iPad Deployment - MDM - Apple Configurator - Help?

[Manny-Tech]

Hi,

 

Hopefully you'll bear with me on this one, I'm looking for advice and / or how you are currently deploying your iPads.

 

We currently have two differing uses of iPads; bays and student one-to-one project. I think the easiest thing to do would be to explain what we're currently doing, then assess what and how we want to improve.

 

Currently, we use the Lightspeed MDM solution. We have VPP codes but now want to move over to the managed distribution so we retain the ownership of the app. At the moment we are using one Apple ID to configure all iPads (though we do buy enough codes to cover the amount of iPads). We have been using Apple Configurator to supervise, install the MDM profile and then Configurator to deploy the Apps (quicker than OTA).

 

The main problem we come up against, more so on the one-to-one iPads where the students have their own Apple ID, is that any updates to the 'base' setup we do, they require the school Apple ID to update those Apps. This isn't ideal. I find the whole process of configuring iPads troublesome and too time consuming, they can't make it too easy like applying Apps to the device rather than an Apple ID, can they? It really isn't fit for purpose.

 

Anyway, I'm hoping someone can point me in the direction of applying Apps to devices as a base build, handing them over to students and then them not being prompted for the school Apple ID. If we're doing it completely wrong, that's fine, we'd just like a few pointers on how the rest of you are bypassing these little niggles.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Manny-Tech

[Brimstone]

As you are using two deployment models here i think it would better to keep those separate , so here's what I would do;

 

The iPads not in one-to-one continue to use Apple Configurator to deploy the apps to via Redeem codes, as these are supervised you will retain ownership of the content. These will have to come back to configurator for app updates as they are tied to the device, not the user.

 

Those iPads in one-to-one where students have their own Apple ID deploy apps using Lightspeed and managed distribution. Those base apps previously bought using redemption codes on these can be reclaimed and converted to licences but the iPads have to come back to configurator to be unsupervised. Once the apps are converted you then link your Lightspeed MDM with your VPP account, invite those users with their own Apple ID into managed distribution and push apps out to them via Lightspeed MDM.

 

If you have hundreds of iPads, i would strongly recommend having the OS X Server app, with caching server so apps, updates and iOS updates are downloaded locally rather than using your broadband for this.

 

Apple (United Kingdom) - OSX Server - Features designed for teamwork.