The lifecycle for Apple support encompasses a lot of moving parts. Let's look at what items are similar for those just beginning your journey with Ntiva or expanding your fleet to include Apple devices for the first time.
Apple Business Manager
Everything begins here. An Apple Business Manager account is free to create and is required prior to enrolling any Apple devices in support. Check out our article about Signing up for Apple Business Manager to get your account spun up, followed by How To Invite Ntiva into Apple Business Manager so we can get your enrollment links created.
Apple Business Manager accounts provide:
- The ability to move forward with Apple device management
- Licensing and deployment of App Store apps to your Apple devices
- The tools to create Managed Apple Accounts for your organization, including domain federation with identity providers like Microsoft, Google, and Okta
- Part one of the puzzle towards supporting Automated Device Enrollment, sometimes called "zero-touch" deployment for your Apple devices
Apple eCommerce Storefront
The Automated Device Enrollment workflow begins with how you purchase your devices. We strongly recommend working with us and Apple to create a free eCommerce Storefront for your organization. You can think of it like your own, customized Apple Store. To begin this process, contact your account manager - we need to get you connected with the correct department at Apple via email to begin the process.
Apple eCommerce Storefronts provide:
- A customized purchase portal with Apple for the purchase of new devices
- The ability for Ntiva to help you create template purchases that can include specific hardware configurations, accessories, AppleCare, and more
- Permission for Ntiva's procurement team to create purchase orders for your approval
- Part two of the puzzle towards supporting Automated Device Enrollment, sometimes called "zero-touch" deployment for your Apple devices
Enrolling your Apple Devices
Once these accounts are created, it's time to enroll your fleet. Once you have your enrollment links in hand, here are guides on how to enroll your Macs and iPhones/iPads. If you're enrolling some Macs, here's what to expect on your device after enrollment. If you're purchasing new devices, you won't need to worry about manual enrollment - if you purchase your Macs, iPads, and iPhones through your eCommerce Storefront, they'll register with your Apple Business Manager account during setup and automatically enroll in management.
Preparing for the future
With all of this architecture in place, you can begin planning for what comes next. Reach out to your account manager to discuss future changes including deploying productivity or endpoint protection software, standardizing settings amongst your devices, or getting your Vision-Bot account set up to get helpful, at-a-glance information about your Apple devices.
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