Manage Multiple iPads in a Corporate Environment – A Simple Guide

Forget bulky laptops and cluttered desktops. iPads are infiltrating the corporate world, attracting businesses with their sleek design and endless possibilities. But with great power comes great…concern.

IT teams are scratching their heads, wondering: how do we grow with this iPad revolution without risking data breaches, rogue downloads, and runaway devices? Enter the magic of kiosk mode!

Lock iPads to a single app, transform them into presentation powerhouses, educational marvels, or secure sales tools. It’s time to ditch the fear and embrace the future, one iPad at a time.

iOS offers a built-in security framework that helps fight the above-mentioned concerns to some extent.

Policy configurations, app distribution, account setup, and much more. IT admins can leverage these built-in capabilities to simplify their iPad management.

But, to combat more serious risks, a robust third-party Mobile Device Management solution is the best option. Company IT admins have to configure iOS restrictions to drive efficient iPad management. This is possible only if their iOS devices are supervised.

How to Manage Multiple iPads in a Corporate Environment

A powerful and robust iPad MDM platform is the key to driving corporate security and compliance. A reliable MDM solution like Scalefusion does more than just facilitate iPad configuration to reduce operating and support costs along with security threats.

It also comes loaded with relevant and results-driven features. Scalefusion offers kiosk mode, web filtering, network management and asset tracking for iOS. 

Additionally, IT admins can leverage alerts and reports, location tracking and automation capabilities. Businesses can make the most out of their multiple iPads.

Scalefusion enables quick and easy device enrollment, simple configuration and provisioning through Apple DEP (Device Enrolment Program). You can seamlessly purchase apps, distribute and manage them with the Apple VPP (Volume Purchase Program).

Furthermore, you can also streamline your content management and other enterprise management options like support for supervised mode and so on. 

Important Factors for Setting up Multiple iPads for Business

iOS MDM solutions make iPad management relatively easy. But, there are some important factors that you must know about iPad Kiosk Mode.

So, let’s dig into a step-by-step process starting from the beginning.

1. Fix the business objectives:

The first step about managing iPads in a corporate environment is to understand and evaluate the ultimate business objectives.

Answer these questions with clarity and validation – why we need to deploy iPads in business? how will it accelerate enterprise productivity? Do my employees really require iPads? How trained are the employees to use iPads?

Answering these questions will help the organizations define the business objectives behind iPad deployment. This will help fix a practical strategy to manage multiple iPads in your corporate environment.

Also read: How to Lockdown iPad for Business Use?

2. Figure out the policies:

Once the company decides to deploy iPads in the workplace, the next step should be to figure out a set of policies. Policies based on access control, usage, authentication, features and properties, security, and integration.

The company IT teams play a strong role of devising these policies. Enterprise policies help businesses evaluate their decisions, results and profits.

3. Define provisioning and deployment:

After defining the business objectives and figuring out the policies, the next step is to roll out an execution plan. Before providing the iPads to the end-users, they need to be first enrolled through a Mobile Device Management solution.

The company after obtaining a secure APNS certificate can enable the iPads to communicate with these components via Apple’s Push Notification Server (APNS). This ensures a constant connection with the devices by allowing them to receive commands about configuration, apps and settings that the company defines. 

4. Managing apps and configuration:

When it comes to enterprise apps, the Apple App store has sufficient inventory that most are aware of. Companies are advised to use Apple’s Volume Purchase Program to securely purchase  apps. Businesses can distribute apps on their iPads in bulk with relevant configurations.

Managed apps hold sensitive business information. With an MDM solution, IT admins are in control of which apps can be pushed on their employees iPads.

Closing Lines

Last but not the least, securing the enrolled, deployed, and configured iPads within the corporate environment is vital. IT teams must ensure a secure remote access to their iPad users. A secure and streamlined access to corporate resources directly impacts the productivity and operational efficiency.

MDM solutions for  Apple device management help streamline iPad management. With quick enrollment, corporate data security,content sharing and app management businesses can simplify their organization-wide deployments.

Start your 14-day free trial and check out the awesome capabilities & features of Scalefusion MDM.

FAQs

1. How to manage multiple iPads on one account?

You can manage multiple iPads with a single Apple ID, but be aware it shares your iCloud storage (5GB free) and some data across devices. Here’s how:

1. Sign in to all iPads with the same Apple ID. Go to Settings > Sign In to your device (name).
2. Manage App & iTunes purchases: Turn on Family Sharing or enable Purchase Sharing for individual apps.
3. Choose what data to share: Go to Settings > iCloud and select which data (contacts, photos, calendars) to sync across devices.

2. How to bulk configure iPads for business?

i. Leverage Apple Programs:

• Enroll in Apple Business Manager (ABM) for centralized device management.
• Utilize the Volume Purchase Program (VPP) to buy apps in bulk with discounts.

ii. Mobile Device Management (MDM) is Key:

• Choose an MDM solution to remotely configure settings, distribute apps, and enforce security policies.
• MDM allows for “zero-touch” deployment, automating setup upon device power on.

iii. Supervision is Optional But Powerful:

• Supervised iPads offer deeper IT control over features and restrictions.
• Consider supervision if you need maximum management capabilities.

iv. Prepare for Deployment:

• Use Apple Configurator to configure initial settings like Wi-Fi on a few devices.
• MDM then takes over bulk configuration and ongoing management.

3. How to keep company data secure on iPads?

Here’s how to keep your iPad business-ready:

1. Strong Passcode & Updates: Set a complex passcode and enable automatic updates for iPadOS and apps to patch vulnerabilities.
2. Two-Factor Authentication: Activate two-factor authentication for your Apple ID to add an extra layer of login security.
3. Beware of Public Wi-Fi: Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive tasks. If necessary, use a company VPN to encrypt your data traffic.
4. App Management: Only download business apps from trusted sources and limit data sharing permissions.
5. Secure Storage: Consider using a Virtual Data Room (VDR) for storing highly confidential documents.