Have you ever had to manage devices from a DEP instance you don’t control or even own? Or send DEP or BYOD devices to another campus where they need to be managed with a different MDM? This was the situation we encountered last year, and here’s how we solved it.

Institutional Context

Our institution has expanded globally, adding new international campuses in Spain. These schools serve students from K–12, with management needs that differ significantly from those in the U.S. Because of local legal and operational differences, we chose to build independent technology stacks for each campus, modeled after our flagship U.S. campus. This provided consistency while allowing for flexibility.

• U.S. campus: Jamf Pro + Protect; BYOD model for students, DEP-managed devices for staff and faculty.
• Spanish campuses: Jamf Pro + Protect + Connect + Safe Internet; all DEP-managed, school-owned student devices.

This design gave Spain the flexibility to support younger students in a day-school environment, while the U.S. supported high-school students in a 24-hour boarding program. Both stacks still needed to serve students, faculty, classes, vendors, and integrations, while also building a larger cross-campus IT team to share support and best practices.

The Challenge

The biggest hurdle came when students moved between campuses:

• U.S. students (BYOD): Easily offboarded and re-onboarded.
• Spain-based students (DEP): Difficult to transition because devices remained tied to a single DEP instance.

The Solution

We connected our independent Apple DEP portals. By establishing a trusted, cross-referenced link:

• Each campus gained the ability to assign devices to the other’s Jamf instance.
• Devices could move between campuses while retaining DEP ownership.
• No device erasure was required, as long as the MDM profile was removable.

• Because we already had strong onboarding and offboarding workflows, this process integrated smoothly into our existing model. Looking ahead, we envision a future where this exchange is managed automatically—perhaps even by students or families through Self Service.

   

  The Outcome

  Ultimately, supporting a mobile student population came down to one question:
  How do we bridge two independent technology ecosystems?

  The answer was not consolidation, but connection. By cross-referencing DEP portals, we created a pathway for devices to be reassigned across Jamf instances, ensuring seamless transitions while maintaining autonomy for each campus.

  This approach shows that with the right framework, institutions can balance independence with consistency and deliver a unified experience for students, no matter where they are.