Apart of the PointAbout What is OTA? Blog Series

Just to recap, OTA or over-the-air programming is the process of wirelessly updating Smartphones with software, updates, and services.  Nowadays, OTA occurs via SMS/text message, which is sent to a subscriber (you) with an action request.

Today, we will dig a little deeper into over-the-air programming by touching on enrollment, mobile device management, configuration profiles, what they include and what they are responsible for.

Suppose there is a large mobile automotive company, ABCx, that provides oil changes, tire service, tune-ups, windshield replacement, and detailing services. The owner has 100 employees that need to stay connected to each other, as well as with him.  For this purpose, the owner purchases a fleet of iPhones for all of his employees.   Each device needs to be configured with various settings such as email and Wi-fi settings; restrictions such as app installation, in-app purchasing, and automatic sync of mail accounts while roaming; policies such as passcode length, required passcode, and number of attempts before the device is wiped.

In order to get all of the ABCx iPhones up and running, each device must be enrolled with a mobile device management server.  The server connects with the devices wirelessly to enroll, configure and update settings, as well as remotely wipe or lock devices.  This allows for overall wireless management of every ABCx mobile device.

Before any of the iPhones can be used by the employees, updated with new software or services, configuration profiles must be created.  These profiles are XML files that configure and send information to Smartphone devices, which allow them to interact with enterprise systems; essentially the files contain instructions for the device, telling it how to act and react to our actions (the mobile user).  Configuration profiles can be signed and encrypted, which will keep data and settings safe from changes ad theft.

To give you a clearer picture….

Imagine the website for ABCx; it has 4 tabs, HOME, ABOUT US, SERVICES, and CONTACT US.  The code behind the webpages instruct the pages on how to act.  Suppose a customer was on the homepage and interested in the company’s Services.  Initially, after they roll over the SERVICES tab, the color changes, letting them know that the tab is clickable.  After clicking on the SERVICES page, voila…..they now see the offered services.  You’ve guessed correct, the code told the page how to react when the user rolled over and clicked on the tabs.

Once the configuration profile has been created, it has to be deployed or installed onto the iPhone device.  The simplest way to achieve this is to use over-the-air programming.