Business to Business App Deployment with Apple iOS

Overview

SalesPad offers custom solutions for individual companies and their own unique needs. With that, the need for personalized ways to deploy and distribute the software is important. Custom developed software for iOS mobile devices requires a different approach of deployment to the customer.

With Apple's Volume Purchasing Program (VPP), developers can now distribute custom business-to-business (B2B) apps securely though the VPP Store. Developers can designate submitted applications to only select clients or customers through their unique Apple ID, allowing only them to purchase and download the application.

This document will cover the steps needed to sign up for the VPP and also provide some information on the general concept behind the B2B deployment model provided by Apple. Outlined below are the steps for enrolling in the program. These steps assume the client or customer has not registered with Apple before and they have not obtained a D-U-N-S number yet for their company.

Volume Purchase Program

Apple’s VPP allows for a great deal of customization when it comes to distribution for an organization. Several options exist for businesses to provide content in a secure environment. More importantly, the program provides SalesPad the ability to deploy unique, company-specific software to single or multiple users instead of being widely available on Apple’s App Store. This allows for a company to have a specially tailored software application available only to them. Furthermore, it grants a much more flexible update and release schedule – since the code isn’t tied to core development.

Once a business is fully enrolled in VPP, they can access content designated specifically for them on the VPP Store. This app store is very similar to the regular Apple App Store, but is tailored specifically for a business to only show the apps that were created for their use.

The VPP is available in the following countries or regions: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Enrollment Process

Two general steps are needed for customers to be involved in the B2B deployment model. First, the business will need a valid D-U-N-S number. A D-U-N-S number is a unique, nine-digit number provided by Dun & Bradstreet which is used on behalf of Apple to identify a business. This number is required to enroll in Apple’s VPP. Once a business has obtained a D-U-N-S number, they can sign up for Apple’s VPP, which enables them to download custom applications and content from the VPP Store.

Customer Steps

• Register for a D-U-N-S Number
  • A D-U-N-S number is used by Apple for verification purposes when enrolling in the VPP program for businesses.
  • Receiving a D-U-N-S number can be done here: http://www.dnb.com/get-a-duns-number.html
  • Once an organization receives its D-U-N-S number, they can enroll in the VPP.
• Enroll in VPP
  • Enrollment in the VPP can be done here: http://deploy.apple.com
  • Select the Enroll Now and VPP buttons to begin enrolling.
  • Follow Apple’s setup steps, entering any required information.
  • Assign administrators to handle app purchasing and distribution.
  • Each administrator will receive a program-specific Apple ID.

Note: This process will create an Apple ID that will be used to identify you as a target to deploy to during our build submissions to Apple. It’s important that you keep this information readily available. SalesPad will only require the Apple ID, not the password associated with it when builds are submitted.

Distribution

When an application is purchased from the VPP store, a distribution method will need to be determined – either managed distribution or redeemable codes. We suggest using the redeemable codes route for distribution, however mobile device management (MDM) is also an option. Not all MDM’s are compatible with the VPP. It is up to the customer to determine if their MDM will work for distribution.

Redeeming codes permanently transfers an application to the Apple ID that redeems the code. Codes given from Apple are sent in a spreadsheet format and each code serves as a single download for the purchased software. Purchasing multiple quantities will result in multiple redemption codes. Each time a code is redeemed, the spreadsheet containing the codes is updated on the VPP store, allowing you to monitor codes activated. This spreadsheet also includes a URL link corresponding to a code; granting users the ability to redeem the code by navigating to the URL which will enable them immediate download of the application.

Companies can also provide this information on an internal website for their users to access securely. Simply notify users when the content is available, and then direct them to a dedicated internal site where the URL information is being stored for them to access.

Lastly, one final option for distributing apps is to use the Apple Configurator 2 on a Mac. This allows codes to be redeemed without having to use an Apple ID, and allows for flexibility on the devices, such as supervised mode or single app mode. You can learn more about this setup and how to distribute using the Apple Configurator here: http://help.apple.com/configurator/mac/2.1/

Pricing

There are no associated costs in enrolling in Apple's VPP. The service is free of charge and applications can be listed as either free or paid on the VPP store. However, SalesPad will charge a yearly fee to customers who desire to keep using the B2B custom build and wish to receive core updates to it.

This yearly service fee will include to the customer:

• Developer Maintenance on Branch
  • Two schedule updates to include core bug fixes will be included in these releases. These dates will be shared across all clients, meaning there will be two fixed dates throughout the year where all clients will be receiving core updates to their custom B2B Application.
• Pull of core product onto the customer's branch for hotfix and update purposes.
• Time with developer to discuss any important or necessary changes and/or updates.

Several advantages come with subscribing to this yearly service fee:

• Custom development that cannot be added to core.
• Allows a customer to remain independent from core updates, if desired.

Note: This fee is NOT a charge for a customer using the VPP Store or B2B app setup itself, but rather a fee for developers performing necessary maintenance on a customer's B2B applications on a yearly basis for updates. Some important things to note as well:

• Builds on the VPP store will never be deleted or removed.
• If a customer decides to not subscribe to the yearly fee, then the custom application will simply remain on the VPP store without ever receiving core updates. (Keep in mind that within a certain time frame, developers will still fix any bugs that are directly related to the custom work, and will release new builds of the application and resubmit them to the VPP store again – See Our Commitment Section for more information).
• This means the customer will always have access to it as long as they are enrolled in the VPP with Apple.

Our Commitment

Initially, developed code will be released via the VPP Store as a B2B application so it can be released as soon as it’s ready. After a short time, that custom will then be merged into the mobile core product, making it available in the next mobile update to all users who download it from the regular App Store.

There may be cases where the custom cannot be merged with core. When this happens, the customer will still get their custom work from the VPP store, but in order to receive core updates, the customer must pay the yearly fee. If a customer opts out of the yearly fee, the VPP will continue to remain active without the core updates.

Bugs

Issues and bugs found within six months of the initial release that relate to the custom work done will be fixed and deployed to the customer through updating the B2B custom application. After six months, or with any bugs and issues found that do not relate to the custom work, the customer will either have to move to the core app on the app store or wait for the semi-annual custom update where latest core will be pushed to their B2B application.

Note: Any issues a customer has with the VPP Store itself, such as issues with purchasing or receiving redemption codes, needs to be directed toward Apple.

More Information

This document covers most of the basic understandings of the VPP through Apple and how B2B deployment works for iOS applications. More information on the program and its benefits, capabilities, and restrictions can be found here:

http://images.apple.com/business/docs/VPP_Business_Guide.pdf