The surge in popularity of iOS devices is evident and given its classic design, extremely simple user interface, and impeccable performance, there’s no wonder that iPads and iPhones are so immensely preferred across the world. As more and more parents use iPads and iPhones for personal, it is a natural inclination of kids to choose iPads and iPhones over other unfamiliar devices, for both entertainments as well as learning. As schools and educational institutes adopt technology for improved learning, iOS devices hence come as an obvious choice to be deployed for learning.
Digital devices open up endless possibilities of creativity and imagination for young minds, fueling their curiosity and thirst for learning with appropriate resources. But, the key lies in using the iPhones and iPads explicitly for educational purposes. Unmonitored devices with data access in the possession of students can also lead to misuse, fundamentally destroying the intent of deploying iOS devices for schools.
Securing the iOS devices against misuse without hampering the user experience and core functionalities of the devices is the balance schools and educational organizations strive to strike- and with Scalefusion, they can exactly do that!
Scalefusion MDM helps schools and educational institutes configure iPads and iPhones with its iOS lockdown solution. Schools IT administrators need to sign up on Scalefusion and enroll their iPads and iPhones on Scalefusion MDM. They can use Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) for the same and make use of Apple School Manager with Scalefusion MDM to get started. This helps in driving the faster deployment of multiple devices.
Check out: iOS MDM profile on Scalefusion
Let us see how to lock iOS devices at Schools using Scalefusion:
1. Manage Applications
When iOS devices are deployed for education, it is important to load them with educational applications. Games and entertainment are prime elements that can cause distractions and hence the gaming and entertainment apps to need to be blocked on devices deployed in School.
With Scalefusion, schools can do it all:
a) Allow & Block unwanted applications –
Navigate to the device profile section, select the apps to be allowed in the Whitelist Applications section. Only these apps will be available on the device.
Alternatively, you can also block unwanted applications by blacklisting them.
b) Publish apps on all devices using Apple VPP (Volume Purchase Program)
c) Privately distribute apps using Scalefusion enterprise store
Navigate to the enterprise section of the Scalefusion dashboard and select My Apps. Here, you can upload private apps and publish them on managed devices for education.
Read in detail: How to publish enterprise apps on managed devices
2. Manage Browsing
With Scalefusion, controlling browsing on iOS devices is quick and easy. Scalefusion extends ProSurf browser- a native browser for iOS to control the browsing experience. But even if the iOS devices at schools are using any other browser, schools can manage the browsing experience with Scalefusion.
Here’s how:
a) Whitelist websites
Navigate to the whitelist websites section under the Device Management section of the Scalefusion Dashboard.
Add a website link and configure its security settings. You can prevent users from typing in the address bar of the browser.
Now, navigate back to the Device Profile section and enable browser shortcuts of the selected website. This will help students to quickly access the website without having to navigate to the actual browser.
3. Configure single app mode
If you want the iOS devices in schools to be locked down to a single app, you can configure a single app mode in the Device Profile section of the dashboard. You can select any app from the whitelisted applications and the iPad will be locked to a single app mode.
Read more: how to lock an iPad to single app mode
4. Configure network & sharing settings
To facilitate quick access to the internet on the devices, it is imperative to connect the device to high-speed WiFi. Schools IT admins can push network settings, block hotspots, and other unidentified networks to be connected to the device.
Navigate to the Device Profile section and move to Restrictions settings.
5. Publish Content & Presentations
With Scalefusion content management, iOS devices deployed for education can be locked into presentation mode. IT admins can push content and presentation, to extend an enhanced learning experience. The content can be in text, image, pdf, or video format.
To publish content on managed iOS devices for schools, navigate to the Content Management section on the dashboard.
Click on Add New. Upload files from the computer or using an external link (from Google Drive).
Select devices/device groups on which the content needs to be published. Content will be published on the chosen iOS devices/device groups.
Presentations can also be published on iOS devices locked for education in schools. Navigate to the presentation section of the Content Management in the Scalefusion dashboard. Publish presentations on devices/device groups.
Learn more: Scalefusion Presentation Mode
6. Track Device Stats
With Scalefusion DeepDive, School’s IT admins can keep a track of the iOS devices deployed in classrooms. They can get an extensive overview of the device usage, the battery, and the data usage of the device and can also view compliance alerts on the devices.
Using Scalefusion Workflows, school IT can effectively manage iOS devices locked for education by automating recurring tasks, scheduling dynamic policies & compliance checks.
7. Schedule Device Tasks
Dynamic Policy Application: If a school or educational institute shares iOS devices between multiple classrooms and schedules, it is important that appropriate policies, apps and content are available for each user sets. With Scalefusion Workflows, IT admins can configure the devices to run into a different set of policies & configurations at a particular time and day.
Compliance Checks & Alerts: IT admins can schedule checks to track battery and data usage compliance and keep a stronghold on the security of the devices.
Learn more: Scalefusion Workflows
Infographic Case Study: How Scalefusion Can Impact The Education Industry
Discover how Doctor’s Own Prep Academy (DOPA) leveraged Scalefusion’s MDM solutions to gain complete control over student tablets and secure digital learning resulting in improved 70% of students’ productivity. See the below Infographic.
Locking iOS devices at schools is essential to ensure that students and kids are empowered with up-to-date educational content without being distracted by unnecessary apps. Managing iOS devices for education is simplified with the Scalefusion iOS MDM solution.
We offer special discounts to schools & educational institutes, start your 14-day free trial today!
