Glossary

Actions

Links that allow direct customer experiences within your organisation’s website or app or those of a trusted third-party partner. These links, which you create using the Apple Business API, appear as optional buttons and links near the top of the place card.

Apple Account

A personal account users use to access Apple services like the App Store, iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, the Apple Online Store and more. It includes the information necessary to sign in, as well as all the contact, payment and security details that Apple services require. (A personal Apple Account is also known as an unmanagedApple Account.) See also Managed Apple Account.

Apple Customer Number

The account number (or numbers) that Apple assigns to your organisation to purchase Apple hardware or software. It’s required in order to verify your organisation’s eligibility for certain programmes. If you don’t know the numbers, contact your purchasing agent, finance department or Apple account team. This number isn’t the same as your GSX account number. When entering your Apple Customer Number, omit any leading zeros.

Apple School Manager

A simple, web-based portal for IT administrators that provides a fast, streamlined way for you to deploy Apple devices that your organisation purchases directly from Apple or from a participating Apple Authorised Reseller or mobile network operator. You can automatically enrol devices in a device management service without having to physically touch or prepare the devices before users receive them.

Authentication

Retrieving a credential from an authority after providing an assertion that proves your identity.

authorisation

Retrieving a token from an Authority after authentication is done by providing an assertion that proves your identity.

Backup

A copy of important data that includes information such as the layout of the Home Screen, app data (such as Safari bookmarks and Calendar events), anything you can set in Settings on the device (including restrictions, certificates and some account types), contacts and the Camera Roll (but not photo albums). Backups don’t include apps or media that you would normally sync using the Finder (macOS 10.15 or later), using iTunes (macOS 10.14 or earlier), or stored in iCloud or iCloud Drive. A backup of an unsupervised device is identical to and interchangeable with a Finder or iTunes backup, and can be restored only to an unsupervised device. Similarly, a backup of a supervised device can be restored only to another supervised device.

bootstrap token

A device management-based feature that automatically provides a secure token on all mobile accounts. Specifically, a bootstrap token helps with granting a secure token to both mobile accounts and to the optional device enrolment-created administrator account (“managed administrator”). In macOS 11 or later, the bootstrap token can grant a secure token to any user logging in to a Mac computer, including local user accounts.

brand

In an organisation, a unit that operates one or more locations under the same name. The organisation name and brand name may be the same or entirely different.

Branded Mail

Gives business owners the ability to add a brand logo and name to their business emails when using Apple Business.

configuration profile

An XML file (ending in .mobileconfig) that consists of payloads that load settings and authorisation information onto Apple devices. Configuration profiles automate the configuration of settings, accounts, restrictions and credentials. A device management service can create these files or you can create them manually or with Apple Configurator for Mac.

cover photo

Along with a logo, together are called a place card header. It’s what customers see when they select a location in Maps and Apple Wallet.

D-U-N-S number

A nine-digit identifier that Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) assigns to each business in its database. Apple cross-checks program enrollees with the D&B database. For more information on how to obtain a D-U-N-S number for your business, see Welcome to D&B Support.

device management service

A service that lets an administrator securely and remotely configure devices by sending configurations, profiles and commands to the device, whether the user owns the device or the organisation owns it. Capabilities include updating software and device settings, monitoring compliance with organisational policies and remotely wiping or locking devices. Users can enrol their own devices in a device management service and organisations can automatically enrol organisation-owned devices using Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager.

domain

The base name for a website or the content after the @ symbol in an email address. For example in www.melardclothing.com, the domain would be melardclothing.com.

duplicates

In device management, two or more identical payloads. For example, a Certificates payload often involves more than one certificate and a VPN payload may involve more than one VPN setting. Two or more specific payloads can’t be active for a device or user; the payload needs to be single.

Enrolment methods

The three main methods of device enrolment in a device management service: User Enrolment, Device Enrolment, and Automated Device Enrolment.

eSIM (embedded-SIM)

A software-based SIM in Apple Watch Series 3 or later; in iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or later; and in every iPad released since the third-generation iPad Pro.

federated authentication

The process of using an account’s username and password from an identity provider (IdP) and allowing use of the same username and password in other systems.

Government ID

A unique identifier assigned to organisation entities for tax purposes. It’s used by the government to track and manage tax-related activities. The specific name and format of the Government Issued ID can vary by country or region.

identity

You can freely distribute certificates, but you need to keep identities secure. You use the freely distributed certificate and its public key for encryption processes that you can only decrypt with the matching private key. The system stores the private key part of an identity in a PKCS12 (.p12) file that it encrypts with another key that requires a passphrase.

identity federation

The establishment of trust between identity providers (IdPs) across security domains.

insights

A way to see how customers are finding your brand’s location.

location

A physical place where an organisation conducts business with customers.

Managed Apple Account

An account that a business or educational institution creates, owns and manages to allow users to access Apple services. These are separate from unmanaged Apple Accounts users create for themselves. (An unmanaged Apple Account is also known as a personalApple Account.) See also Apple Account.

organisation

A legal entity with a D-U-N-S number that may own one or more brands, may own or rent one or more locations and may employ people.

Organisation ID

An Organisation ID is your unique identifier in Apple Business. When you give a participating Apple Authorised Reseller or an authorised mobile network operator your Organisation ID (and you add that reseller’s Reseller Number to your account profile), you authorise that reseller to submit devices you purchased through them to Apple so their serial numbers appear in Apple Business. The Organisation ID can also be used with app developers so they can distribute Custom Apps specific to your organisation.

payload

At least one managed setting. Some settings, such as LDAP, can have more than one payload. Use payloads to administer increased network security, user authentication, Wi-Fi authentication, VPN policy settings, mail settings and more. See also settings.

photos

Photos used to promote your brands and locations.

place card

The card customers see when they select a location in Maps and Apple Wallet. The place card contains the logo and the cover photo.

Reseller Number

A Reseller Number is a unique identifier for each Apple Authorised Reseller or authorised mobile network operator who participates in Apple Business. When you add a participating Apple Authorised Reseller’s or network operator’s Reseller Number to your account profile (and you give that reseller your Organisation ID), you authorise that reseller or network operator to submit devices you purchased through them to Apple so their serial numbers appear in Apple Business.

Service account

A special type of account intended to represent a system that needs to authenticate and be authorised to access the API.

settings

In the context of device management, unique identifiers apply to specific apps, features or connectivity functions, such as Exchange, passcodes, VPN, Wi-Fi, proxies and so forth. For example, the name of a Wi-Fi network or information about how to authenticate to an Exchange server might be a setting. After entering settings for a given app, feature or connectivity function, they become a payload. See also payload.

Shared iPad

Use the Shared iPad feature to let multiple students use the same iPad in a classroom. In this way, learning experiences can be personal even though the devices are shared. Not only are transitions from class to class greatly simplified, but also save time. It’s easier to pick up right where students left off and automatically save student work. When using Shared iPad with Classroom, intelligent caching helps accelerate student sign-ins by returning students to the iPad they were previously using.

Showcase

An item that gets created frequently, appearing just below the place card. A showcase may offer special discounts, updated menus or events.

Single Sign-on

A process in which a user provides authentication and authorisation information once and receives a ticket to access resources for as long as the ticket is valid (usually 10 hours).

supplier

The entity you purchase eligible devices from. If you purchase the device directly from Apple using a purchase order (PO), then you enter your Apple Customer Number as your supplier using the Apple (Direct) option. If you purchase your device through a participating Apple Authorised Reseller or mobile network operator, then you add them as a supplier to your account by entering their Reseller Number using the Reseller option. You add each supplier to your account only once. See also Reseller Number.

team

The users you’ve added to Apple Business along with their role or roles. For example, a user on your team might edit brand and location information.

third-party partner

An organisation that handles promoting other organisations, such as a location listings agency.

third-party partner account

An Apple Business account for delivering location information, photos or Actions on your own or on behalf of a brand.

third-party partner Organisation ID

The ID of a third-party partner that you delegate to manage your brands in Apple Business.