Changing an MDM Mid-Stream? Ouch!

I wanted to pass on an experience we recently had in our school that may be helpful to others.

We made the decision to switch our Students to LightSpeed’s MDM from Casper Suite about a month and a half ago. I am currently down to about 100 devices yet to move. 

There were many reasons we decided to make the move:

• By using the MDM solution that is from the same company as our filter and LMS we gain loads of integration. The most compelling integration we wanted was the ability for our filter to know the user on each device and store that information so a single sign on was enough. We are now able to filter and monitor each iPads internet traffic by individual user! Very important at a private Christian school.
• The integration also made the move to global proxy that much easier. 
• Additionally, when I go to our MDM management console the users are automatically linked to our LMS were I can go and easily message them. 
• In the future I hope to see, and have heard they are woking on, the ability for a teacher, through our LMS (my big campus) to lock a class of students into an app for a time. (single app mode) The UI would be in the LMS but the actual implementation of the lock can only happen via a supervised device and some kind of MDM. So in this case the teacher would make the request via the LMS that would then send that to the MDM and the MDM would send the profile locking the device into single app mode. Then reverse the process at the teachers request.  PRETTY COOL STUFF that could only happen with and integrated LMS = MDM. 
• I am aslo very please with the ability of the LS MDM to manage our VPP and Free Apps wirelessly removing the need to use Apple Configurator for App management. We use the personal model in grades 5-8 and the institutional model in grades k-4. In both cases I am able to “suggest” an app wirelessly via the MDM and the end users will be prompted to install. Most importantly in the institutional model it is possible to have them never need to enter the institutional password. It just installs and opens without ever asking them to enter a password at all. VEYR NICE! (I will post more on how this is working, and details on setup later)

The move has been A LOT of work but I am on the home stretch now with only 1st and 2nd grade left.

It has required myself or the end users interaction with every device! That has been the OUCH!!! but it seems to have been worth it.

The LS MDM is less mature that the Casper MDM but it is making strides in the right direction. We have had a number of issues with the LS MDM but the support has been very good (Thanks Kevin). I still highly recommend Casper and we still use it for our adult users. The reasons listed about, along with a few others, however prompted this huge undertaking. I think it has been worth it!! I will give a more definitive answer once it’s DONE!!!  SOON!!

(via ipadmike.com)