Mobile fleets and MDM
Rolling out fifty iPads on one site, locking a device to a single app, updating an entire estate without collecting it. The least visible part of a mobile project, and often the part that sinks it.
The problem is not the app, it is the estate
A line-of-business app can be excellent and the project still fail, because nobody planned how to install it on two hundred devices, how to configure them without handling each one, or how to recover them when someone leaves.
This is integration work in its own right, with its own tools and its own traps. We take it on, whether or not the app is ours.
What we put in place
The objective is that a new device becomes operational without anyone having to sit down in front of it.
Automated enrolment
The device comes out of the box, joins the network and configures itself: apps, settings, certificates, restrictions. With no manual intervention.
Remote configuration
Change a setting, push an app or revoke access across the whole estate, from one console.
Kiosk mode
Lock a device to a single app. Essential for a stand, a reception terminal or a production workstation.
Lifecycle
Commissioning, replacement, remote wipe, decommissioning. Including when the device never comes back.
Kiosk mode in real conditions
Locking an iPad to one app is simple on paper. In real conditions you also have to prevent sleep, disable notifications, block system gestures, handle continuous charging and decide what happens after a power cut.
We have deployed configurations of this kind for event installations and self-service stations, where a device stuck in an unusable state for a whole day is not acceptable.
Choosing an MDM solution
There is no best solution in the abstract. The choice depends on the number of devices, whether a directory service already exists, whether Macs or Windows machines also need managing, and the budget per device per year.
We work with the common solutions on the market and help you weigh those criteria, including when the answer is the cheapest option. We do not resell licences, which makes the assessment simpler.
Operations and handover
The aim is for your IT team to take over the console after a few weeks. We document the profiles, the groups and the procedures, then train the people who will run the estate day to day.
We stay available for the major iOS and Android version changes, which are the moment existing configurations most often break.
An example
Public kiosk mode on an immersive trade-fair installation: automatic reset between visitors, application lock and remote control from an iPad. The setup ran with no technician on site for the entire event.
Frequently asked questions
From how many devices is an MDM worth it?
In practice from about ten shared devices, or from five if they must be locked in kiosk mode. Below that, manual configuration remains defensible. Above it, manual configuration costs more than the solution.
Do you manage Android as well?
Yes, through Android Enterprise, on the same principle of automated enrolment and remote configuration. Mixed estates are common and are managed from a single console in most solutions.
Can a device be locked to a single app?
Yes, that is single app mode. You simply have to handle sleep, notifications, system gestures and post-power-cut behaviour at the same time, otherwise the lock holds poorly in real use.
What happens if a device is lost?
It can be located, locked or wiped remotely from the console, provided enrolment was done correctly at the outset. That is exactly why supervised enrolment matters more than anything else.
Do devices have to be bought through a particular channel?
To benefit from Apple's automated enrolment, devices must be purchased from an authorised reseller and linked to your Apple Business Manager account. It is the most frequently forgotten point, and hard to put right afterwards.
Let's talk about your project.
Describe your need in a few lines. We answer within 48 working hours, with a first technical opinion rather than a sales pitch.