Use Bushel to manage + deploy business iOS devices from anywhere, for free (+ win an iPad Mini 3)

Update: Our winner has been announced! Congrats!

Congratulations to Jaime Marin—the winner of the Bushel Challenge! Jaime manages Apple devices for a mid-sized produce company that specializes in providing quality fruits and vegetables for their customers, 365 days of the year.  They’ve been able to utilize features from Bushel such as Wi-Fi configuration, app deployment, password policies, and more to streamline work processes for the team.

Thanks to all who participated in the Bushel Challenge—we hope you had a little fun along the way! While there’s only one lucky winner, everyone who participated can still manage up to three devices for free, for life. If you missed the Challenge, head on over to Bushel to learn more and get started for free today.

If you need to deploy iOS or OS X devices to your employees or organization, having cloud access to setup, deploy, and manage your fleet these days seems like a no-brainer. That’s why our go-to recommendation is Bushel, a super easy-to-use and slick web-based app that offers cloud access to deploying and managing Apple devices. The perfect supplement to Apple in the workspace, Bushel — created by JAMF Software — is a few steps ahead of the game. In this article, we walk you through how to use Bushel (which is free for up to 3 devices) to manage your fleet of Apple devices.

In special collaboration with 9to5Mac, Bushel is also offering a challenge to businesses: Try out Bushel and get entered to win free Bushel for life, as well as a free iOS device for your company.

The steps below will help you to get Bushel up and running. Once you have taken it for a test drive, you’ll be able to fill out a short survey about your experience using Bushel. Upon submitting it, you will automatically be entered into the giveaway to win an iOS device and free Bushel service. Pretty simple.

Get Started

1. Sign up for Bushel for free by creating an account here. You’ll get an email to activate your account and access the web app.

2. Next, set up your iOS or OS X devices. Bushel lets you use the software for free with up to 3 devices, and for $2/month per device after that. You have three options for setting up devices: Enroll devices you’re currently using and have in your possession, let users enroll their own devices, or utilize Apple’s Device Enrollment Program (DEP). Once you select one, Bushel walks you through a quick and easy setup process.

3. Finally, configure Bushel to coordinate all of your Apple devices at once. Once you’re up and running, you can drill into the app’s features to complete a number of tasks.

• Check device information and settings, and even export that information to integrated accounting platforms
• Utilize Apple’s Volume Purchase Program for painless app distribution; simply invite employees to receive apps, and Bushel does the rest
• Require passcodes, send lock/unlock actions remotely, and even turn on FileVault2 full disk encryption on the Mac
• Configure multiple Wi-Fi networks and company email accounts, once; they will be set up on every enrolled device

You can see these features in action in the video tutorial below:

[vimeo 126165152 w=704 h=381]

Why Bushel?

Business-class device management software has a reputation for being complicated, requiring a dedicated IT staff and scaring off small businesses or organizations that really would benefit from top-level coordination. That’s one of the big reasons Bushel has become our go-to recommendation. We’ve been playing with the most recent version, and it truly is as easy to use as any Apple product, making it possible for companies without a full-time IT staff to deploy and manage devices on their own. That’s also why we’ve teamed up with Bushel to give away unlimited service to one company that takes our challenge… 

Challenge  — Win an iOS device and free, unlimited lifetime Bushel service!

The challenge runs throughout the month, beginning today, August 3rd, and finishing on Monday, August 31st. This gives even the largest companies time to explore all of the functionality that Bushel has to offer. Then you have the chance to win.

Thanks to the Bushel team, one company that submits a Bushel Challenge Survey by August 31st at 11:59PM CT will receive Bushel for free for an unlimited amount of devices for life. Yes, the company will be able to have as many devices as it wants signed up with Bushel at absolutely no cost, forever. As an added bonus, the winner will receive a brand new 16GB iPad Mini 3 to start their Bushel experience off with a great device. This winner will also be spotlighted by 9to5Mac and Bushel when the victory is announced online.

The winner will be chosen and announced by Tuesday, September 8th, at which point the free service will begin.

Head over to www.bushel.com/bushelchallenge today to see more information about the challenge, access the survey, and sign up your free devices. Good luck!

Editors Note: As stated above, this is a sponsored partner post and Bushel has paid to remove all of the house advertising on 9to5mac today. We thank them!