Jamf Blog
March 12, 2019 by Sam Weiss

Education use cases for the new Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset apps

From streamlining iPad cart checkout to improving new student orientation, see how these apps are changing the way schools leverage their education technology.

An iPad for every student, for every administrative task, for every role. This is an admirable goal because iPads and the app ecosystem have revolutionized the way we do most jobs. For many reasons, it may not always be feasible to have a personalized device dedicated to each user. In education, it is fairly common to have carts of devices that serve multiple groups. As IT admins, we need to consider the user experience. How do you ensure that any user can grab any device and have a productive, tailored experience?

iPad management has evolved to the point where this is now possible and there are several ways to provide effective shared-device workflows. Apple has native tools to offer a personalized shared-device experience, and Jamf has tools to offer a customized device experience. There are important differences between these two models — let’s explore in more detail.

Personalized Shared iPad

Apple unveiled Shared iPad in 2016. Schools can offer a personalized environment and allow a single device to serve multiple students. Students can sign into a device with their Managed Apple IDs and have their own personalized environment. iCloud syncs the user’s settings and content so students can quickly pick up where they left off on any device. There are some hardware requirements to make this work, but it is the best way to offer that personalized device experience for students. You can watch my Shared iPad webinar for more information.

Apple’s Shared iPad is an amazing solution, however there are certain scenarios where it may not be viable. We may be talking about staff or substitute teachers that do not have Managed Apple IDs. We may be dealing with hardware that does not meet minimum requirements for Shared iPad. We may be looking to delegate the setup of these shared devices to those without access to Jamf Pro. For these scenarios and more, we created Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset to provide a customized device experience.

Customized shared iPad

Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset enable end users to choose their device configuration and wirelessly receive the apps and settings needed for their chosen role or task. This workflow enables you to get the most out of your iPad by making on-the-fly provisioning easy enough for anyone, and offering secure device wipes between users if required. Unlike Apple’s Shared iPad, this is not tied to any particular identity. Supporting any iPad with iOS 9.3.5 or later, Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset enable shared iPad in more scenarios than ever before.

Education use cases

There are a ton of great use cases for Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset that we have heard from our customers. Let’s take a look at three unique examples.

1) iPad cart checkout

For iPads that are the responsibility of librarians or media specialists, Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset provide a wonderful, safe workflow that brings power and choice to any user group. Typically, a teacher or extra-curricular group will coordinate the use of the iPad cart with a media center. These devices need to be set up with the apps and settings for each user group, and then wiped so the Camera roll, Safari data, and any app data is not seen by the next user.

This scenario could be used in a Language Arts class, Science class, robotics club or after school program. Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset enable a three tap workflow to ensure the apps and settings on a particular device are perfectly suited for that task.

And when the devices get checked back in, it’s only three more simple taps to ensure a secure device wipe for the next user.

2) New student orientation

As more and more colleges provide an iPad to incoming freshmen, it can be nice to give a taste of this personalized learning experience during campus tours or orientation. In addition, we know that iPads are used by admissions, housing and finance departments at universities. Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset can provide customized content and settings (including device backgrounds) to provide the essential resources for that user. There may be different expectations for a prospective student as well as their guardian. Jamf Setup allows the user to self-identify their role, and instantaneously provision their device.

To add a further layer of security, certain selections may leave Jamf Reset as the only next step.

For example, if finance or admissions is selected, Jamf Setup is removed from the iPad, forcing the user to securely wipe the device after their use of it. This ensures that Safari content and other applications do not retain any trace of the previous user’s data. The customization of Jamf Reset allows strong end-user messaging to increase trust in the way data is handled.

3) Initial provisioning tool

At Jamf, we believe strongly in the power of zero-touch IT setup. Jamf Pro and Apple native tools allow you to deliver shrink-wrapped devices to end users and allow them to complete the enrollment process on their own. That being said, some organizations still feel strongly about providing white-glove deployment services. This means devices are delivered to users after going through the Setup Assistant. They are essentially set up and ready to be used.

Even in these cases, Jamf Setup offers unique value and interesting workflows. In these scenarios, we see iPads get delivered to a central IT office, and then prepped for transfer to a specific school on an on-demand or as-needed basis.

Jamf Setup can empower these admins by being a simple method to sort and categorize these devices to ensure that they have the correct settings or apps, and are organized within Jamf Pro before being delivered to these schools. Instead of confusing and tedious enrollment credentials, Jamf Setup provides a very visual provisioning experience that drastically reduces the amount of taps to properly set up a device.

Customization and flexibility

Everything about the look and feel of the Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset apps is customizable. From the array of options, the text, background color, success messages and more, Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset can feel like a part of your environment without requiring you to compile an app or receive a custom copy of the app from Jamf.

Managed AppConfig is a small XML file of keys and strings that define everything about the behavior of these apps.

The two iPhones above are running the same App Store version of Jamf Setup, but they have drastically different app configurations.

To see these use cases in action and gain a better understanding of implementing them at your school, watch this.

The possibilities are endless

Everything about these apps are about providing you and your end users with power and flexibility, with customization and unique workflows for your environment. These apps were released at JNUC 2018, and customers are still uncovering new and exciting scenarios where these apps fill an important role. We are excited to hear about your implementations; please share them on Jamf Nation to inspire others to the possibilities of customized shared-device workflows.

Jamf Setup and Jamf Reset are available to all Jamf Pro customers. Not already a customer? Get started today by requesting a free trial of Jamf Pro — the gold standard in Apple device management.

Photo of Sam Weiss
Sam Weiss
Jamf
Alliance Partner Manager.
Subscribe to the Jamf Blog

Have market trends, Apple updates and Jamf news delivered directly to your inbox.

To learn more about how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store your information, please visit our Privacy Policy.