Board Packets: Printed versus Digital
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@g.jacobse said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@g.jacobse said:
@scottalanmiller
That is my concern - iPads are expensive.. And have a tendency to grow legs and vanish. If I went with them, I'd want to establish a lock down..
Another bad thing about iPads is the setup requirements and access to iTunes and the APP store.If your board members are thieves.... do you care?
I don't believe the Board to be thieves - Just the people that might encounter the Board Members..
@Dashrender said:
I would think an iPad with MDM software would be cake to lock down.
As for loss or theft, is that really your concern? Where will these devices be stored? And since we're talking about loss and theft, will you have to ensure they are all charged as well? That's one thing they don't have to worry about with their stack of paper.
Mostlikely - the Board Member would keep it with them during the months / years. We would 'push the new board packets to them - as long as they have Internet access (not cellular).
@Dashrender said:
Back on topic - Why is the company worried about keeping the device locked down? I'm willing to bet that even the luddites in your group will probably find them more useful if they are allowed to use them more than for just reading these forms.
We are a Non Profit - Don't want to start paying for Games like Candy Crush Soda Saga.. and all the In App Purchases.
@Dashrender @ScottAlanMiller
I don't think it to much about 'loss' this happen. Dropped, forgotten are also issues.. Life happens.. and at the most inopportune time.Loss isn't a issue I'm truely worried about at this junction. It's the easy of operation, sending / or access the packet that is the main issue.
I know one option is to put the document on our SharePoint site,.. Each member has their own email address - they do not want the Board member to have an agency email address.
And with iPads - I'd have to set up each one, and such forth with email and a CC - time I don't really have to 'waste' on setup.
I can understand that perhaps you don't desire to do to this work, but supporting the board is really no different than supporting the rest of your users. Without them and their money, your company would not exist.
And who is this 'they' that does not want the board to have an agency email address? If the board wanted it, they should be given it, but that's another matter.
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@Dashrender
""And who is this 'they' that does not want the board to have an agency email address? If the board wanted it, they should be given it, but that's another matter.""That was just what I was told....
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@g.jacobse said:
And with iPads - I'd have to set up each one, and such forth with email and a CC - time I don't really have to 'waste' on setup.
I create a separate Apple ID for each user, setup the iPads using that Apple ID, and use Meraki MDM to manage them (it's free). I don't specify a credit card, but users are free to add their own if they wish. One of the benefits of Apple devices is that people can install their own apps like Candy Crush without worrying about viruses or performance issues.
It really doesn't take much time to setup. You could probably do ten in an hour.
@g.jacobse said:
We are a Non Profit - Don't want to start paying for Games like Candy Crush Soda Saga.Encouraging them to install and play games is actually a great way of training them to use the device, and also to look after it. And as I mentioned, you don't have to specify a credit card when setting up the device.
In the long run, I reckon you will end up spending a lot less time and hassle supporting iPads than any Windows or Android crap.
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Okay - iPads..
Where do you suggest I order 25 at once? Do I have to contact the Apple store... or should I let the other 'person' deal with that. These are part of the Board arena.. and the PR (Public Relations ) person..
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Yes, work directly with Apple. Get the free engraving to put each of the board member's names on them so that they are super easy to identify forever. If a board member retires, let them keep it.
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A big benefit of doing everything through Apple is the ease of people dealing with the Apple Store for things quickly and easily, even when you are not there to support them.
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Plus friends and family can easily assist them, too.
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iPad Air
- 16GB
- 5GB iCloud (free / standard)
- Engraved
- Apple Care
- No additional accessories (Case highly recommended!)
Via Web
iPad- $399 each
- x 25 units
- = $9,975.00
AppleCare
- $99 each
- x 25 units
- = $2475.00
Estimated total:
- $12,450.00
Now - will contact the Apple Business Office to see.
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@g.jacobse iPad Air is one generation old. Might not be what you want. Be sure to consider the iPad Air 2, the current model, but also the Retina model (two gen old.) iPads last a really long time. We still use an original iPad and two iPad 2s and an iPad Mini (same gen as the iPad 2) and they all work great. No need to go current to get good usage. But current ones are smaller and lighter and just "cooler" so they have that going for them.
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As @scottalanmiller says, newer or older both will work. and you may get better pricing for older. Apple will still warranty it and if you go the AppleCare route you got the added certainty of replacement.
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@scottalanmiller
This was details right from Apples page. There is an addition cost of $100 to go up.. so $499 -And now I've been asked about using MS Surface as an option.... Who gave management a tech journal.....
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@g.jacobse said:
@scottalanmiller
This was details right from Apples page. There is an addition cost of $100 to go up.. so $499 -And now I've been asked about using MS Surface as an option.... Who gave management a tech journal.....
As much as I like the Surfaces that we have I don't think this is a good use case for them. They take a bit more to setup and secure, and a bit more for maintenance, then an iPad would. If this is just going to be available via a web browser, and they don't need Office, then I would steer clear of them for this application. That being said I believe that you can now get Office for iOS (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-word/id586447913?mt=8).
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This is a case of 90% usage (we care about) is the ability to view a PDF document and not waste money on paper, postage and etc.
They do not have access to services such as email provided to them. However I can see the use of SharePoint - but on the 'public' level and no user account in Office 365.
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@g.jacobse said:
This is a case of 90% usage (we care about) is the ability to view a PDF document and not waste money on paper, postage and etc.
They do not have access to services such as email provided to them. However I can see the use of SharePoint - but on the 'public' level and no user account in Office 365.
Yep... I would recommend against Surfaces then. Nice devices but a bit "much" for the use case and will take a significant amount of IT to setup and support where an iPad wouldn't necessarily have those costs.
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I have both the surface and the ipad. Ipad is so much simpler to manage for your case.
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How do you plan to get the PDF onto their device once you deploy them? Do you have Sharepoint in house? I'm guessing that you don't want to publish that to the internet so the could pull the file from your internal Sharepoint server (if you have one).
You've mentioned O365 - if you're plan is to use Sharepoint from there, how are you going to do it without giving them accounts, and if you give them accounts, can you do that without giving them email? (Yeah I think you might be able to buy just Sharepoint online licenses, though I have no idea how those integrate with your O365 system).
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Something like DropBox, Box, SharePoint, email... all options. Or a website.
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@scottalanmiller
Dropbox, BOX, website, are all pretty easy options and have their merit.SharePoint is a option I am interested in,.. however am not in the office enough to sit and work with it. I'm sitting on about 45 services requests right now. Office 365 is so under used right now... but I hope to change that.
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And I just thought - ownCloud might also be a option.
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ownCloud might be. I've had some complications getting OC hosted PDFs to move easily into the Apple Book program. So test that process before going down that road. Also, running your own ownCloud for such a trivial task might be overkill. The DropBox account you would need for this would be free. Or a free OneDrive account too. So while ownCloud freaking rocks and I love it, I think it sounds like overkill here by quite a bit unless you have other need of it and just adding this on as a freebie.
