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Good afternoon.

I have a client that reached out to me stating they have 21 iPads that they are going to be handing out to their administrative staff in the coming weeks. They want these to be centrally managed. I’ve not dealt with MDM software setups before and wanted to reach out to the experts here for advice.

This client has already purchased Apple Business Manager through the Apple Care program offered to them. I was unsure as to whether Apple Business Manager IS the MDM, or is it something separate that still requires an MDM server? If so, does Apple have their own hosted MDM server or would they have to purchase software like inTune for example?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Bradley

8 Spice ups
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Apple HAD an MDM service built into their MacOS Server software, but that died last year. I used it, integrated with AD user accounts, it was nothing more than just OK.

The replacement is accessible via Apple Business Manager, OR you can subscribe to one of the numerous 3rd party MDM services compatible with iOS and iPadOS devices (MacOS too, for that matter).

For so few devices, it’s likely easiest to buy what Apple has on offer. The splash screen says plans start at $3/month/user (!!) and have iCloud storage included. I dunno if they want to get into the authentication and certificate sharing required for a 3rd party, it’s easy enough if you do things like that regularly, but a bit convoluted for a once-a-year kind of thing.

We use Kandji for 500 devices, about $4/dev/month. Their “3rd gen MDM” vibe is great, super good support, they recently added a spectacularly great “find device” feature, etc. BUT - I have two techs managing that and the devices, along with everything else they do. Again, for so few devices, pushing the easy button with Apple’s service seems very attractive.

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Apple Business Manager (ABM) is a free service that enables Automated Device Enrollment (ADE). The sole purpose of ABM is to facilitate the link between devices and MDM so that they automatically enroll they go through first-time setup or after being erased.

Apple does now offer a first-party MDM named Apple Business Essentials (ABE). Essentials is built on top of Manager, and if you purchase Essentials you’ll do the functions of Manager and Essentials in the same place. But in general, do not confuse Apple Business Manager and Apple Business Essentials. (The vast majority of MacAdmins use Manager but not Essentials.)

Essentials might be an option for you, take a look at the features and decide if they are useful. Then take a hard look at https://business.mosyle.com . It is a good MDM, free for up to 30 devices and then only $1 per month per device past that.

Also join the free MacAdmins Slack where there are dedicated channels for all the popular MDMs plus a ton of other topics on managing Apple devices: https://www.macadmins.org

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Sounds like you’ve got the right idea. I’ve only used a few different MDM platforms. I’m using Mosyle now and it seems reliable.

Try to find out all of the devices that need supported; some MDMs do just Apple only. If the client also has (or wants to add in the future) Android or PCs that would be a factor.

Do they want fine grain controls? Something basic to keep unwanted apps from being installed? Or just geofencing to prevent theft?

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You will need a MDM service to manage the iPads. JamF, Manage Engine are a couple that come to mind and are very good with full management of IOS devices. Both will need to be linked to ASM/ABM and create APC to sync services.

Cheers,

CC

Ps if you go with Managengine they have a free licensing up to 25 devices that is full function/ feature. :wink:

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Yep, Apple Business Manager just enables enrollment. Ideally your vendor should be in this as well so devices are enrolled before shipping.

We then use Microsoft Intune as it cover non Apple devices as well.

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We use Jamf and Mosyle. I like Jamf better but it is more expensive.

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you can use ABM by itself and it will work to manage apple devices, you will however get a lot more functionality pairing with an ADM, apple does have their own MDM built into the ABM interface called apple business essentials, that would be great for 21 devices - along with another MDM called jamf now, but if your looking to expand in future - look into other MDMs like jamf pro, mostyle, kandji etc

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This sentence is completely wrong. You cannot manage Apple devices using Apple Business Manger by itself.

See my post higher in this thread from a few months ago: MDM Server for Apple Devices?

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Jumping in late here, but leaving this for anyone else exploring options.

Scalefusion supports iPad management with full integration into Apple Business Manager, including ADE, app distribution, compliance policies, and Shared iPad support. It’s designed to be simple to set up and works well even for small teams managing a limited number of devices.

If anyone’s evaluating options beyond Apple Business Essentials or looking for something flexible, we’re happy to help with a demo or answer questions.