Chromebooks, iPads and staff laptops, ready on day one
A school runs three fleets at once: Chromebook carts shared between pupils, iPads for classes and SEND, and laptops for staff. Purple MDM connects your Google Admin in a few clicks, enrols iPads and Macs at first switch-on, and gives every device the right WiFi certificate before anyone signs in.
- Claimed under your organisation
- Settings rendered for the platform
- Apps and WiFi certificate issued
- Encryption on, key stored
What you are up against
The school year does not wait for IT
September
Hundreds of devices arrive in August and every one has to be enrolled, configured and on WiFi before the first lesson, with a team of one or two.Shared carts
A cart Chromebook belongs to nobody and is used by everybody, so a missing WiFi certificate or a stuck sign-in is found by a class, not by IT.Lost and broken devices
A Chromebook that goes home and does not come back, an iPad locked to a leaver's Apple ID, and a replacement budget that nobody can plan.
How Purple MDM is set up
How Purple MDM is set up for a school
- Chromebooks through your Google AdminConnected in a few clicks, keeping the organisational units you already have. Chrome policy, inventory and WiFi certificates before sign-in, so shared carts carry a device certificate rather than a pupil's.
- iPads and Macs at first switch-onDevices bought through Apple School Manager enrol themselves and arrive supervised, with apps from Apps and Books and no Apple ID on the device.
- Year-end moves in one stepMove every device between classes or year groups in one previewed step, and run the auto-update expiry report for the replacement budget.
- Lost devicesA lost Chromebook is disabled with the school's message on screen; iPads get lost mode with location, and Activation Lock is handled so wiped devices can be reused.
- Staff MacsIn compliancemacOS 15, EAP-TLS WiFi, FileVault
- Frontline iPadsPreviewing changeSupervised, shared, Return to ServiceRoll-outTest groupRolled outWhole groupWaiting for you
- Office PCsIn complianceWindows 11, BitLocker, LAPS
Revisions
The fleet
The school fleet
- Chromebook cartsChrome policy, a device certificate and a lost-device disable, through your Google Admin.
- Classroom iPadsSupervised, shared with Return to Service, apps without Apple IDs.
- Staff laptopsMacs and Windows PCs with encryption on, keys stored and company sign-in.
- SEND and one-to-one devicesA policy per group, with restrictions set as forms.
- Office PCsBitLocker, Windows LAPS and update deadlines from the same console.
- The WiFiCertificates issued and renewed automatically; with Purple Access, device health decides who gets on.
FAQ
Questions we hear from teams like yours
Do we have to change our Google Admin setup?
No. Purple MDM connects through your existing Google Admin and keeps the organisational units you have. Chromebooks move between units when their groups say so.
How do shared Chromebooks join WiFi before a pupil signs in?
They carry a device certificate, requested through Purple's extension on the sign-in screen and renewed by Purple MDM, so the cart is on the network before the lid is opened.
Can we see which Chromebooks need replacing?
Yes. The auto-update expiry report lists every Chromebook with its expiry date, which is the figure the replacement budget needs.
Does Purple MDM filter what pupils can reach?
Purple MDM manages the devices. Content filtering on the school WiFi is Purple Shield's job, and the two run side by side.
Other industries
Multi-academy trusts
One console for every school in the trust, with central baselines and a group per site.Colleges
Workshop PCs, media Macs, loan iPads and staff laptops in one console.Higher education
A group per faculty, Linux research machines included, personal devices handled as personal.
See every device in one console, on your own fleet
Tell us which devices you run, how many, and what you manage them with today. The Purple team shows you Purple MDM on a fleet like yours: zero-touch enrolment, a change previewed and undone, a failed check explained in a sentence, and a device moved off the network and back. Already a Purple customer? Sign in to the app with your Purple account.
- We map your fleetA Purple expert maps your platforms, your groups and how devices arrive today, and answers your questions on enrolment, data regions, roles and migration.
- You see it on devices like yoursA demo of zero-touch enrolment, a previewed change, a failed check explained in plain English and, with Purple Access, a device moved off the network and back.
- You get your quotePriced per device, per month, for the platforms you run, direct or through your Purple partner, with a move in waves planned if you are coming from another MDM.
Your demo
Tell us your fleet. We show you Purple MDM running it.
A Purple expert comes back to book a demo on devices like yours, from the team behind Purple WiFi and Purple Access.