Lightspeed Mobile Manager Integrates with Apple DEP

Lightspeed Systems has updated its mobile device management (MDM) solution with full integration for Apple’s (APPL) Device Enrollment Program to give IT administrators key features for device implementation and management in the education vertical. The integration will help school admins gain more control over their devices and increase the functionality of their mobile programs in the classroom.

Lightspeed said mobile devices now can be enrolled in its Mobile Manager MDM solution wirelessly with policies already in place, so devices can be used by students and teachers without the need to manually install programs, according to Digital Journal. Mobile Manager also gives schools more control over their devices, including the ability to prevent student users from removing MDM profiles and policies from their device. These changes can be made quickly and remotely through the program’s integration with DEP, the company noted.

"Schools have been asking for these capabilities," said Rob Chambers, vice president of Product Development at Lightspeed Systems, in a prepared statement. "We're excited that with the new Apple DEP program we are able to continue to meet the needs of schools deploying iOS devices."

Apple released its Device Enrollment Program in February to streamline efforts to secure iOS devices in the classroom. The DEP allows administrators to set up specific accounts for their organization or department and gives these admins the ability to choose the parameters of their MDM settings.

DEP is one of the latest efforts to help educational tablet users lock down their devices to ensure that students and teachers are using them correctly in the classroom. With the addition of wireless management to school devices, the program has become more user-friendly, as Apple has slowly but surely ramped up the amount of control given to administrators over corporate-owned, personally enabled (COPE) devices in the past few years. Lightspeed’s latest development puts the company on even footing with VMware (VMW)-owned AirWatch, which announced its own support for DEP back in March.