As an organization, you've decided to support Apple technology for your team - congratulations! There are a few pillars that make up the Apple Support experience when you work with Ntiva. Let's take a look at the prerequisites for support along with the benefits of device management.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, check out our article on Starting Apple Support. To summarize, you'll need:
- A verified Apple Business Manager account
- A custom Apple eCommerce account
- A support agreement with Ntiva for your Apple technology
With these in place, our team can put together the needed infrastructure to help your Apple devices thrive. We can look at what comes next in terms of your Apple devices' lifecycle.
New purchases - Automated Device Enrollment
When adding a new device for a new hire or an existing user, you can benefit from automatic enrollment into support during unboxing through Automated Device Enrollment (ADE). Often referred to as "zero-touch deployment", this process works through an established chain of trust to ensure the Apple products you purchase are owned by your organization, not just by whomever's name is on the credit card. Devices purchased correctly are tied to your organization's Apple Business Manager account, and during initial setup, they will enroll in support automatically.
ADE allows organizations to ship newly purchased devices directly to users without the need to store them in warehouses or have staff power them up for enrollment before shipment. It gives your users a greater sense of understanding and ownership of their technology by being able to unbox and set it up themselves while our tools work behind the scenes to ensure the device has the software and settings they need to be productive and secure.
Do you have existing Macs in use today that need to be enrolled? Manual enrollment instructions for macOS can be found here. Automated Device Enrollment is supported on Macs, iPhones, and iPads.
Achieving your desired device state - Addigy MDM
Your Mac is now in daily use, supported by Addigy, our Apple MDM of choice. MDM (Mobile Device Management) platforms are advanced tools that allow centralized management and support of Apple devices. By collaborating with our team, we can support your fleet in many ways.
Automatic installation of business-critical software and security solutions
Addigy curates their own public software library that facilitates easy deployment and updates of 3rd party applications. We can also deploy Apps from Apple's App Store. Check with your Account Manager regarding custom 3rd party app deployment. Most applications install silently, providing a smooth and simple user experience. We can even support the automated installation of more advanced security solutions, like SentinelOne and Cisco Secure Client.
Managed settings
Apple supports the management of settings via MDM Profiles. Profiles can be authored and deployed to individual devices, groups of devices, or your entire fleet. There are hundreds of profile payloads we can support, for example:
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- Wifi networks
- VPN
- Passcode policies
- Web browser settings
- Security settings
- Permissions settings
Remote lock and wipe
It's important to be able to lock or erase any lost or stolen devices. When a device is enrolled with Addigy, let us know if a device has been compromised and we can push the necessary commands (including setting supervised iPhones and iPads to Lost Mode). Even if the hardware cannot be retrieved, you can ensure that any sensitive corporate data on the device is inaccessible and protected.
Self Service
Empower your users with MacManage, Addigy's self-service tool. Users can install approved applications and run helpful scripts with one click, even if they aren't administrators.
Addigy is the cornerstone of our Apple support experience, providing powerful automation tools to reach your desired device state. When you need to make changes to your fleet, you'll work with our team to find the best way forward.
Offering a helping hand - Support Desk
If your enrolled users need assistance and you have a support agreement with Ntiva, they can reach out to the support desk for assistance. During support sessions, we can aid users with remote screen sharing for iPhones and iPads, and remote control sessions for Macs. For more information on the remote support experience for individual Addigy-enrolled devices, click here.
Staying informed - Vision-Bot
Contact our team to gain access to Vision-Bot, our device portal where you can get up-to-date information about your Apple devices when you need it. Vision-Bot allows you and your approved team members to get valuable at-a-glance information about the current state of your fleet. This can help you stay informed about how much storage space is left on your devices, when AppleCare warranties are expiring, and even get reports about your installed apps.
Device replacement
When a device has been aged out of production, or otherwise needs to be retired, please let us know. We can assist you with putting together a purchase order through your Apple eCommerce storefront with an appropriate replacement that will go through the Automated Device Enrollment process. Retiring devices can be erased through Addigy and released from your production environment to be responsibly recycled or resold.
From beginning to end, Ntiva can support your Apple users and devices. We'll help you feel at home in Apple's ecosystem, support your fleets by getting them into a well-defined device state, assist your users through connections to our support desk, and facilitate your growth as you deploy and retire Macs, iPhones, and iPads.
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