Every iPhone and iPad in a company fleet needs the same thing a laptop does: to live in the same inventory as the rest of your assets, not off in a separate system only Apple touches. iOS Device Management is what keeps those devices enrolled, configured, and secure, but managed in isolation, it means losing visibility of a growing part of your infrastructure.
This post shows how to bring iPhones and iPads into your IT inventory with InvGate Asset Management as the central platform, using Jamf as the Mobile Device Management (MDM) behind them: what to set up before you start, the step-by-step of the integration itself, and what to track once your iOS devices are in.
Choosing an MDM for Apple devices
Apple provides its own device enrollment and management tools through Apple Business Manager (or Apple School Manager for education), but most organizations pair it with a dedicated MDM to get bulk enrollment, configuration profiles, and policy enforcement in one place. Jamf is the most widely used option, and it comes in two flavors depending on who you're managing devices for.
-
Jamf Pro is built for businesses: it manages iOS, macOS, and tvOS devices, and covers device enrollment (through Apple Business Manager), configuration profiles, app and content distribution, and security policies like passcode requirements, encryption, and remote wipe.
-
Jamf School is the education-focused version: it integrates with Apple School Manager and the Classroom app, supports Shared iPad for multiple students on one device, and gives teachers and administrators remote management and troubleshooting tools built around a classroom setting.
What you need before managing iOS devices
Before you enroll a single iPhone or iPad, a few decisions and pieces of setup need to be in place:
- An Apple Business Manager (or Apple School Manager) account - this is where device enrollment and app licensing get managed at the organization level, and where you connect Apple's programs to your MDM.
- A device ownership model - know which devices are company-owned and which are Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), since that decides how much control your MDM can exercise over each one.
- An enrollment method for each case - company-owned devices purchased through Apple Business Manager can use supervised, automated enrollment; BYOD devices go through user-initiated enrollment with a narrower set of permissions to respect personal data.
- An MDM solution - Jamf Pro or Jamf School, set up and ready to enroll devices under the ownership model and enrollment method you chose.
How to manage iOS devices with InvGate Asset Management
InvGate Asset Management allows you to create a unified inventory and monitor your organization's devices, and it offers a wide range of integrations to do it. Here's how it works with Jamf.
Jamf is a Mobile Device Management application that manages, secures, and inventories iOS devices through Apple's built-in MDM framework. By integrating both tools, everything Jamf reports shows up directly in your InvGate Asset Management instance.
To set it up, go to Settings > Discovery > Discovery sources in InvGate Asset Management and open the catalog: from there you can choose between Jamf Pro and Jamf School, and that same screen walks you through the exact credentials and setup steps for whichever one you use.
InvGate Asset Management and Jamf integration
Once the integration is running, you can use the data it brings in to extend InvGate Asset Management's capabilities for IT Asset Management to your iOS fleet:
- Reporting - build reports and dashboards that combine iOS devices with the rest of your IT inventory, instead of pulling separate exports from Jamf.
- Smart Tags - InvGate Asset Management's Smart Tags automatically group and filter iOS devices by their attributes, the same way you would with a laptop or a server.
- Relationships - map each iPhone or iPad to its owner, related contracts, or any other Configuration Item (CI) in your inventory.
- Configuration Management Database (CMDB) - every synced iOS device becomes a Configuration Item, connected to the rest of your IT infrastructure.
- Automation - trigger actions and notifications on iOS device records using the same automation rules you already use for other assets.
1. Check the requirements
Before you start working on your InvGate Asset Management and Jamf integration, make sure you meet all the requirements:
- A functioning instance of Jamf Pro, the MDM application for iOS devices.
- An InvGate Asset Management instance with administrator access - keep in mind you can start with a 30-day free trial.
- A user account in Jamf with at least "Auditor" permissions, which will be used for the integration setup.
2. Connect it and see what data it collects
Once you have Jamf installed on your devices and reporting to your instance, you'll be able to see this on each asset's profile:
- Type.
- Manufacturer.
- Model.
- Serial Number.
- IMEI (phones/tablets).
- IPv4.
- MAC.
- Processor.
- RAM.
- Storage.
- Is supervised.
- JAMF last inventory.
Note: iPhones and iPads managed through Jamf sync through its API rather than the InvGate Agent, so Agent-dependent features like Health rules (which read live CPU, RAM, and disk usage) don't apply to them the way they would to an Agent-managed computer.
3. Weigh the pros and cons
When it comes to this specific integration, we can highlight the following advantages:
- Enhanced visibility into iOS device inventory and configurations.
- Ability to analyze data from Jamf-managed devices alongside other assets in InvGate Asset Management.
- Streamlined management and reporting capabilities for iOS devices.
However, take into account its downside:
- The integration's capabilities may be limited due to certain restrictions imposed by Apple's policies and MDM protocols.
- Some data points may not be accessible or available for collection due to device-level restrictions.
Keeping iOS devices in your inventory: What to track
Jamf covers device-level data and MDM policy. Once those iPhones and iPads are asset records in InvGate Asset Management, you can layer on everything an MDM doesn't track:
- Owner - who has the device today, kept current as devices get reassigned.
- Location - which office, site, or cost center the device belongs to.
- Warranty - AppleCare or manufacturer coverage, with automated reminders before it expires.
- Contracts - the carrier plan, insurance, or service agreement tied to the device.
- Lifecycle stage - from in stock, to assigned, to retired, so you know exactly where every iPhone and iPad stands.
That's the layer Jamf alone won't give you, and it's what turns an MDM console into a full IT inventory.
Wrapping up
A comprehensive approach to iOS Device Management covers everything from enrolling devices and configuring settings to enforcing security policies and keeping every iPhone and iPad accounted for in your inventory.
Start a 30-day free trial of InvGate Asset Management, or talk to Sales to set up the Jamf integration for your fleet.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Device Management in iOS?
Device Management in iOS is the process of remotely controlling and configuring iOS devices within an organization. It lets administrators enforce security policies, distribute apps, and manage device settings from a centralized platform.
2. How to manage company iOS devices?
Organizations manage company iOS devices by pairing Apple Business Manager, which handles enrollment and app licensing at the organization level, with a dedicated MDM platform like Jamf, which can be integrated with ITAM solutions for full coverage. Together, these tools handle device enrollment, configuration, app distribution, and policy enforcement.
3. How to manage multiple iOS devices?
MDM solutions let administrators remotely configure device settings, deploy applications, enforce security policies, and monitor device status and usage across a whole fleet of iOS devices at once, rather than one at a time.
4. Can Jamf manage Android?
No, Jamf is built for managing Apple devices running iOS, macOS, and tvOS, and doesn't offer native support for managing Android devices. Other MDM solutions, like Google Endpoint Management or SOTI MobiControl, specialize in that instead.
5. What are the benefits of iOS Device Management?
Stronger security through enforced passcodes, encryption, and remote wipe; streamlined device configuration and app distribution at scale; centralized control to track inventory and deploy updates from one place; and faster, more proactive IT support since teams can monitor and troubleshoot devices remotely.
6. What are the challenges of iOS Device Management?
Setting it up takes planning and expertise, especially across a diverse device fleet where app compatibility and firmware versions vary. Balancing MDM control with user privacy takes clear policies, and Apple's own restrictions on certain device functionalities can limit how much control administrators actually have. Tagging and monitoring devices in a unified inventory, and setting up automation for compliance checks, address most of this directly.
