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Shared and frontline devices

Devices ready for whoever picks them up next

A classroom cart of Chromebooks, a shop floor of iPads, a warehouse of scanners: nobody owns them, everybody uses them, and they have to work for the next person without a visit from IT. Purple MDM gives them a device policy rather than a person's, resets them between users, and lets people fix small things themselves.

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What you are up against

Why shared devices are the hardest to run

  • Nobody's device is everybody's problem

    A shared iPad left signed in to the last user, or a cart Chromebook missing its WiFi, is found by the next class, not by IT.
  • Shifts do not wait

    A frontline device that needs a technician is a device out of service for the whole shift.
  • Certificates tied to people

    A device certificate issued to one user breaks for the next, and the WiFi drops with it.

How Purple MDM is set up

How Purple MDM runs a shared fleet

  • A device policy, not a person'sShared iPads and Chromebooks carry a device certificate and device settings, so they join WiFi before anyone signs in and work for whoever picks them up.
  • Return to ServiceShared and frontline iPhones and iPads reset themselves between users, keeping their apps and settings.
  • Self-service fixesPeople install approved apps and run simple fixes, such as rejoin WiFi, from a catalog without calling IT.
  • Bulk actionsMove a whole cart between classes, push an app to every shift device or reboot a site's tablets in one previewed step.

The fleet

The shared devices Purple MDM runs

  • Chromebook cartsA device certificate, Chrome policy and a lost-device disable with your message on screen.
  • Shared iPadsSupervised, with Return to Service between users and apps with no Apple ID.
  • Shop floor tabletsAndroid fully managed, with the point-of-sale app required and everything else blocked.
  • Shift laptopsCompany sign-in on Mac and Windows, so the device's user is whoever is on shift.
  • Kiosks and screensLocked to one app, with lock, reboot and wipe from the console.
  • Scanners and rugged devicesAndroid Enterprise policy, enrolled by QR code or zero-touch.

FAQ

Questions we hear from teams like yours

How does a shared Chromebook join WiFi before anyone signs in?

It carries a device certificate, issued through Purple's extension on the sign-in screen and renewed by Purple MDM, so the cart is on the network before the first pupil opens the lid.

Can shared iPads reset themselves between users?

Yes. Return to Service wipes the user's data and returns the iPad to its configured state with its apps in place, ready for the next person.

Can staff install apps on shared devices without IT?

From the self-service catalog, yes: approved apps and simple fixes such as rejoin WiFi, with nothing outside the catalog allowed.

What happens when a shared device goes missing?

Lock, lost mode with location and wipe on Apple, Android and Chromebooks; a lost Chromebook is disabled with your message on screen.

Other use cases

  • Zero-touch deployment

    Devices enroll, configure and join the network at first switch-on, with no IT visit.
  • BYOD and personal devices

    A separate work area on personal phones, and a transparency page per person.
  • Device health and network access

    Device health feeds Purple Access: a failing device is isolated, fixed and let back.

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 enrollment, 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.

  1. We map your fleetA Purple expert maps your platforms, your groups and how devices arrive today, and answers your questions on enrollment, data regions, roles and migration.
  2. You see it on devices like yoursA demo of zero-touch enrollment, a previewed change, a failed check explained in plain English and, with Purple Access, a device moved off the network and back.
  3. 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.