Uploading an APNS certificate in the IBM MaaS360 Portal

This article provides steps on how to create and upload an Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) certificate in the IBM® MaaS360® Portal.

About this task

To enroll and manage devices in the IBM MaaS360 Portal you must first upload an APNS certificate as a prerequisite. MaaS360 uses APNs certificates to establish secure communication with enrolled devices and enable various device management capabilities for these devices. Once the APNS certificate is uploaded, the certificate is automatically installed on iOS and macOS devices during the enrollment process.

APNS certificates are valid for one year. For information about renewing the APNS certificates, see Renewing the APNS certificate in the IBM MaaS360 Portal

Procedure

  1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal Home page, navigate to Setup > Services.
  2. Expand the Mobile Device Management section.
  3. In the Upload APNs Certificate section, click Generate.
    The Setup Apple enrollment page is displayed.
  4. Follow these steps to download the Certificate Signing Request (CSR).text file:
    1. Enter your company's Apple ID and click Generate certificate. The Certificate Signing Request (CSR) file is automatically generated and sent to your email address that is registered with MaaS360.
      Important:
      • Make sure to take a note of the Apple ID or Managed Apple ID you use. You need to use the same Apple ID to renew the certificate on an annual basis.
      • Use the Apple ID that is accessed by all the employees in your organization. If you change the Apple ID, you cannot review the certificate with the new Apple ID. However, you can reach out to the Apple Support team to associate the new Apple ID with the existing certificate. To find contact options for Apple support, visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208643.
    2. Click Download to manually download the CSR.text file to your device.
  5. Follow these steps to create and download the Apple Push Certificate:
    1. Click Go to Apple's Push Certificate Portal or open https://identity.apple.com/pushcert in another tab or window.
    2. Sign in with your organization's Apple ID.
    3. Select Create a Certificate.
    4. Read through the terms and conditions, and then select Accept.
    5. Click Choose File to upload the CSR file and then select Upload.
    6. Click Download on the Confirmation page. The Apple Push Certificate file (.pem) is downloaded on the device.
  6. Back in the IBM MaaS360 Portal, click Continue.
  7. Follow these steps to upload the APNs certificate in the MaaS360 Portal:
    1. Click Browse to upload the MDM_Fiberlink_Communications.pem file that you just downloaded.
    2. Create a certificate password. This password is used for certificate encryption.
      Note:
      You password must meet the following requirements:
      • Password must consist of a minimum of 8 characters.
      • Password must include at least one letter, one number, and one special character.
      • Avoid special characters like <, >, &, %, and blank spaces in your password.
    3. Click Upload Certificate.