What is Automated Device Enrollment (ADE)?

This article describes what is Apple's Automated Device Enrollment and how you can set it up with Miradore.

What is Automated Device Enrollment (ADE)?

Apple's Automated Device Enrollment is the recommended way to enroll company-owned Apple devices to an MDM system like Miradore. It is the most efficient and at the same time the quickest way to enroll.

What is Apple Device Enrollment Program (Apple DEP)?

Apple rebranded the Device Enrollment Program in 2019 and it is now called Automated Device Enrollment. In fact, the Device Enrollment Program (DEP) and the Volume Purchase Program (VPP) are both available through Apple Business Manager.

Please note that you may still occasionally see the old terminology in Miradore's user interface.

What are the benefits of Automated Device Enrollment?

ADE simplifies the initial setup of Apple devices by minimizing the manual actions that a user or administrator must take after unboxing a new device.

The Automated Device Enrollment process gives administrators greater control over devices than the other enrollment methods. For example, it enables the management of devices in the Supervised mode and prevents the removal of the MDM profile from the devices.

Prerequisites

• You must have administrator access to your Miradore site.
• Management of Apple devices with Miradore requires a company-specific Apple Push Certificate. This ensures secure communication between Miradore and your Apple devices. For more instructions, see How to create an Apple Push Certificate.
• You will need an Apple ID for obtaining the Apple Push Certificate. We suggest you use an existing corporate Apple ID, instead of any personal Apple ID, for this purpose. If there isn't one yet, you can create the corporate Apple ID from the login page of the Apple Push Certificates portal.
• Automated device enrollment is available for devices that meet the requirements mentioned in the What devices are eligible for Automated Device Enrollment section below.

What devices are eligible for Automated Device Enrollment?

• Apple's automated device enrollment supports iOS devices with iOS 7 or later and Macs running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later.
• Your organization must purchase devices directly from Apple or Apple-authorized resellers or carriers. Any existing or donated Macs can be added to Apple Business or School manager for automated device enrollment using Apple Configurator for iPhone.

How can I add devices to ABM/ASM for Automated Device Enrollment?

In order to see new Apple devices on your ABM/ASM account, you must fill in some purchase information in Apple Business/School Manager before you buy the devices. Note that filling in the purchase information requires an Administrator role in ABM/ASM.

When buying devices from Apple

If your organization purchases devices directly from Apple, you will get an Apple Customer Number that you must add to your Apple Business/School Manager account as a device supplier. You can do this in the ABM/ASM at Settings > Device Management Settings > Customer Numbers. Click Edit and enter your number in the Apple Customer Numbers field. After that, devices that you purchase from Apple will be assigned to your Apple Business/School Manager account automatically. Note that when you are adding your Apple Customer Number, you should leave out any leading zeros.

When buying devices from a reseller or carrier

If your organization plans to buy Apple devices from a reseller or carrier, we recommend you check Apple's listing of preferred resellers in different regions. Before you purchase devices, make sure to inform your Organization ID to the reseller and ask them to provide you with their Reseller ID. 

You must then add the Reseller ID to your ABM/ASM account as a device supplier. To do this, click your name in the bottom left-hand corner, click Preferences, and then Device Management Settings. Next to Customer Numbers, click Edit and enter your Apple Customer Number or Reseller ID. Click Apply.

When you order new devices, remember to ask the reseller or carrier to assign them to your Apple Business/School Manager account.

What about existing devices bought earlier?

You can add most iPhones and iPads to Apple Business/School Manager using Apple Configurator 2 - no matter where you bought them. See Adding iOS devices to Apple Business Manager with Apple Configurator 2 for more details.

If you have existing devices that you have bought from a reseller, you could try to ask if they still could assign them to your ABM/ASM account.

How to start using ABM’s Automated Device Enrollment with Miradore?

If your organization has an ABM account, you must connect Apple Business Manager with Miradore MDM.