How to Supervise iOS devices using Apple DEP
Supervision for iOS devices powers IT teams with enhanced control over company-owned devices. iOS supervision is recommended for effectively managing app installation, configuring network and sharing settings and policy enforcement on company-owned iOS devices like iPhone and iPads.
For supervising devices in bulk, Apple DEP is convenient, since the supervision is cloud-based as opposed to the manual set-up provided in Apple configurator 2 based supervision. It’s an excellent way to cut-down operation costs for deploying devices to the field force, especially since a reset device can be enrolled into Apple MDM remotely. With Apple DEP, devices can be supervised at the time of purchase, eliminating the need to manually supervise them and enroll them into an MDM. Also, since the devices are supervised using their serial number, they can be reverted to the device MDM settings even after reset.
All devices purchased after 2011, with iOS version 11 or more can be supervised using DEP.
Step-by-step iOS device supervision using Apple DEP:
For this procedure, you need to have a corporate DEP account on https://deploy.apple.com. The devices purchased under DEP program from Apple or authorized reseller can be supervised. You don’t need to have the physical devices while supervision but only the device serial number. This is the easiest way to enroll the devices into MDM by supervising them without touching them.
Step-1
Configure your MDM and start the DEP process. Acquire the DEP token provided by your MDM provider. This token will have to be uploaded on apple portal (https://deploy.apple.com)
Step-2
Go to the Apple portal and log in using your Id and password. You can now opt to complete the DEP setup.
Step-3
At this point, you can add your desired MDM server. Choose this as your default MDM server for all devices. By doing this, all devices purchased in the future through your account will be automatically supervised and enrolled when they are booted.
Step-4
Upload the token file provided by your MDM provider. The apple portal will generate a separate file for your device. Upload this file onto your MDM provider.
Step-5
Go back to the Apple portal. In the Managed Devices section, add the device purchased from an authorized Apple reseller. Add the serial number of the device and choose your MDM server for the device.
Step-6
Now in the Managed Servers sections, you can find the device assigned to your MDM.
Step-7
This device will be now available on your MDM platform. It can be now enrolled in your desired MDM configuration.
Step-8
You can enforce supervision through your MDM tool. Your device will be supervised.
Step-9
Every time the device is hard reset, the device will be pre-configured with these MDM settings.
Step-10
Once this process is complete, all the devices purchased through your DEP account will be supervised automatically when synched with your MDM tool.
A supervised iOS device integrated with a strong MDM can improve your enterprise mobility. Supervise your company-owned iPhones and iPads with Apple DEP and enroll them to Scalefusion MDM — to offer corporate resources to your employees and enforce company policies on company-owned iOS devices.
Originally published at https://blog.scalefusion.com on May 30, 2019.
