A very brief guide to some of the terms used when deploying Apple and Microsoft technology
Apple Business Manager (ABM) | A portal created by Apple to provide businesses with a range of tools, such as create managed Apple IDs, authenticate accounts using 3rd party identity providers like Azure or Google, volume purchases from the App Store, assigning devices to MDMs. |
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Apple School Manager (ASM) | A portal created by Apple to provide schools with a range of tools, such as create managed Apple IDs, authenticate accounts using 3rd party identity providers like Azure or Google, volume purchases from the App Store, assigning devices to MDMs. |
Apple Device Enrollment (ADE), formerly Device Enrollment Program (DEP) | A method in which to enroll devices into an MDM that also allows supervision to be mandatory at the same time. |
Mobile Device Management | A portal where devices can be managed from, what is usually, a cloud-based service, comprising of tools such as profiles for restricting and managing device options and configurations (such as Wi-Fi settings, VPN's, certificates, managed app settings, accounts etc), Application deployment, bypassing activation locks, renaming devices. |
Supervision / Supervised | A supervised device is a device that is enrolled into an MDM at point of set up (or prepared by Apple Configurator). A supervised device provides an MDM with more control over the device by allowing certain management options that can only be used with supervised devices. |
Profiles | A profile is a file that contains a set of instructions, usually created in Apple Configurator or by an MDM or 3rd party tool that is installed on devices. The profile is installed on devices that are to be managed and the profile tells the Apple device what it can and cannot do. Profiles installed on non-supervised and non-managed devices can usually be removed by the end user. |
Apple Configurator | A utility provided by Apple that is run on Apple Macs (and now iPhones) that allows for the preparation, recovery and updating of Apple devices, usually iPhones or iPads but now also Apple Silicon Macs. |
Apple Silicon Macs | An Apple device that is running a new processor designed by Apple for Apple Devices |
Managed Apple ID | An Apple ID that is created within ABM or ASM that allows for the IDs to be created from existing email addresses such as the ones from Office 365. The passwords can also be reset from within ABM and ASM to allow for better control over the accounts. ASM also allows for importing from the school's student record system allowing for separation into Locations, Campuses, departments, year groups and classes. |
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