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Apple Business Manager / Apple School Manager

Last Updated: May 2025
Implementation Effort: Medium – Setting up integration with Apple Business Manager (ABM) or Apple School Manager (ASM) requires coordination between Intune and Apple portals, token management, and device assignment workflows.
User Impact: Low – End users are not directly involved in the setup or maintenance; devices are pre-configured before reaching users.

Introduction​

Apple Business Manager (ABM) and Apple School Manager (ASM) are Apple’s web-based portals for managing device assignments and enabling Automated Device Enrollment (ADE). Integrating ABM/ASM with Intune is essential for establishing a secure, scalable, and Zero Trust-aligned provisioning process for macOS devices.

This guidance applies to both new deployments and organizations that have already integrated ABM/ASM and want to evaluate their setup through a Zero Trust lens.

Why This Matters​

  • Enables zero-touch provisioning for corporate macOS devices via ADE.
  • Ensures device supervision, which unlocks additional management capabilities.
  • Prevents device removal from management, reducing the risk of unmanaged endpoints.
  • Supports Zero Trust by enforcing enrollment and configuration at the hardware level.
  • Simplifies lifecycle management by automating device assignment and enrollment.

Key Considerations​

ABM/ASM Integration with Intune​

  • Link ABM or ASM to Intune by uploading the MDM server token in the Intune admin center.
  • Assign devices to the Intune MDM server in ABM/ASM to enable ADE.
  • Renew the MDM server token annually to maintain connectivity.

This integration ensures that only devices acquired through trusted channels are eligible for enrollment, establishing a hardware-rooted trust foundation.

Device Assignment​

  • Devices purchased through Apple or authorized resellers can be automatically added to ABM/ASM.
  • Assign devices to the correct MDM server before they are powered on to ensure zero-touch enrollment.
  • Use serial numbers or order numbers to manually add devices if needed.
  • For existing environments, audit device assignments to confirm all corporate devices are properly scoped and enrolled.

Enrollment Profiles​

  • Create and assign enrollment profiles in Intune to define the Setup Assistant experience.
  • Configure profiles to:
    • Skip unnecessary setup screens.
    • Enforce MDM enrollment (non-removable).
    • Assign default configuration and compliance policies.
  • Use different profiles for BYOD and corporate devices if needed.
  • Profiles can also be scoped based on device role (e.g., kiosk, developer, standard user) to ensure that only the necessary configurations are applied, supporting least privilege access.

Supervision and Security​

  • Devices enrolled via ADE are automatically supervised.
  • Supervision enables additional restrictions (e.g., blocking system preferences, enforcing FileVault).
  • Prevents users from removing MDM management from System Settings.
  • Supervision also allows for tighter control over system-level settings and extensions, reducing the attack surface on managed macOS devices.

Operational Best Practices​

  • Use a dedicated Apple ID for ABM/ASM administration.
  • Document and restrict access to ABM/ASM to authorized personnel.
  • Regularly audit device assignments and enrollment profile mappings to ensure they reflect current device roles and risk levels.

Zero Trust Considerations​

  • Verify explicitly: ABM/ASM ensures that only trusted, corporate-owned devices are enrolled and evaluated.
  • Assume breach: Supervision and enforced MDM enrollment reduce the risk of tampering or unmanaged access.
  • Least privilege: Enrollment profiles can be scoped to apply only the necessary configurations based on device type or role.
  • Hardware-rooted trust: Devices must originate from trusted sources to be eligible for management.
  • Continuous trust: Devices remain under management throughout their lifecycle, supporting ongoing compliance and access control.

Recommendations​

  • Integrate ABM or ASM with Intune early in your deployment to enable secure, automated enrollment.
  • Assign devices to the Intune MDM server before deployment to ensure zero-touch provisioning.
  • Use enrollment profiles to enforce supervision, skip unnecessary setup steps, and apply default policies.
  • Renew the MDM server token annually to maintain ABM/ASM connectivity.
  • Audit device assignments and profile mappings regularly to ensure alignment with your provisioning and Zero Trust strategy.
  • Restrict ABM/ASM access and use a dedicated Apple ID for administrative tasks.
  • For existing environments, review whether all corporate devices are assigned and enrolled via ADE, and adjust profile scoping to reflect current risk levels and device roles.

References​