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So the iTunes, App Store ecosystem is now fully upon us and like many businesses we have company issued iPads that everyone uses.  The problem becomes managing apps (aka software) across these devices.

Here is the relevant selection from the Apple TOS:

(i) You may download and use an application from the Mac App Store (“Mac App Store Product”) for personal, non-commercial use on any Apple-branded products running Mac OS X (“Mac Computer”) that you own or control.

(ii) If you are a commercial enterprise or educational institution, you may download a Mac App Store Product for use either (a) by a single individual on each of the Mac Computer(s) that you own or control, or (b) by multiple individuals on a single shared Mac Computer that you own or control. For example, a single employee may use a Mac App Store Product on both the employee’s desktop Mac Computer and laptop Mac Computer, or multiple students may serially use the Product on a single Mac Computer located at a resource center or library.

(iii) Use may require sign-in with the Apple ID used to download the Mac App Store Product from the Mac App Store. Mac App Store Products can be updated through the Mac App Store only.

Apple requires you to have an iTunes account, which are personal, and their terms of service clearly state that a commercial property has to purchase a license when multiple individuals are using multiple devices.  Makes sense – I need a license for each iPad.  My problem is how to now manage those from a corporate perspective.  Each user has to purchase using their existing iTunes account in order to make it easy to manage (technically you can install an app under a different account, but then updates, etc. are complicated).  And this will get even more troublesome with the App Store.

Now the employees are purchasing the software and have the legal ownership rather than the company.  So we purchase iPad apps and Mac apps for an employee and they head home and can legally install on a home machine[s] – so far so good.  This adds value as now they can legally use the software on their home machines.

But what happens when someone leaves?  Now this company purchased software has left with the employee and there is no way to transfer to a new individual.  This isn’t a big deal with a few low price apps for an iPad, but what happens when you spend more for Apple software (and imagine if Adobe distributes via the App Store) or other third party software?  As a business I have no means to recover the licenses.

I really hope Apple is working on this – I would love to start using the new App Store to manage purchases and software, but I need a corporate account to centrally manage.  One that lets me purchase more than one copy of an app for each user or one umbrella account that can be linked to existing accounts and would track company purchases separately.

Let’s get to it Apple, make this work for businesses as well as you have for individuals.