Notes for the initial configuration of devices in Jamf School

The initial configuration in the Jamf School MDM differs depending on whether you have registered your iPads manually via the Configurator in the Apple School Manager and in Jamf School or whether you have pre-registered the devices.

If you have successfully registered manually, the initial configuration in Jamf School MDM and School Manager has already happened. You don't really need to read any further here. You are then ready to go with your iPads and the devices should already be marked as "supervised" / "supervised".

If you have pre-registered the devices on School Manager, you should follow these instructions to complete the final initial configuration.

Preface: Reasons for adding to the DEP

In order to use the full functionality of the remote maintenance of mobile Apple devices, it is strongly recommended to add the devices to the so-called Device Enrollment Program (DEP) of Apple. This will automatically register the devices with the Apple School Manager at the University of Cologne. If you are planning to purchase new devices, you have the possibility to order them directly from the reseller for a fee. Especially for large orders this is highly recommended. If you already have devices in your inventory, if new devices are added individually or if devices have been donated, for example, you can also add the devices manually to the Apple School Manager. However, this only applies to iPads and Apple Tvs; Macs cannot be manually re-registered using Apple Configurator.

If you plan to use a / our Mobile Device Management (MDM) Jamf School to manage the devices, you don't necessarily need to add the devices to Apple School Manager or DEP, but it is strongly recommended as only automatic device enrollment (formerly Device Enrollment Program, DEP) prevents users from removing the MDM profile from the devices. Other restrictions and device configurations can also only be configured on supervised devices. For more info on this, please also refer to the Jamf doc on device enrollment. Nevertheless, "non-supervised / supervised" devices can also be extensively supervised in Jamf School.

These profiles are installed on every device that is managed by an MDM. Only by means of these MDM profiles remote control works correctly. The possibility to delete these profiles on the user side is therefore counterproductive.

If the devices are added to the DEP of the Apple School Manager of the University of Cologne, this is prevented.

The DEP is also the registration method recommended by Apple. Only through automatic device enrollment can you fully utilize all the device management features available in Jamf School (or indeed other MDMs). For iPads, for example, this concerns the single app mode or other restriction options that are of interest to many users. Furthermore, the devices are clearly marked as property of the university and individual institutes / projects and can be locked and located in case of loss or theft.

Note: For manually added devices to the Apple School Manager there is a transition period of 30 days. Within this period, you can unlock the device again and remove it from School Manager without any problems. Otherwise, it remains permanently in School Manager.