Meraki MDM (Systems Manager) / Apple Configurator 2 / VPP Managed Distribution

[MattPanton]

Hi,

 

We've gotten ourselves into a bit of a pickle.

 

Meraki MDM (The free one) is being used with the VPP token to deploy apps to staff iPads who login with their own Apple IDs

 

Apple Configurator 2 comes along we start to use it to configure student/trolley iPads, we begin the testing of deploying iPads, we get all the way through to deploying apps and decide we don't want to revoke the VPP token from Meraki and think its best to enrol student devices into the MDM and use it to deploy apps using the new Managed Distribution method where you purchase an app on the VPP store and then it appears in the MDM, this works fine except that you need the paid for Meraki to deploy apps in this way. The free version only allows you to deploy apps to an Apple ID based device.

 

So my question after explaining all that is, what happens when you revoke the VPP token from Meraki MDM and put it into configurator ? Will all the apps we've deployed to staff via redemption codes be uninstalled and lost ? Or as I read Apples licensing model, the app is forever tied to the Apple ID and can't be moved to another, and when we stop using Meraki, the apps will remain installed and everyone is happy ?

 

Diving in head first into a storm here...

 

Thanks

[Brimstone]

So the apps you have deployed via a redemption codes (not managed distribution) to the teachers now belong to them and can not be revoked anyway.

 

Just be clear here you've not used managed distribution as you would have downloaded a token from VPP and pasted this into your MDM to use managed distribution licences....?

 

How many iPads to you have, more then 100?

[MattPanton]

Hi Brimstone,

 

Thanks for replying, there is a VPP token in Meraki at the moment, was put there before we migrated our redemption codes to Managed Dist. And now when we buy a free app in VPP store online it automatically appears in Meraki.

 

We appreciate we've lost the codes given to staff with their own Apple IDs

 

We have about 150 hence we're still on the old Meraki licensing model and can't upgrade (without cost) to the latest Meraki which would enable us utilise the per device distribution of apps.

 

A catch 22 if there ever was one.

 

M

[Brimstone]

Hi Brimstone,

 

Thanks for replying, there is a VPP token in Meraki at the moment, was put there before we migrated our redemption codes to Managed Dist. And now when we buy a free app in VPP store online it automatically appears in Meraki.

 

We appreciate we've lost the codes given to staff with their own Apple IDs

 

We have about 150 hence we're still on the old Meraki licensing model and can't upgrade (without cost) to the latest Meraki which would enable us utilise the per device distribution of apps.

 

A catch 22 if there ever was one.

 

M

 

Hi,

 

In that case yes you can remove the VPP managed distribution token in your VPP portal, however you will now have to buy apps for the teachers and email the codes to them.

 

My first suggestion would be to buy into a decent MDM solution if you have that many iPads, support for Apple's Classroom App, Shared iPad, Managed Apple ID on it's way. If you aren't on a tight deadline to redeploy them then being to create an Education Apple ID for the iPads via Apple School Manager might get you out of this hole which is die to arrive on the next few weeks

 

If you need to get this done quickly then I'd still enrol the iPads into Meraki when you use AC2 to manage them and then buy managed dis licences via AC2. So you are using AC2 for apps and Meraki for management.

[Eudora931]

Hi, doing something similar, with an inherited system. But moving from meraki to Lightspeed and using Apple configurator .

So would appreciate and info on this. Here's what I think needs to happen : revoke VPP from Meraki, install into Lightspeed.

But don't understand how the apps will transfer. New to ac and want to push apps out from Lightspeed to avoid having iPads in every time apps are added. We have 300 iPads .. Any advice appreciated.

[MattPanton]

In that case yes you can remove the VPP managed distribution token in your VPP portal, however you will now have to buy apps for the teachers and email the codes to them.

 

What about the apps where we've imported the redemption codes into Meraki and then distributed to staff?? Will they get lost when we remove the VPP token from MDM?

[Brimstone]

Hi, doing something similar, with an inherited system. But moving from meraki to Lightspeed and using Apple configurator .

So would appreciate and info on this. Here's what I think needs to happen : revoke VPP from Meraki, install into Lightspeed.

But don't understand how the apps will transfer. New to ac and want to push apps out from Lightspeed to avoid having iPads in every time apps are added. We have 300 iPads .. Any advice appreciated.

 

I'd not use AC2 at all unless you need to lock a profile and don't have the iPads enroled into DEP. You can buy credit for your VPP account from most Apple Education Solution Experts.

 

In order to move the apps over from Meraki to Lightspeed, this is the process...

 

Revoke Managed Distribution apps (if you have used redeem codes that have been installed via an Apple ID then these are gone)

Remove Token from Meraki

Paste NEW token from VPP into Lightspeed.

Assign apps either to users or devices (you will need to invite users into Managed Distribution again, beforehand)

[Brimstone]

What about the apps where we've imported the redemption codes into Meraki and then distributed to staff?? Will they get lost when we remove the VPP token from MDM?

 

No as those apps now belong to the Apple ID not your institution.

[Eudora931]

I'd not use AC2 at all unless you need to lock a profile and don't have the iPads enroled into DEP. You can buy credit for your VPP account from most Apple Education Solution Experts.

 

In order to move the apps over from Meraki to Lightspeed, this is the process...

 

Revoke Managed Distribution apps (if you have used redeem codes that have been installed via an Apple ID then these are gone)

Remove Token from Meraki

Paste NEW token from VPP into Lightspeed.

Assign apps either to users or devices (you will need to invite users into Managed Distribution again, beforehand)

 

That's great- thank you! I've kinda done step 1 and 2 the other way round - IE downloaded and installed new VPP token into Lightspeed, but only because the one on Meraki has now expired so needed renewing anyway.

 

So, with playing around , have discovered that any pre installed apps on iPads do appear but they remain unmanaged.

So, following on from your advice, my plan now is to revoke the licence from every app.

Wipe all the iPads,

Enroll onto Lightspeed and then re assign the apps

 

The anomaly with the original set up is that every app is licensed to just one user and that user then buts however many x licences we need to deploy. So wasn't sure if I would lose stuff by revoking or doing something in the wrong order. But I think now this will work ?

 

and at least I will know exactly where and how many licences have been used etc...

Thanks again