Actua Case Study

Company 

Actua is a national charity that aims to prepare todays youth with foundational skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The organization provides youth with experiences that build critical skills and confidence so they can purse any career path and be strong innovators and leaders. 

Goal 

Currently, Actua has programs in every province and territory across Canada. They use Apple iPads in their year-round coding and digital skills camps, clubs and workshops for youth in Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools and communities.  

Actua found themselves spending a lot of time and money shipping iPads back and forth to us in order to do things like implement updates, add new apps or change passwords. There had to be a more efficient way to do these things. 

SupportMyMac 

Our team looked into different mobile device management systems. With iPads spread across the country from Nunavut to Nova Scotia, we needed a way that we could manage these devices from our office in Ottawa. After consideration, we decided that the best option would be to implement Jamf Pro, an Apple Device Management system.  

With Jmaf Pro we are able to troubleshoot and keep Actua’s Apple devices up to date and secure. Meanwhile, the devices will always have the proper resources, apps and services that the organization needs. 

Outcome 

There are a variety of things we can now do to Actua’s iPads from our Ottawa office no matter where the iPad is located. Here are a few of the essential ones that Actua has seen benefit from: 

• Updating and adding new apps: Jamf Pro allows us to add a new App to all the iPads that Actua chooses at one time. This allows for easy set up for their programs. 
• Change background photos: Very simple but Actua is an organization with a strong brand image. Keeping things consistent across the organization is important. Therefore, we can change the iPad’s background photo depending on the program and their overall needs.  
• Update IDs & passwords:  Through the configuration of profiles, Jamf Pro allows us to apply Wi-Fi, VPN and email settings to more users so they can connect to the resources they need easily. This includes updating and changing passwords. If a school’s Wi-Fi password changes, we can update it on all Actua’s iPads at one time rather than students having to do it on every individual device.   
• Lock devices that are missing or got lost: With so many iPads spread across so many places if one gets permanently or temporally misplaced we are able to lock it. With devices across the country, this feature gives Actua employees peace of mind that their data and files are safe and secure. 

The implementation of Jamf Pro has eliminated the hassle of having to ship iPads back and forth from Ottawa when they needed work to be done on them. We can now take a proactive approach to manage any Macs, iPads or iPhones that Actua has across the country.