What is Apple Configurator?
What do you think is the better choice, an MDM or Apple Configurator?
Can you even believe there used to be a period when education was viewed as a luxury over a necessity? Well, we have all come a long way from that! Education is now being viewed as that right, which, when violated, can have profound societal implications, capable of even downgrading it entirely. We have come to a point where education has become synonymous with quality living.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela
Children are the invaluable assets of any society. I don’t think I’ll be wrong if I describe them as the weakest section, potentially turning into “the everything” of a society at a later stage. Without safeguarding this emerging generation through quality education, dreaming of an era of competent, empowered youth would be totally unrealistic.
Extending a helping hand for Pediatric minds with Hexnode UEM
Children are the critical segment of any society. We can predict a society’s future solely based on the support and nurture we extend to this latent generation.
Pediatric minds is an organization functioning with this motto of lending a helping hand to the children in need. It is a clinic devoted to making life easier for children who are challenged with autism, neurodevelopmental disorders, behavioral and emotional challenges, ADHD, and other developmental delays including speech delays and learning disabilities.
“Having a child with special needs is very difficult, and we have a long road ahead. But I am hopeful you have given our family hope that she will grow up to lead a happy, meaningful life,”
Shares a happy parent on their impactful journey with Pediatric minds
It was thus, not possible to confine all their services to the center; some of the behavioral therapists required client visits at distant locations. Under this circumstance, a new idea of deploying tablets to reduce their workload was adopted. With these devices, the work data could now be recorded quickly and securely, helping the therapists spend their valuable time with children rather than on the related paperwork.
“Everything is working out pretty well and haven’t had any user issues. The resetting process is simple.”
Says Israel Martinez, the Information Technology Coordinator at Pediatric Minds on Hexnode
Hexnode UEM as the solution
| Issue | Role of Hexnode UEM in rectifying it |
| Time–consuming device setup process (over 30 minutes per device) | Easier and faster device setup process with single console management of Hexnode
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| Getting device information when required | Device scan feature for real-time device status
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| Varied application requirements | Easy application installation directly from Hexnode UEM console
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Hexnode UEM as a tool for youth betterment
We are living in a generation that knows the value of education. The “right to education” being addressed as a human right is a clear evidence of this realization.
Latino youth high school is a public charter school founded to address the issue of high dropout rate among the children in the Pilsen community and also to help the youth needing a second chance to obtain a high school diploma. Latino youth high school is now an initiative under the Pilsen wellness center, a non-profit organization intended to provide services to Chicago’s Latino communities. With its unique four-level operation, including mental health, substance abuse, youth service, and education, the organization intends to improve the youth and the people’s quality of life.
Its ideal learning environment backed by a student-centric approach, emphasizing individual instruction along with social-emotional support services, has given it a distinctive aura. Additionally, the organization’s significant role in counseling and addiction treatment services has made it one of its kind.
For an educational institution providing better quality education is one of the critical areas of concern. On exploring the various possibilities of enhancing the learning methodologies, they came across a method that proved to be really effective –the iPad as a learning tool. The organization implemented this strategy and began simplifying the complexity of education while making it more effective at the same time. Initially, configuring the devices was totally reliant on the Apple configurator. Connecting the device to the mac and manually installing and modifying the configuration profile was an inevitable process.
This was an easy process for a device or two, but with a larger number of devices requiring such a setup, it began becoming cumbersome. It was then that the updated version, i.e., Apple configurator 2, took over the earlier used version, further complicating the whole process of device setup. Different levels of education required different apps which needed installation upon the requests from the teachers. With this level-based app requirement, the device management process became yet more complicated. A UEM thus became a requirement rather than an option.
Hexnode UEM as the solution
| Issue | Role of Hexnode UEM in rectifying it |
| Complicated device management with apple configurator | Easier device management with Hexnode UEM
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| Installing apps upon request from teachers in school | Remote app installation
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| Track device location | Location tracking feature for exact device location
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| Prevent device alterations | Monitoring of installed apps and their alterations from the Hexnode portal, making UEM profile non-removable
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Towards more effective education with Hexnode UEM
Smart devices have become a part of our educational routine. Organizations, including schools are increasingly adopting them for enhancing the learning abilities of their students. With this new modification, device management solutions too have become indispensable elements.
“It just makes life so much easier. Okay, if we need to reset an Android tablet what we will have to do is to link it to Hexnode…
…all the apps for each department just get automatically installed.”
Says Ryan Boundy, ITC at Sir John Hunt CSC on Hexnode
Hexnode UEM as the solution
| Issue | Role of Hexnode UEM in rectifying it |
| Restricting student access to essential apps and features | Easy kiosk mode
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| Broadcast text messages to devices | Hexnode Messenger enabling notification even in Kiosk mode
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| Difficulty in pushing in-house apps manually | Pushing enterprise apps to devices in bulk
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SKS was yet another organization that took a step further and purchased iPads for an enhanced learning experience. A list of grade-specific applications had to be installed on the device. With a large fleet of devices to manage, the use of the apple configurator for individual device management became a tedious job. Restricting the device to educational apps alone was yet another challenge. With the aid of Hexnode UEM, all these device management challenges quickly vanished into thin air.
“It has really made my job a lot more easier in terms of dealing with or managing the iPads.”
Says Joshua McHugh, IT Admin at SKS on Hexnode
Hexnode UEM as the solution
| Issue | Role of Hexnode UEM in rectifying it |
| Need for school to install grade–specific apps on the device | Easy remote application installation
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| Multiple device management becoming difficult with the apple configurator | Integration with ABM for better device management
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| Restricting the device deployed by school to apps and features essential for educational purposes alone | Kiosk modes, blacklisting and whitelisting
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