Get APN Business SSL Certificate

With the tremendous growth of mobile devices, more and more companies are adopting a mobile device management solution to manage them. To control and manage iOS-based mobile devices, a business must adopt an iOS-based mobile device management solution. An Apple Push Notification Service (APN) certificate from Apple is a prerequisite for implementing an iOS-based MDM platform. These certificates are valid only for devices based on iOS 3.0 or higher.

What is APN?

APNs or Apple Push Notification Service is a mobile solution hosted by Apple that allows enterprises to communicate with endpoints in the cloud by sending notifications. Using the iOS-based MDM platform, administrators can push notifications to iOS devices from the cloud anytime, anywhere. It goes without saying that APNs are only relevant for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch devices.

The APNs server maintains a persistent Internet connection with the mobile device. The third-party server or provider interacts with Apple’s push notification server to send notifications to the iOS mobile device. Once the APN server receives the alert, it sends the message to the iOS mobile device. The user is then notified of the update via an audible alert, an alert message, or by updating the badge on the app icon. Since the mobile device does not poll the APN server every few minutes, the battery of the mobile device is not unnecessarily drained. In addition to improving mobile device battery life, the APN service also offers seamless performance over Wi-Fi or cellular network.

Obtain an APNs certificate

To get the benefits of an APN service, a business must first enroll in the Apple Enterprise Developer Program by paying an annual membership fee of $299. An Apple Enterprise account must be created to access iOS proprietary resources. Once the user has signed in to the Apple developer portal, a set of tutorials, videos, and reference documents are available for APN certificates.

To create a business account, it is mandatory for an organization to have

1. A valid Dun & Bradstreet DUN number. The DUN number is a unique number and a widely recognized standard for identifying companies in the marketplace and regulatory entities.
2. Apple’s approval for the iOS Developer Enterprise Program. The Enterprise Program allows an organization to develop and distribute iOS applications within the organization.

Apple business membership must be renewed every passing year. With a single Apple business account, multiple APN certificates can be created. Certificates are valid for one year, from the date of issue, and must be recharged each year.

When the user logs in to the Apple Developer Portal to create an APN certificate, they are required to have an Agent Developer account role (Admin role access is not sufficient). The certificate can be generated from a Mac server or a Windows server. Regardless of the operating system, the key steps to create an APNs certificate are:

1. Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
2. Upload the CSR to the Apple Developer Portal
3. Download Signed Certificate/Complete CSR Application
4. Export the APNs Certificate
5. Upload the APN certificate to the third-party MDM provider portal of your choice.

Finally, after uploading the APN certificate to the MDM provider portal, administrators can manage and perform different actions on iOS mobile terminals using the iOS MDM platform.

So don’t wait. Go ahead and buy your APNs certificate; Get one step closer to managing your iOS devices!