Choosing an Apple MDM for a small business

Write down the jobs you do again and again: setting up a Mac for a new starter, installing apps, getting updates onto every device, dealing with a lost device and everything that has to happen when someone leaves. Next to each one, note where it gets stuck today, whether that's manual work or someone missing the access they need. That list becomes your trial plan, so every MDM gets tested on the work you'll give it.

Also note whether each Mac, iPhone and iPad belongs to the company or to the person using it, and which identity service people sign in with today. An MDM can do more on a device the company owns, and it has to work with the accounts your team already uses. Keep the devices and apps that work well today in the plan too. The new MDM has to handle them as well as the things you want to fix.

Our MDM comparison can help you narrow the field to a few candidates. Ask each supplier which edition and licences cover the jobs on your list, including any add-ons and the support you'll need, and run your trial on that edition.

Then enrol one device that's typical of what your team uses. Install a business app on it, apply your security settings and test an update. Let the administrator who'll run the system do the work themselves. You'll see whether they can manage it, and where they get stuck, before you've signed anything.

Before you decide, try the jobs that come up when something goes wrong. Get someone back into an account they're locked out of, deal with a broken device and remove access for someone who's leaving. Find out who can step in when your administrator is away. In a small team, they're often the only person who knows the system.

Write down who renews the licences and certificates, and how to get back in when access is lost. Keep it where the people who are allowed to see it can find it. If a renewal is missed while your administrator is on holiday, the MDM can lose contact with your devices.

A clear dashboard helps. Check that it also shows what failed, with enough detail for someone to fix it.

Add up the licences and the time your team will spend on apps, on support questions and on getting updates installed. Don't decide based on an old free-tier limit or a rule of thumb about which MDM suits how many devices. Plans and prices change, so get a current offer for the devices you have.

You can run the MDM yourselves or have it run for you as part of a managed service. Compare both on the same list of jobs, and write down which ones stay with your team.

Apple Platform Deployment