Mobile Shared Devices
March 2023: Article by Endpoint Engineering, End User Services, Enterprise Business Services – IT Operations
David Fletcher, Hazem Elsawaf, John Jacobson, Ryan Demski, and Todd Olyowski
Background
Instead of issuing an iPhone or iPad to each employee, some departments retain a small set of devices that stay within the department for all to use. These devices are set up differently to facilitate shared use. This solution requires steps to be taken before a device can be ordered to ensure when the devices arrive, they can be configured to meet department and security needs. There are over 20,000 shared iOS devices in the environment today.
Purpose of shared devices
There are about 800 shared device projects currently setup. While each use case may vary slightly, the purpose of a shared device is to streamline common functionality while reducing purchasing of devices for each person. A frequent scenario is multiple providers using one or more apps with members but perhaps not everyday or with every member. For instance, KP LanguageConnect provides interpreting services on demand so providers need to know they can just grab the iPad, quickly launch the app, and it will behave in the exact same way each time even if they are using a different device than last time. Other examples are iPads setup for Member Checkin and Covid-19 attestation upon arrival. An additional benefit is these shared devices are managed so KP-IT can remotely locate or wipe a lost device.
Restrictions
Shared devices are configured with restrictions to apps and usage. Examples are:
- KP-IT can restrict access to unnecessary functionality such as disabling the camera or bluetooth.
- Since multiple staff members will use the device, no KP email, calendar, or contacts will be setup.
- Applications must be certified for use by the Mobility Center of Excellence and placed in the enterprise KP App Store in order to be installed. Applications selected for a project will be installed and updated automatically.
- Shared devices are not intended for individual use.
Device setup
When a shared device project is requested through a Service Now request, a form is completed to guide in the setup of the device. Thera are predefined templates available that may fit your use case and streamline your setup. If the templates do not include what you need, you may submit specific requirements. These include project name, description, region, site, owner, and additional details about the devices themselves such as serial numbers. The serial numbers are used to add the devices to the appropriate shared project. Once the mobility team has created the project, setup instructions will be sent to you. Please engage with your local IT department for setup assistance.
Deploying apps on shared mobile devices
Unlike individually managed devices, you will notice shared devices do not have an app store to install applications. Applications selected for a project will be installed and updated automatically.
Additional resources
Find out more about shared devices.
Submit a request for a shared device project through ServiceNow.
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