-part series, we look at the mobile device management (MDM) capabilities available with iOS 9.3 and iOS 10.3, and explain how to best leverage them in your education environment.

Part 5: Leveraging MDM capabilities in education

Over the years, Apple has proven its commitment to education by unveiling classroom-altering features like the iPad, iTunes U and a wealth of education-specific apps. With that said, what has Apple been up to lately to help IT maximize learning time for the students and teachers they support?

In our blog series, we’ll examine what Apple is currently offering to help schools get more out of their education technology and explain the role of mobile device management (MDM) in streamlining the entire process.

If you’re new to our five-part series, be sure to catch up on the first four installments and learn about:

For our grand finale, we look at a few of the MDM features that came with iOS 9.3 and iOS 10.3, and examine the basics of MDM.

Configuration profiles
Configuration profiles give you the ability to tell your devices how to behave. Pretty cool, right? If you were in IT prior to MDM, you know the joys of manually configuring your devices. But, in the MDM era, you can automate the process of configuring passcode settings, Wi-Fi passwords and restrictions, and a host of other capabilities.

The great thing is that Apple is not resting on its laurels. With seemingly every release, Apple adds new configuration profiles. Here are a few of the latest and greatest:

MDM for tvOS**

AirPlay Pairing**

Shared iPad*

Apple School Manager*

Management commands
Management commands are specific actions you can apply to individual devices to ensure security of student data. Leverage this capability within MDM to take action on lost or stole devices, send push notifications or update iOS to the latest version.

Not to be outdone by configuration profiles, management commands are constantly being updated and added by Apple as well. For example:

Shutdown Device**

Restart Device**

Lost Mode Sound**

MDM Lost Mode*

*New with iOS 9.3 **New with iOS 10.3

That’s a wrap
Congratulations! If you’ve followed along throughout our series, you’ve successfully earned your degree in Apple management.

If you’d like to learn more about the MDM capabilities available for your education environment, or want to take a deeper dive into any topics we’ve covered throughout this series, give our 5 Apple Trends You Don’t Want to Miss e-book a read.

Get Educated

Kerry Fortman
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