Looking For Apple MDM Solution Recommendation

[Fazza]

On of our schools has 60 iPads that are not currently managed so I'm looking for recommendations of an easy to use MDM solution for them - if you use an MDM solution for your iPads and like how it works, please can you recommend it to me?

 

Do you also use some sort of portal from the same MDM solution provider to easily enable your pupils/students to access network resources like printers and network shares for saving work etc. then please recommend that too?

 

I'm looking to make sure that the school can easily and effectively make full use of these iPads as they are already used a fair bit but with the right MDM and portal type solution I think they could be used even more.

 

Thanks.

[Joanne]

I use Meraki for app deployment and tracking. Never tried to do printing or access to network shares from it though, I use dropbox and PS Mobile for that you see.

[m25man]

If you find Bigfoot whilst looking let us know...

[Fazza]

If I find Bigfoot or the Lockness Monster then I'll let you know...

 

I guess what I'm looking for is for a couple of companies that can provide this kind of solution to come and chat with us as the school involved to discuss their requirements and then to see if/how they can help provide this. I can remember seeing loads of companies at the Bett show I went to a couple of years ago but as it wasnt something I was looking in to at the time, I didnt make a note of any of the companies.

[m25man]

Nothing's changed really in years yes there is an assortment of ad hoc solutions that do much of what people here want to do but seamless it isn't and never will be.

Bottom line it isn't the business model Apple want.

One user per device that's what makes shareholders money not sharing a device or a 99p app!

This stuff is either going to cost a shed load of money or a huge slice of your time, either way will it bring you a ROI?

Highly unlikely but who cares its tax payers money anyway!

[Joanne]

Oh in terms of companies KRCS and Jigsaw do apple solutions like setting up MDM and whatnot.

[Fazza]

Thanks! I'll see what other people say and then collate a list and take it from there.

[Quackers]

Lightspeed is good. Its around £4 per device per year. Cloud based.

[Stevecee]

Hi

 

We use Meraki at the moment as it's free, however there is no support. We have been looking at Lightspeed and Caspar Suite recently who are both priced similarly at just under £5 per year. Casper needs an onsite box at the moment in this country and has a one-off setup of £1750.

 

WE have Foldr to access our network and we use Papercut for printing (this is a big issue for us at the moment as to get the iPads to take Proxy server exception is through using a PAc fils and this seems as clear as mud). we going to host our own Smoothwall on-site (rather than county), and this should allow the setting up of transparent proxies!

 

HTH

 

Steve

Edited June 3, 2015 by Stevecee

[m25man]

Hi

 

We use Meraki at the moment as it's free, however there is no support. We have been looking at Lightspeed and Caspar Suite recently who are both priced similarly at just under £5 per year. Casper needs an onsite box at the moment in this country and has a one-off setup of £1750.

 

WE have Foldr to access our network and we use Papercut for printing (this is a big issue for us at the moment as to get the iPads to take Proxy server exception is through using a PAc fils and this seems as clear as mud). we going to host our own Smoothwall on-site (rather than county), and this should allow the setting up of transparent proxies!

 

HTH

 

Steve

 

There you go, rest my case. Six different technologies to achieve what is really needed to just get close to using iPad's in the classroom!

 

And of course as a tech you don't know what your talking about, or you are just hindering the schools IT advancement in the eyes of those that know better than you.

 

Ask any tech that is managing iPads in any numbers at their school if their lives are any less stressful, enriched or rewarding after jumping through so many hoops just to make them work like Windows PC's!

Every day I find more of them either lying around dead, gone missing, broken.

 

And then there's that annoying constant question.... Can you install Sims on my iPad?

 

A few staff have them nicely protected, wrapped up in a nice shiny Armoured case that will eventually cause RSI and a claim for work related injury, with email and a few apps installed ready to go then just give up when half the lesson has gone and they still cant get it connected to the Apple TV ;D

 

I've had 4 so far, love em, go nearly everywhere with one in my hand, but manage a fleet of them!

No chance... life's too short and Ive got better things to do with my life.

[Joanne]

I've got 48 and I've barely had to touch them after setting up apart from taking photos off them.

 

They get used every day and the staff can just use them.

 

You seem very bitter about schools having iPads... dude... chillax!

[Fazza]

There you go, rest my case. Six different technologies to achieve what is really needed to just get close to using iPad's in the classroom!

 

And of course as a tech you don't know what your talking about, or you are just hindering the schools IT advancement in the eyes of those that know better than you.

 

Ask any tech that is managing iPads in any numbers at their school if their lives are any less stressful, enriched or rewarding after jumping through so many hoops just to make them work like Windows PC's!

Every day I find more of them either lying around dead, gone missing, broken.

 

And then there's that annoying constant question.... Can you install Sims on my iPad?

 

A few staff have them nicely protected, wrapped up in a nice shiny Armoured case that will eventually cause RSI and a claim for work related injury, with email and a few apps installed ready to go then just give up when half the lesson has gone and they still cant get it connected to the Apple TV ;D

 

I've had 4 so far, love em, go nearly everywhere with one in my hand, but manage a fleet of them!

No chance... life's too short and Ive got better things to do with my life.

 

So what MDM solution do you use then?

[Stevecee]

There you go, rest my case. .

 

Sorry I was trying to answer the question about MDMs I have just finished doing quite a bit of research on MDMs, The free version of Meraki come with no support and is a enterprise solution. Lightspeed and Casper are built for education and have many more features that would help me in an educational environment.

 

We have just moved into our new school (from 2 different sites), and I'm having a little bit of trouble getting our pac file right so we can see our internal print and Foldr servers. We are looking to host our Smoothwall locally as I am looking to use the Global Proxy settings on the iPads so we are filtering internet use off site.

 

We have over 400 devices on site and really we do not experience many issues, and wouldn't look to change!

 

Steve

[Iain.Faulkner]

Can't offer more on the MDM solution (we currently use Meraki, but with the incoming charges for over 100 devices I think we're going to have to switch if all goes to plan this summer), however, I can seriously recommend GBM digital based in Manchester. Ant Darlow is our contact and he really can't do enough for you. Truly brilliant no matter how big or small your request.

[m25man]

Crystal ball time...

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/netbooks-pda-phones/131120-windows-intune-mdm-ipad-management.html#post1121034

 

It was always inevitable.

 

We are currently using Meraki but with over 150 new iPhones arriving soon we need to expand our MDM solution and Meraki is going to cost us a tidy sum but in comparison to others its not prohibitive.

Im also looking at Blackberrys MDM as we have a BES server that is now redundant and the new stuff does Droid and IOS too and is very cheap per device.

[biz]

Crystal ball time...

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/netbooks-pda-phones/131120-windows-intune-mdm-ipad-management.html#post1121034

 

It was always inevitable.

 

We are currently using Meraki but with over 150 new iPhones arriving soon we need to expand our MDM solution and Meraki is going to cost us a tidy sum but in comparison to others its not prohibitive.

Im also looking at Blackberrys MDM as we have a BES server that is now redundant and the new stuff does Droid and IOS too and is very cheap per device.

 

Meraki will be free as long as you signed up before 24 March 14, if you didn't then I'd shop around.