Manage Security And OS Updates On Rugged Mobile Devices Using Zebra Lifeguard And 42Gears SureMDM

42Gears has integrated with Zebra LifeGuard OTA for Android devices to improve the process of securing and managing  Zebra’s enterprise-class Android devices. This integration will grant admins control over which software updates to push to devices over-the-air.

In order to use SureMDM’s Zebra LifeGuard OTA functionality, your Zebra devices must be registered for Zebra LifeGuard and enrolled under Android Enterprise with the Device Owner mode enabled. Please follow the steps outlined below to manage your Zebra devices:

Part 1. Authorization and token generation

Part  2. Zebra apps installation and configuration

Part 3. Software update management using SureMDM

Part 1. Authorization and Token Generation

1. Login to the SureMDM Web Console.

2. Click on the Settings icon at the top right corner of the console.

3. Go to Account Settings > Firmware Updates > Zebra LifeGuard OTA > Authorize.

4. On the Zebra LifeGuard portal, log in with your Zebra credentials and allow all of the permissions requested by Zebra LifeGuard. Click on the Activate button.

5. When the system successfully authorizes your login, it will generate a Device Token. Save the device token information, as you will need it for Part 2. The page will display the following three options:

– Create Tags – Use this option to create a tag for Zebra devices that are already enrolled in a SureMDM account.

– Sync Devices – Use this option to check the Zebra LifeGuard account for any new successful device registrations. This also checks the status of each software update applied to the device, and updates the device status in the SureMDM database.

– Revoke Authorization – Use this option to revoke an authorization, and when you wish to change the Zebra LifeGuard license associated with the SureMDM account for any reason (such as having previously authorized the wrong license).

Part 2. Zebra apps installation and configuration

To complete this part, the following two Zebra apps must be present on the Zebra devices:

• Zebra Enrollment Manager
• Zebra Common Transport Layer

Follow the steps mentioned below to install these two apps on your Zebra devices:

1. On SureMDM Home, click Profile > Android > Application Policy > Configure.

2. Name the profile and click Add.

3. On the Select Application Source prompt, click Play for Work.

4. On the Play Store page, search for and select the Zebra Enrollment Manager app.

5. On the next prompt, under Action, select Claim Device and paste the Device Token from Step No. 5 in Part 1 of these instructions. Select Save.

5. Now, search for and select the Zebra Common Transport Layer app. Click Save to complete.

6. Go back to SureMDM Home, select the Zebra device(s) and apply the policy.

Tips: Use the Tags option to find the device(s). All Zebra devices of a particular model will show up under a single tag named after the device model.

Once the policy is successfully applied on all devices, it takes around 24 hours for the status to reflect as Registered under the Device Grid’s FOTA Registration Status column. If you want to check the status at any time, you can manually sync the devices by going to Account Settings > Firmware Updates > Zebra LifeGuard OTA > Sync Devices.

Part 3. Software update management using SureMDM

Zebra devices get tagged as soon as they are enrolled in SureMDM using Android Enterprise as a Device Owner, and start automatically reflecting under Tags named after their Device Model. This helps admins view and control similar devices from the central console.

To start managing software updates for Zebra devices, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. On SureMDM Home, go to Tags.

2. Under Tags, devices will be categorized and grouped according to their device models.

3. Select the desired Tag and click on the Firmware Update and History icon.

4. Under the Available Firmware Updates tab on the Firmware Update and History prompt, all available software updates will be listed with details such as release notes.

5. Select the desired update and click Next to apply.

6. Once the software updates are pushed through SureMDM, you can use the Firmware Update History tab to check the history of all the software updates done on a specific tag.

7. This tab has the following options:

– View Devices – This option lists all the devices to which the software update was pushed, along with their statuses.

– Cancel Updates – This can be used to cancel pushed updates. This option is available only if the pushed update is pending.

– Delete – This option deletes only recorded listings. It also cancels any pending updates.

– Sync – This option refreshes the software update status.

Note: Zebra LifeGuard OTA can only be used to upgrade to the current software version on a given device. Regressing software to a previous version is not possible. LifeGuard is supported on Android devices with Android Nougat (7.0) and above, and is available only for GMS devices.