PSA: Apple business and education DEP and VPP users need to upgrade to new programs

Apple business and education customers using the Device Enrollment Program (DEP) or Volume Purchase Program (VPP) will need to upgrade to a new program no later than the end of November …

Apple is replacing them with new Apple School Manager and Apple Business Manager systems, and deprecating the existing services on December 1 of this year.

It has issued almost identical notices for each.

If your education organization currently uses Apple Deployment Programs like the Device Enrollment Program or Volume Purchase Program, you can upgrade to Apple School Manager.

Apple School Manager is a service that lets you buy content, configure automatic device enrollment in your mobile device management (MDM) solution, and create accounts for your students and staff. Apple School Manager is accessible on the web and is designed for technology managers, IT administrators, staff, and instructors.

To upgrade to Apple School Manager,* sign in to deploy.apple.com or school.apple.com using your Apple Deployment Programs Agent account, then follow the onscreen instructions.

The business version directs users to business.apple.com, and notes that existing VPP purchasers can be transferred to the new system.

If your organization only uses the Volume Purchase Program (VPP), you can enroll in Apple Business Manager and then invite existing VPP Purchasers to your new Apple Business Manager account.

Apple says that the move is designed to make life easier for admins by bringing together all the tools needed in one place.

Apple School Manager is a simple, web-based portal for IT administrators to deploy iOS, macOS and tvOS devices all from one place. When used with your mobile device management (MDM) solution, you can configure device settings and buy and distribute apps and books. And Apple School Manager integrates with Student Information Systems (SISs) and SFTP so you can quickly create accounts with school rosters and classes.

If you are already enrolled in the Device Enrolment Programme (DEP) or the Volume Purchase Programme (VPP), you may be able to upgrade your existing programmes to Apple School Manager, bringing together everything needed to deploy iOS, macOS and tvOS devices. For more information, see Upgrade to Apple School Manager.

The business support link is this one.

Apple business and education customers can find more useful links at the support page.