Apple @ Work: Apple opens up sideloading devices to Apple Business Manager outside of Apple Configurator

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Apple has long been known for its sophisticated, easy-to-use products, but consumers aren’t the only ones attracted to the brand. In recent years, Apple has also made significant inroads into the enterprise market, and one of the reasons for its success is its willingness to open up its platform to his IT department and third parties to his vendors. This allowed the company to customize and integrate his Apple devices and software into existing systems, allowing employees to work seamlessly across different devices and platforms.

About Apple@Work: Bradley Chambers managed enterprise IT networks from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, mobile device management systems, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, hundreds of Macs, and hundreds of iPads, Bradley knows how Apple helps IT managers deploy Apple devices. , building the networks that support them, training users, stories from the front lines of IT management, and how Apple is improving its products for IT departments.

By providing enterprise-grade security and management tools and working closely with third-party vendors to develop custom solutions, Apple has become the go-to choice for many organizations looking to modernize and streamline their IT operations. I was. In a little-known move, the vendor can now build a solution for customers to sideload devices into his Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager.

What is Apple Business Manager?

Apple Business Manager allows IT administrators to manage and deploy Apple devices and apps within their organization. Designed to facilitate automated device enrollment and app purchase/distribution to device management solutions. When an IT manager purchases a device from her Apple’s business portal or an Apple-approved reseller, the device is automatically added to Apple Business Manager. When an employee turns on his Mac for the first time, it automatically recognizes the Mac as part of the business and begins processes such as connecting to device management systems, installing apps, and setting configuration profiles. , is a great solution, especially for remote organizations.

Add devices purchased elsewhere to Apple Business Manager

I bought a Mac from Amazon because it was on sale, or because I needed something faster than Apple did, and it doesn’t show up in Apple Business Manager. This doesn’t mean it can’t enroll in device management solutions, but it does mean it’s not part of the zero-touch deployment model. However, in late 2021, Apple released Apple Configurator for his iPhone.

Using Apple Configurator on your iPhone, you can now add Macs not purchased directly from Apple or an authorized reseller to Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager using only your iPhone. Only Macs with a T2 chip (2018 or newer) or an Apple Silicon chip (M1 or newer) are compatible with this configuration method using Apple Configurator on iPhone.

New option to sideload Mac to Apple Business Manager

In the past few weeks, Apple’s developer portal has seen a new page with the following information:

Allow users of third-party MDM apps to add macOS and iOS devices to your organization.

This framework provides a user interface for device administrators to add macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices to Apple School Manager, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Essentials organizations. Using her SwiftUI view provided, users with device enrollment privileges can sign in with their Managed Apple ID and add devices to their organization.

This feature requires Bluetooth access to discover and pair nearby devices, and camera access to scan the visual pairing PIN code. You must be eligible for Automated Device Enrollment to use this feature. To obtain permission for this entitlement, see Automated Device Enrollment Entitlement Request.

This means device management vendors can now create their own apps to add Macs to Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager. Why is this important?

As organizations increasingly rely on technology to drive their business operations, IT departments are constantly looking for ways to avoid vendor lock-in in as many ways as possible. By opening up its platform in this way, Apple demonstrates its commitment to working with IT and other vendors to create a more flexible and customizable enterprise IT strategy. This makes it a more attractive option for organizations looking to modernize and streamline their IT operations, and helps avoid being locked into a single vendor. Device management vendors can integrate this into their existing solutions for a more efficient experience. This is his MDM vendor win. Customer wins. Apple doesn’t make any money from Apple Configurator, so there’s little reason to keep it as a closed system.