What is Apple's Device Enrollment Program

Device Enrollment Program (DEP) is a key feature of Apple Business Manager (ABM) that simplifies the setup and configuration of Apple devices within organizations. It allows devices to be automatically enrolled into a Mobile Device Management (MDM) system as soon as they are powered on, ensuring they are configured with the necessary security settings and policies—without requiring manual intervention. This process is especially valuable in large-scale deployments, as it ensures consistency across all devices and significantly reduces the administrative overhead of onboarding new hardware. DEP removes the need for employees to manually install MDM profiles, as the profiles are pushed automatically during the initial setup.

Short History on DEP

Apple introduced the Device Enrollment Program (DEP) in 2013 as part of its effort to support the growing use of iPhones, iPads, and Macs in enterprise and education. DEP was designed to enable zero-touch deployment by linking devices to an organization's MDM solution at the point of purchase.

In 2018, DEP was integrated into Apple Business Manager (ABM) and Apple School Manager, streamlining Apple’s management ecosystem by combining DEP, the Volume Purchase Program (VPP), and other tools into a single platform. The standalone DEP portal was officially deprecated by the end of 2019, with all functionality migrating to ABM.

Today, DEP remains a central component of Apple Business Manager, enabling organizations to manage devices efficiently and securely from the moment they are unboxed.

Enrollment Profiles in DEP

Enrollment profiles are an integral part of the DEP process. These profiles define the settings, restrictions, and configurations that will be applied to a device upon enrollment. IT administrators can tailor profiles to specific device types, user roles, or departments—ensuring that each device aligns with organizational policies from the outset.

By automating the deployment of these profiles, DEP helps maintain compliance and security standards, and ensures a consistent experience across the fleet. Profiles can control elements such as supervision mode, MDM enrollment behavior, and setup assistant screens that are displayed (or skipped) during device initialization.

Conclusion

The Device Enrollment Program, now fully integrated into Apple Business Manager, is essential for modern Apple device lifecycle management. It allows organizations to automate enrollment into MDM, enforce security policies from the start, and maintain control over devices throughout their use. By enabling zero-touch configuration, DEP improves operational efficiency, reduces manual work for IT staff, and provides users with a streamlined out-of-box experience—making it a cornerstone of enterprise Apple device management.

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