[ipad] Meraki MDM - Pushing bank of files

[Planehazza]

A teacher needs to be able to add a bunch of photos/image files to multiple devices because, at present, we block use of Safari on the shared devices (we're not using Apple IDs at all yet or SSO etc.). She's asked if we can install iTunes so she can sync photos but I've explained why that's not the best idea.

 

So, I thought about having a repository somewhere they can link to? Or perhaps pushing them using backpack? The problem with the latter is that you'd need to define a backpack policy for each file, and these are going to be changing regularly.

 

How have you tackled similar requests?

[Dan2025]

The strategy my old school used was having an FTP manager app on the iPads that initially was just for taking stuff off the iPads and moving it to a mapped drive ( the storage size of that folder! ah!)

This app was then purchased after a request identical to yours and it allowed files to be sent the other way.

 

Onedrive could be an option?

Connecting the iPads to a PC and moving files onto them? I'm not sure if that actually works though.

[DavR]

Feem might be an option - https://feem.io/ - it's a user actioned way of moving files between iPads and desktops, as long as they're on the same network segment.

 

We use if mainly for student's sending files to their teacher at end of lesson, but could also be used for teachers to send a payload to students (haven't tried using it to do one-to-many before though).

[Brimstone]

A teacher needs to be able to add a bunch of photos/image files to multiple devices because, at present, we block use of Safari on the shared devices (we're not using Apple IDs at all yet or SSO etc.). She's asked if we can install iTunes so she can sync photos but I've explained why that's not the best idea.

 

So, I thought about having a repository somewhere they can link to? Or perhaps pushing them using backpack? The problem with the latter is that you'd need to define a backpack policy for each file, and these are going to be changing regularly.

 

How have you tackled similar requests?

MDM's can not push user generated content to iPads, I would automatically assume the teacher has an iPad to teach with, if not then that is a huge mistake.

 

You've got a myriad and other ways of sharing these....

 

Airdrop (macOS & iOS only)

OneDrive

Google Drive

Email

Padlet (PDF Download Only though)

Seesaw

Showbie

Foldr (not free)

 

I could go on.....

[Planehazza]

MDM's can not push user generated content to iPads, I would automatically assume the teacher has an iPad to teach with, if not then that is a huge mistake.

 

You've got a myriad and other ways of sharing these....

 

Airdrop (macOS & iOS only)

OneDrive

Google Drive

Email

Padlet (PDF Download Only though)

Seesaw

Showbie

Foldr (not free)

 

I could go on.....

 

Yup, they're all ideal, but as it stands, the iPads are generic devices with no logins. We do not know from one minute to the next which student is using them as there are no Apple IDs or signing in involved. Teacher unlocks the device(s) via PIN and hands them out. If we put OneDrive on them for example, it relies on the user to sign out and that's just not going to happen.

 

Realistically, as per the other [iPAD] thread about share logins, we're kind of stuck until we can set up federated logins so that each student 365 account provisions an Apple ID so they can sign into the iPad. We would have to start thinking carefully about device storage and be more proactive with having them back in each term for a wipe and reprovision etc.

[DavR]

I would consider creating a public shared folder in Google Drive or OneDrive for the teacher to put their lesson content in, and then just shared the link to that as a webclip.

 

That would probably require re-visiting the prohibition on Safari though. What's the reasoning on that? Isn't web browsing half the point of iPads....

[Planehazza]

I would consider creating a public shared folder in Google Drive or OneDrive for the teacher to put their lesson content in, and then just shared the link to that as a webclip.

 

That would probably require re-visiting the prohibition on Safari though. What's the reasoning on that? Isn't web browsing half the point of iPads....

 

Safeguarding. We need to know which students clicked on that porn advert etc, and relying on teachers to track it on paper or kids to sign out portals is not going to work.

[Brimstone]

Yup, they're all ideal, but as it stands, the iPads are generic devices with no logins. We do not know from one minute to the next which student is using them as there are no Apple IDs or signing in involved. Teacher unlocks the device(s) via PIN and hands them out. If we put OneDrive on them for example, it relies on the user to sign out and that's just not going to happen.

 

Realistically, as per the other [iPAD] thread about share logins, we're kind of stuck until we can set up federated logins so that each student 365 account provisions an Apple ID so they can sign into the iPad. We would have to start thinking carefully about device storage and be more proactive with having them back in each term for a wipe and reprovision etc.

For Federated Logins and a Managed Apple ID created in ASM via Azure you need have a full Azure instance, O365 alone can not do this, however you can create a Managed Apple ID now in ASM.

 

If you used one of the apps I mentioned above you would know who was who as they you must use a login, they could even use their O365 login...?

 

As I said in the previous thread, these are not Windows devices, they do not have an login, you use the apps to track them.

[DavR]

Safeguarding. We need to know which students clicked on that porn advert etc, and relying on teachers to track it on paper or kids to sign out portals is not going to work.

A shame for this problem, but I see your reasoning.

 

I wonder if there's a way you could make Google Drive or OneDrive open such a public link without prompting for credentials.

[Planehazza]

For Federated Logins and a Managed Apple ID created in ASM via Azure you need have a full Azure instance, O365 alone can not do this, however you can create a Managed Apple ID now in ASM.

 

If you used one of the apps I mentioned above you would know who was who as they you must use a login, they could even use their O365 login...?

 

As I said in the previous thread, these are not Windows devices, they do not have an login, you use the apps to track them.

 

We use Azure, albeit via AADCSync from local AD. Would this not suffice?

 

The problem with logins is you can guarantee that the students will not bother signing out before handing the device back. I do not want student A deleting all of Student B's work for sh!ts and giggles.

[Brimstone]

We use Azure, albeit via AADCSync from local AD. Would this not suffice?

 

No, you can't use ADFS to sync back all the accounts must be in Azure

 

The problem with logins is you can guarantee that the students will not bother signing out before handing the device back. I do not want student A deleting all of Student B's work for sh!ts and giggles.

 

If you are complaining that users won't log out what's happening with your Windows accounts now? A Managed Apple ID is NOT a user account for an iPad for students to log in and out of and only work in a 1:1 senario, when you use O365 on shared iPads those users will still have to log and out of their accounts?

[Planehazza]

No, you can't use ADFS to sync back all the accounts must be in Azure

 

 

 

If you are complaining that users won't log out what's happening with your Windows accounts now? A Managed Apple ID is NOT a user account for an iPad for students to log in and out of and only work in a 1:1 senario, when you use O365 on shared iPads those users will still have to log and out of their accounts?

 

I guess then part of the problem is my not fulling understanding what it's used for.

 

What is the best method to have a bank of shared iPads and have students log in to them and back out again easily and reliably, so we can track Internet usage and allow access to their 365 resources etc? Art has 6 iPads that a bunch of photography/graphics students use.

 

Music has ~30 devices but they already use Seesaw etc.

[Alis_Klar]

This is a fudge but you could use screentime restrictions to only allow Safari to access a whitelist of websites. Then add onedrive domains to the whitelist. Unfortunately MDM cannot modify this whitelist as its designed as a local restriction. MDM can disable the screentime/restrictions feature altogether but that's it.