• iPhone,  Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment,  Microsoft Exchange Server,  Network Infrastructure

    Configuring & Using Profile Manager 2 in OS X Mountain Lion Server

    August 12, 2012

    Profile Manager first appeared in OS X Lion Server as the Apple-provided tool for managing Apple devices, including Mobile Device Management (MDM) for iOS based devices as well as Profile management for OS X based computers, including MacBooks, MacBook Airs, Mac Minis, Mac Pros and iMacs running Mac OS X 10.7 and up. In OS X Mountain Lion, Apple has added a number of new features to Profile Manager, most notably the ability to push certain types of apps to mobile devices. In this article, we’re going to look at setting up Profile Manager from scratch. If you’re upgrading to OS X Mountain Lion Server (10.8 Server) from OS X…

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  • iPhone,  Mass Deployment

    Backing Up And Restoring iOS Devices in iTunes

    August 9, 2012

    For many iOS deployment projects, iTunes is used as the primary deployment vehicle for the devices. iTunes can be used to “Backup” and “Restore” an iPad, similar to how you image desktop and laptop computers. The actual deployment process is straight forward. First we’ll create a backup in iTunes. Then we can deploy the backup using the Restore option within iTunes. Provided the backup is encrypted, the Restore option will maintain the maximum amount of data available. For example, if a device has been activated then the fact that it has been activated is maintained across a restore. As are the applications that are installed on the device. Create iTunes…

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  • iPhone,  Mass Deployment

    Using Apple Configurator To Automate Casper MDM Enrollment

    August 8, 2012

    Enrolling iPads into the JAMF Casper MDM solution is done through Apple Configurator, messages or using links deployed to iOS devices as web clips. When doing larger deployments the enrollment process can be automated so that devices are automatically enrolled into Casper MDM when they are set up using an Enrollment Profile that is manually downloaded from Casper and deployed to device. Additionally, a certificate can be needed if the certificate is not included in the profile, an option available as a checkbox in the setup. While you hopefully won’t need to download the certificate, we’ll start there: Obtain the Certificate for the JSS Server To obtain the trust certificate…

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  • iPhone

    Free Hosted Mobile Device Management for iOS

    August 6, 2012

    SimpleMDM is a newish Mobile Device Management service that is free, from MJVLabs, the makers of Presense. Now, it’s newish and currently completely free, so there are specific cases where it’s appropriate. Currently, SimpleMDM can be used to: Setup very specific mail Setup SSIDs and passwords (those are the only two options) Disable the App Store or require a password to access the app store Configure Basic, Strong or Very Secure password requirements Restrict content Disable Camera &/or FaceTime Disable Safari Disable iCloud Disable YouTube Disable Multiplayer Gaming The solution is simple to use. Just visit the website at simplemdm.com, click on Create New Account, enter your information and click…

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  • certifications,  iPhone

    iOS Development Test Now Available

    July 30, 2012

    I’ve been involved with Brainbench for some time. There is now a new iOS development test available at http://www.brainbench.com/xml/bb/common/testcenter/taketest.xml?testId=2973. Also, we’re currently working on a Mountain Lion test and could use some reviewers if anyone is interested.  Let me know if you’d like to be involved with that.

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  • iPhone,  Mass Deployment

    Apple Configurator 1.1 Released

    July 3, 2012

    Apple Configurator 1.1 was released on Monday. Configurator is updated through the App Store. It comes with a few new features, indicated on the App Store download page. My favorite part is probably that rather than let me do stupid things (which I am apt to do) I now get a screen warning me that I’m doing something stupid if Configurator doesn’t complete a sanity check against one of the profiles: Overall, the two updates that we’ve gotten to Configurator have been minor. The features and options, which make up the strategies that you deploy Configurator with, have remained pretty much the same. I look forward to seeing continued updates.

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  • iPhone,  Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server

    Apple Configurator 1.0.1 Released

    April 18, 2012

    Apple has released version 1.0.1 of the Apple Configurator tool. To install the first update to Apple’s new tool, go to the App Store on a computer that has Apple Configurator installed, click on Updates and then click on the Update button for Apple Configurator. The update has a number of new features and fixes. The first is that Enterprise Apps can be installed. Previously, when you went to install internally developed applications, you would get an error that the installation could not proceed. Another great fix is that commas are now escaped when importing application codes from the VPP spreadsheets (a comma in a CSV/comma separated value would kill…

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  • iPhone,  Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment

    Managing iOS Devices with Apple Configurator

    March 15, 2012

    My traditional interpretation of Apple’s vision on how iOS devices are used is that everyone has an AppleID. That AppleID enables them to access their apps from any iOS device they own or Mac that they own. That AppleID enables them to access mail, contacts, calendars and even files through iCloud. That AppleID also allows users to remotely wipe their device through Find iPhone and track their friends iOS devices (as in social networking via breadcrumb tracking) through Find Friends. All of this “Just Works” in a consumer sense. And it even allows for a little sharing of content across devices you own. However, larger organizations need more. They need…

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  • iPhone,  Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment

    iOS Device Sales Outpace All Macs Ever (in 2011 alone)

    February 20, 2012

    In search of the American Dream? Apple has sold approximately 122 million Macs over the course of 28 years. They have sold 55 million iPads since those were released in April 2010 (in less than 2 years) and sold 156 million iOS Devices for 2011 alone, bringing the total of iOS devices to 316 million. The handset market is set to increase by around 33 percent and there’s really no telling where the tablet market is set to go over the course of the next few years. What does all of this mean? It means that iOS is continuing to increase in visibility, that App Store sales will continue to rise…

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