Guide to setup a large group of iPhones with DEP

[CurtSminkey]

Looking for some help. We have a fairly large group of iPhones in our company that are scattered across the US (so we don't have physical access to). It's my understanding that Apple DEP is a way to get all these devices to be managed by Meraki fairly easily. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

We have an Apple DEP account setup but not sure how to get these devices into the Meraki portal to manage. 

Is there a guide that helps us through this process? I looked around, took the webinar class, and couldn't find anything.

Any help to point me in the right direction is appreciated.

[jared_f]

Apple makes it a little tough with devices scattered all over the country. Did you buy your devices under your Apple Customer Number? If so, you could add the devices to the DEP portal via the order number of serial number and assign it to the Meraki portal and do the rest of the assigning and configuring there. But in order for the device to connect to DEP and receive its new assignment you must wipe and reset up the device. If you want it supervised then you have to set it up as a new device.

If you did not use your custom store to buy the device you can use Apple Configuration 2.5 and enroll them into your DEP, then there will be a thirty day period until the profile is locked. Also, the device must be wiped and set up as new.

With the devices so spread out you could have the user enroll via m.meraki.com. This will download the profile, but you won’t receive the supervised feature set.

Hope that helps,

Jared

[CurtSminkey]

So yes, all of our iPhones were purchased from the same vendor and then we did some "Look back" process between AT&T (who we bought them from) and Apple that took 90 days. So now most of our iPhones can be seen in the DEP portal - and any new phones get added.

As a test, in the Apple portal I assigned a device I have to Meraki MDM. But would I see that device in the Meraki portal? I don't and not sure how to I manage it from there? It doesn't seem like anything has changed - in Meraki and on the device.

Thanks for the help!

[CurtSminkey]

Oh, and I'm hoping to avoid using m.meraki.com because frankly, the people that have these phones won't do it. My impression is that DEP forces this? Maybe not?

But I do realize that is an option as a last resort.

[jared_f]

If you assigned the device to the Meraki portal you should see it under the Dep section. Try to force a sync.

[jared_f]

@CurtSminkey Do these phones ever arrive at an office of other place you guys provide WiFi access? One thing that forces our users to enroll is that is the only way to get access to corporate wireless because I push it via a WiFi profile, might be a thought for your guys.