Apple TV Device Management

Authors - Kiran Naidu (@Kiran Kumar Naidu Srp) and Prasad Kulkarni (@Prasad Kulkarni)

1      Introduction –

Apple TV, once a device primarily for home entertainment, has evolved into a powerful tool for businesses and educational institutions. With features like AirPlay, conference room display, and centralised management through mobile device management (MDM) solutions, Apple TV can streamline operations and enhance collaboration. 

Managing multiple Apple TVs across a large organization can seem daunting, but with the right tools, it becomes a breeze. Manually setting up each Apple TV is time-consuming, requiring hours of IT effort and a per-device configuration process until now. With MaaaS360 advanced Apple TV management solution and seamless zero-touch setup via Apple's Device Enrollment Program (DEP), deploying and managing Apple TVs at scale has never been easier. This blog will help you make a sound decision as to why MaaS360 MDM is the best choice for managing your Apple TV and How Apple TV fits seamlessly into the already existing capabilities that MaaS360 provides.

2.      Uses of Apple TV –

Conference Rooms: Manage Apple TVs in conference rooms to ensure consistent settings for presentations and meetings.

Digital Signage: Manage Apple TVs used for displaying promotional content in retail stores or public spaces.

Kiosks: Set up Apple TVs in kiosks with custom apps in Single App Mode for specific use cases

Airplay:  Wirelessly stream audio, video, and photos from your Apple devices to an Apple TV, AirPlay-compatible smart TV.

3.      How is MaaS360 providing unified device management?

Unified Device Dashboard - With MaaS360, one can view and manage various apple devices like iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple TVs on a single dashboard, making it easy for admins to manage the apple ecosystem. 

Declarative Device Management (DDM) - This is a modern approach to managing Apple devices in a more efficient and scalable manner. This new method reduces the usual performance hiccups and makes it easier to scale up device management without running into the usual bottlenecks. MaaS360 has implemented the DDM capabilities on Apple TVs.

Compliance policies - MaaS360 uses the same method of configuration for an Apple TV as that of existing iPhone/iPad policy configurations (The supported payloads and restrictions list for Apple TV can be found here - https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/maas360?topic=tvos-configuring-policy-settings-devices

App Management - Apple TV app management capabilities have been kept similar to that of how we manage an iPad, iPhone or MacBook making the apple ecosystem experience being seamlessly managed under one umbrella.

To configure Apple TV with MaaS360, Please refer – https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/maas360?topic=tvos 

4.      Use Case –

A large retail chain, "Retail Co.," uses Apple TVs for digital signage across 700 store locations geographically distributed. The Apple TVs display promotional videos, store information, and real-time announcements. However, managing the settings, such as Wifi, VPN and Restrictions and App Settings, has become cumbersome and inconsistent due to the varied needs of each store.

Problem -
The IT/CIO team spends significant time manually configuring these settings on each Apple TV in different stores. This results in inconsistent experience and increased maintenance efforts.

Solution -
Using MaaS360 MDM, the IT team can remotely configure and manage the settings for all Apple TVs across the 700 store locations. The IT team enrols all Apple TVs into the MaaS360 MDM solution. Using Automated Device Enrollment (DEP) All the Apple tv devices will have a single profile pushed to the device which takes care of the enrolment very seamlessly. The IT team can use the MaaS360 MDM solution to monitor the status of each Apple TV and ensure that settings remain consistent. Any required changes or updates to the settings can be pushed remotely, ensuring all stores are updated synchronously.

5.  Benefits –

Seamless experience – As MaaS360 already supports the other apple devices like iPhone, iPads and Mac. The setup configuration and capabilities which MaaS360 provides is near identical to other apple devices, Making the entire apple ecosystem being seamlessly managed under one umbrella.

Leveraging existing MaaS360 capabilities – The way we configure policies, settings, restrictions etc on an Apple TV and way we add an app, distribute and install it will all remain same as how we configure on iPhone/iPads/Mac devices or groups.

Efficiency: Reduces the time and effort required for the IT team to manage settings, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks.

Flexibility - Allows for quick modifications of settings based on changing needs or new promotional campaigns.

6.      Conclusion -

The ability to remotely update software, install apps, and troubleshoot issues ensures that devices remain compliant and functional without the need for physical intervention. With the right strategies in place, organizations can fully harness the capabilities of Apple TV to meet their specific needs and achieve their operational goals.

Ready to streamline your device management? MaaS360 can be a great help for your org.