By connecting realsmart to ASM, you can automate the creation of Managed Apple IDs, streamline class rosters, and ensure your school’s devices and learning materials are always assigned to the right people from day one.

Here is a quick overview of how to get your realsmart system talking to Apple School Manager.

(For the complete step-by-step technical guide, please check out our full support article: )

Step 1: Generate SFTP Credentials in Apple School Manager

First, you’ll need to tell Apple School Manager that you want to securely import data using SFTP.

1. Log into your Apple School Manager account with Administrator privileges.

2. Navigate to your Setup Assistant (or Data Source settings) and choose the option to set up an SFTP connection.

3. Apple will automatically generate a set of SFTP credentials for you. Make a note of the SFTP URL, Username, and Password provided.

Step 2: Add Your Credentials to realsmart

Once Apple has provided your secure SFTP details, you need to input them into realsmart so our system can do the heavy lifting for you.

1. Log into your realsmart admin console.

2. Navigate to the ASM integration settings.

3. Enter the SFTP URL, Username, and Password exactly as they appeared in Apple School Manager.

4. Save your configuration.

Step 3: Uploading Data and Reviewing the Sync

With the connection established, realsmart will compile your MIS data—such as students, staff, and classes—into the correctly formatted CSV files and push them directly to ASM.

1. Trigger the data upload from your realsmart dashboard.

2. Head back over to Apple School Manager.

3. You should see that ASM is processing the newly received files. Click to review the SFTP data to ensure your user accounts and class structures look correct.

4. Once you’re happy with the preview, confirm the sync to create your accounts and classes!

Let Us Help You Get Set Up!

Automating your data sync between realsmart and Apple School Manager removes the headache of manual data handling. If you get stuck along the way or would like a hand configuring your SFTP connection, our team is always here to help.

Read the full technical documentation here:

Or, reach out to our support team directly to get in touch:

*** Happy syncing!

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That is why we proudly announce our new Custom Google OU (Organisational Unit) feature! Moreover, this feature will help you align Google Workspace with your school’s existing IT systems and unique DNA.

You can now easily differentiate YouTube access between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5. You can also apply specific Chromebook policies for staff versus students. Our latest update puts the power of granular control directly into your hands, making it easier to ensure your school’s unique DNA matches your Google Workspace and IT systems alignment.

What is the Custom Google OU Feature?

Previously, syncing users from your MIS to Google Workspace streamlined account creation. Now, we are taking our School MIS Sync services to the next level. By the way, you can align Google Workspace more closely with your school’s unique DNA and existing IT systems thanks to these improvements.

Administrators can automatically map specific groups or roles from your MIS. These map directly into custom Organisational Units (OUs) within Google Workspace. Do you add or move a student in your MIS? Our sync instantly places them into the correct Google OU. They will automatically inherit the specific policies you set for that unit, ensuring that Google Workspace fits your school’s unique DNA and integrates smoothly with your existing IT systems.

Why This is a Game-Changer for Your School

1. Ultimate Safeguarding and Policy Control Not all users need the same access. You might want to restrict certain apps for Year 7s. At the same time, you can keep them open for Year 13s and staff. Automating your custom OUs lets you apply tailored security settings precisely where they belong. This transition truly aligns Google Workspace policies with your school’s unique DNA as well as existing IT systems.

2. Zero Manual Intervention Say goodbye to manual tasks in the Google Admin Console. You no longer need to drag and drop users into different OUs every term. Our automated School MIS Sync services read your live MIS data. The system does the heavy lifting for you multiple times a day. In short, you can seamlessly align Google Workspace with your school’s unique DNA and existing IT systems.

3. Accurate, Real-Time Updates Students frequently change classes, move year groups, or leave the school. Your MIS immediately registers these changes. Our sync spots the update and instantly adjusts their OU status in Google Workspace. This ensures your digital safeguarding remains 100% accurate and up to date. Furthermore, Google Workspace stays aligned with both your school’s unique DNA and any existing IT systems you already have in place.

How to Get Started

Are you an existing realsmart customer using our MIS to Google Sync? You can start using Custom OUs right now, and align Google Workspace with your school’s unique DNA and existing IT systems from the start.

We created a comprehensive guide to configure custom mappings in your admin dashboard. Check out the full documentation here: s. This resource will ensure Google Workspace is aligned with your school’s unique DNA and fully integrates with existing IT systems.

Not Using realsmart Yet?

Many schools still manually provision Google accounts or struggle with clunky data exports. It is time to automate the alignment between Google Workspace, your school’s unique DNA, and your existing IT systems.

Our industry-leading School MIS Sync services integrate seamlessly with major MIS platforms. These include SIMS, Bromcom, Arbor, and more. The system automatically provisions users, Google Classrooms, timetables, and Custom OUs. We save IT teams hundreds of hours every single year. Your school’s data remains secure and perfectly organised, all while keeping Google Workspace in harmony with your school’s unique DNA and existing IT systems.

Click here to book a free demo to see how we can transform your IT management today while making sure Google Workspace aligns with your school’s unique DNA and existing IT systems.

The post Announcing Custom Google OUs: Unlock Granular Control with Our School MIS Sync Services appeared first on realsmart.

Website news

As well as general updates to our codebase to ensure it works as efficiently as possible we have also released a host of new plugins and features. Here is a quick insight into what has been developed:

• New policy/document manager plugin
• Multisite functionality for the policy/document manager plugin
• Vacancies plugin
• Login link shortcode
• Started development on a parents evening booking system plugin

Policy manager plugin

We’ve developed a plugin that allows you to manage all of your policys (or other grouped documents) directly from within your school website. This offers an alternative to our existing plugins that allow you to display the contents of either a or folder directly onto your school website. With this final addition to our policy management offering we now offer solutions for any approach of managing doucments on your website.

Our plugin allows you to create groups in which you can assign doucments uploaded to your school website, this allows you to not only manage policies but also other potential groups of documents such as letters home, newsletters etc. Once you’ve uploaded a group of documents you can simply paste a provided shortcode into a page and then voila, your documents all appear in a user friendly interface. Interested? Take a look at our guide on setting up and using the plugin .

Policy manager multi-site functionality

After the policy manager plugin was released we started work on an update that would allow users to display a group of documents across more than one website. The advantage of this update is that it now allows a trust to manage a set of trust wide policies from one single location. The trust can then display this group of policies/documents across every school website for easy document management.

Vacancies Plugin

The second plugin we’ve released is a vacancies plugin, this allows you to add and display current vacancies on your school/trust website. We know there are some great options and methods of advertising vacancies already out there such as services like MyNewTerm but we are providing schools with a free alternative to displaying vacancies on their school website. The plugin allows you to easily create a vacancy, add instructions, set dates for it to display and also assign any relevant documents to a role. Each vacancy added is then displayed in a user friendly template until the close date is reached.

Take a look at our on setting up and using the plugin if you are interested.

Login link shortcode

We know there are some customers who do not have a need for the login bar on our websites as they do not use the single sign on, MIS sync and apps management services we have intergrated with our websites. Usually we would just turn off the bar and then provide a more subtle login link to access the backend of the website. We have now developed an option (located in your smartOptions panel) that allows you to grab a login link shortcode, this can then be placed anywhere on your school website for easy access. Simple but effective this now opens the doors for all sorts of alternative and creative login options.

Parents evening booking system

In early development stages but we have started work on a parents evening booking system that will be inbuilt into your school website. This leverages the abilitys of WordPress so that the timeslots can be displayed in your website, confirmation emails sent and also an admin interface to setup and customise the event. Parents will be able to book a slot and will receive confirmation upon success. Teachers will be able to cusomise the amount of slots avaialble, the length of slots and also add in any requried breaks.

Take a sneak peak below:

Half Term is here!

We hope you all have a well earned half term break! Keep an eye out for future updates from the team and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries or suggestions!

Team realsmart

The post Half term review and updates appeared first on realsmart.

Before starting the setup process contact realsmart support team to ensure the correct APIs are in place.

The Google Guardian feature connects parents and guardians to students Classroom information.
Because guardians are not members of the student’s School domain they must receive an invitation using their own email address. After they accept the invitation they become Classroom guardian.

Once you have synced your Guardians to realsmart you can then review them and select which to sync to google as there may be some that have requested NOT to be synced

Once approved you’ll see the addresses move from ‘Parent Emails Available’ to ‘Parent Emails to Provision’ lists.

If you want to remove a parent in the future just tick and use the ‘Disapprove Parents Emails’ button.

Once you are happy that the ‘Parent Emails to Provision’ list is complete hit the ‘Start Classroom Data Sync’ Button which will start the sync to google.

Within 24hrs parents will recieve an automated email invitation from google, as below. The parent or guardian just needs to hit ‘Accept Invite’

Only once they have accepted the invitation will they become a Google Guardian.

The parent will then get the option for how regularly they want to receive summaries or non at all.

Contact realsmart support if you need any help setting up your guardians to Google Classroom sync.

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In the modern educational landscape, managing a fleet of Apple devices—be it iPads for students or MacBooks for staff—is a critical task. The key to a seamless, automated, and scalable deployment is achieving an effective MIS to to Synchronisation, which relies on the powerful integration between these platforms.

This integration is not just a convenience; it’s the foundational step that transforms a box of new devices into powerful learning tools, ready for the classroom with minimal manual intervention. By syncing ASM with Jamf, you automate device enrolment, distribute apps and books effortlessly, and import user and class data to personalise the learning experience.

This guide will walk you through the essential steps to connect these two platforms.

Prerequisites

• Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
• Administrator access to your institution’s Apple School Manager portal.
• Administrator access to your Jamf instance.

The integration between Apple School Manager and Jamf process can be broken down into three core components:

1. Automated Device Enrolment: For zero-touch device setup.
2. User and Class Data Sync: For populating Jamf with students, staff, and class rosters.

Part 1: Connecting for Automated Device Enrolment (ADE)

Step 1: Download the Public Key from Jamf

• Log in to your Jamf server.
• Navigate to Organisation > Settings > Automated Device Enrolment.
• If you don’t have an instance configured, click + Apple School Manager.
• Click Download Public Key. Save the file, which will have a .pem extension.

Step 2: Create an MDM Server in Apple School Manager

• Log in to .
• Navigate to Preferences .
• Click “Add” next to Device Management Services.
• Give your MDM server a descriptive name, such as “Jamf Production Server”.
• Click Upload File… and select the .pem public key you downloaded from Jamf.
• Click Save.

Step 3: Download the Server Token from ASM

• After saving, stay on the same page in Apple School Manager.
• Click Download Token for the MDM server you just created. This will download a file with a .p7m extension.

Step 4: Upload the Server Token to Jamf

• Return to your Jamf instance, in the same Automated Device Enrollment settings section.
• Click Edit on your newly created instance.
• Click Upload Server Token File and select the .p7m file you just downloaded from ASM.
• Click Save.

Your Jamf server is now trusted by Apple School Manager. The final step is to assign your devices in ASM to this new server so they know where to enrol. You can do this by device serial number, order number, or set a default assignment for all future purchases.

Part 2: Syncing User and Class Roster Data

This is arguably the most powerful sync for an educational environment. By connecting your Student Information System (SIS) to ASM (or by uploading data via SFTP), you can then sync all your students, teachers, and class rosters directly into Jamf. This enables features like Shared iPad and empowers teachers to use Apple’s Classroom app.

Step 1: Ensure Data is Populated in Apple School Manager

• Before connecting Jamf, you must have your user and class data in ASM. You can achieve this by:
  • Connecting your SIS: ASM supports direct integration with popular MIS providers like PowerSchool and Infinite Campus.
  • SFTP Upload: You can export data from any MIS into Apple’s specified CSV format and upload it via SFTP.
  • If you are based in the UK you can automate this process with an Apple Sync product, such as the one we provide at realsmart.
• Verify that your users and classes appear correctly in the ASM portal before proceeding.

Step 2: Enable Apple Education Support in Jamf

• In Jamf, navigate to Organisation > youremail@domain.com
• Check the box “Enable synchronisation of managed Apple IDs with Apple School Manager.
  • You can then customise your options for the sync, there is an example screenshot below.
  • All of the settings are important and will be different for every user.
• Under “Location Mappings” around half way down the screen, you will see a list of Apple School Manager Locations on the left of the screen, and a drop down with your desired Jamf MDM location on the right.
  • Match these Locations and MDMs up as required.
  • For instance you may have locations in Apple School Manager that you do not want to sync to this Jamf instance.
• Click Save.
• Jamf will now reach out to Apple School Manager and begin its first sync.

Step 3: Configure and Monitor the Sync

• On the same settings page, Jamf will display the sync status. The initial sync can take some time depending on the amount of data.
• You can configure the sync schedule (e.g., daily) to automatically pull in any changes from ASM, such as new students or updated class rosters.
• You can also perform a manual sync by clicking the Sync Now button.
• Once the sync is complete, you will see all your ASM users and classes populated within the Users and Classes sections of Jamf, ready to be used in configuration profiles and policies.

How We Can Help

Here’s how we at ÌÇÐÄVlog can help you save time and ensure data accuracy across Apple School Manager (ASM) and Jamf.

We eliminate the time-consuming and error-prone process of manually managing your school’s data. Our service acts as a secure bridge, automatically syncing user, class, and roster information directly from your MIS to Apple School Manager. This ensures that ASM always has an up-to-date and accurate reflection of your school’s data, creating Managed Apple IDs and classes without your IT staff having to touch a single spreadsheet.

This directly improves your Jamf setup. Jamf automatically uses the accurate user and class information from Apple School Manager, ensuring devices are correctly assigned, class groups are pre-built, and apps go to the right people from day one. This automation helps you manage your Apple devices with greater efficiency and confidence.

Take a look at our offering here.

The post Sync Data From Apple School Manager To JAMF appeared first on realsmart.

Firstly we hope you are all well rested and refreshed after a nice summer break. Getting back into the stride of things can take more than a few coffees but we are here to help take the strain of managing any of the digital services you may use via realsmart. Don’t forget that our amazing support team are only an email away via support@realsmart.co.uk to assist if you need help.

What’s new?

Over the summer months we’ve been working to refine our existing products but we have also added a handful of new offerings that you may look to implement, these include:

• Apple Sync tool: We have developed a tool that will allow you to sync your MIS data into Apple School Manager, allowing the provision of Users, Courses and Rosters across to all of your Apple Devices. We’ve developed a user friendly interface to take you though this process step by step. Check out more information on our Apple Sync Page and keep an eye out for more features.
• Active Directory Sync: Our AD Sync tool is now out of beta and being used by a number of schools. We pull users from your MIS and then send this data to Active Directory to create users, groups and organisational units. A sleek interface and the ability to schedule when the task is run helps you save time and effort in user management.
• Microsoft Entra Sync: The final piece of the puzzle. Taking the MIS data and provisioning it to Microsoft, still in the early stages but our aim is to offer a product that mirrors what we currently provide for Google. Drop us an email if this is a service you would be interested in using.

What else do we offer?

We know there are a fair few of you that make use of our full suite of tools but there are also plenty that maybe only use a single service we offer. Why spread your solutions out via multiple providers when realsmart can offer you multiple solutions in a single package?

Here is a quick reminder of what we offer:

• School websites: We offer bespoke professional website design solutions for schools & Multi-Academy Trusts, have a look at some of our recent work. Our websites are easy to manage and come with a suite of plugins that focus on school specific actions such as displaying events, managing policies and loads more.
• MIS to Google Sync: Our google sync is the most advanced on the market. Taking all of your MIS data and provisioning it to Google. We provide a sync that provisions users, groups, timetables, classrooms and more. Our simple interface provides easy management and the ability to look into each module and customise your experience.
• Google Workspace upgrades: As a trusted Google partner and reseller we are able to provide you with upgrades to your Google Workspace for Education licenses, these are available in 3 tiers starting with Free access. Interested in the use of Google Gemini? Get in touch with us.
• Chromebook QR Code login: Sometimes passwords just don’t cut it, especially with younger users and in classroom situations. Our QR code login solution offers a simply and effective way to get your students logged in fast and efficiently.

Help and advice

As well as our friendly support, developer and design teams we have a useful library of articles that can walk you through some of the day to day issues that crop up now and again. Our is the first place to stop if you need a quick refresh on editing your website, managing a use issue or trying to implement a new solution within your school.

We are always open to suggestions on ways to improve our products and new features you would find useful. We work with you as a partnership so don’t hesitate to reach out.

Keeping it real!

Team realsmart

The post Our offer, Welcome Back! appeared first on realsmart.

We’re thrilled to announce a powerful new feature for ÌÇÐÄVlog School Websites: seamless integration with Microsoft OneDrive! This exciting development makes it easier than ever to embed and share files directly from your school’s OneDrive onto your website pages.

Imagine effortlessly displaying newsletters, permission slips, learning resources, and important documents right where your students, parents, and staff can find them. No more downloading and re-uploading – just a simple, streamlined process.

Why You’ll Love the ÌÇÐÄVlog OneDrive Integration:

• Effortless File Sharing: Directly embed files and folders from OneDrive into your ÌÇÐÄVlog website.
• Always Up-to-Date: Any changes made to your files in OneDrive will automatically reflect on your website.
• Quick setup: A straightforward setup process means you can be up and running in no time.

Getting Started: A Quick Guide

Integrating OneDrive with your ÌÇÐÄVlog website involves a few straight-forward steps within your Microsoft Azure portal and your website’s WordPress admin area. Our comprehensive online guide, complete with step-by-step screenshots, will walk you through the entire process.

ÌÇÐÄVlog OneDrive Integration: Step-by-Step

• Register a New Application in Microsoft Azure: This initial step ensures secure communication between your OneDrive and your ÌÇÐÄVlog website. To do this, you’ll navigate to the ‘App registrations’ page in Azure.
• Configure Your Application: Next, you’ll provide a name for your application and specify account types.
• Obtain Credentials: Then, you’ll generate a ‘Client Secret’ and note down your ‘Application (Client) ID’ and ‘Directory (Tenant) ID’. The guide shows you exactly where to find these on the ‘Overview’ and ‘Certificates & secrets’ pages.
• Grant Permissions: After obtaining your credentials, you’ll grant the necessary ‘Files.Read.All’ permissions via Microsoft Graph API to allow your website to access the files. Our guide details how to do this in the ‘Request API permissions’ section.
• Configure the ÌÇÐÄVlog Plugin: Finally, head to the ‘Plugins’ area of your WordPress dashboard, locate the ‘Smart OneDrive Files’ plugin, and enter the credentials you obtained from Azure into the ‘OneDrive Settings’.

ÌÇÐÄVlog OneDrive Integration Guide

For the complete, easy-to-follow instructions with all the necessary visuals, including screenshots of the ‘Add a client secret’, ‘Select Microsoft Graph’, ‘Select delegated permissions’, ‘Add permissions’, and ‘Grant admin consent’ stages, please therefore visit our dedicated help guide:

Overall, we’re confident that this new OneDrive integration will be a valuable addition to your ÌÇÐÄVlog School Website, thereby enhancing communication and collaboration for your entire school community.

If, however, you have any questions or need assistance, our support team is always ready to help!

What else do we offer?

We also offer Active Directory sync services, check them out over here: /microsoft-active-directory-sync/

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You can control MFA for single users, groups of users or the whole organisation through smartadmin.

Once MFA is enforced your users can use their prefered  third-party authenticator app rather than recieving texts over mobile devices.

The post Setting up Multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your realsmart users appeared first on realsmart.

The harmonious coexistence of Google Classroom and a School MIS can significantly streamline your school’s educational processes. However, achieving seamless synchronisation between these two platforms requires careful planning and technical expertise for your Google Classroom sync.

Key Challenges in Google Classroom Sync

1. Data Structure Mismatch: Google Classroom and SIS often have different data structures and schemas. This can lead to inconsistencies and difficulties in mapping data points between the two systems.
2. Real-time Updates: Ensuring real-time updates between the two systems can be challenging, especially for large schools with frequent changes in student enrolment, class schedules, or teacher assignments.
3. Data Privacy and Security: Protecting sensitive student data is paramount. Both Google Classroom and SIS have their own security measures, and ensuring that data is transferred securely between the two systems is crucial.
4. Integration Complexity: Integrating Google Classroom with a SIS typically involves complex technical setups, including API connections, data mapping rules, and synchronisation schedules.
5. Technical Support: Google Classroom, and your MIS may not provide significant support for synchronising data between the two systems. This is where having a company like ÌÇÐÄVlog will really streamline the process and reduce workload on your IT Department.
6. Deleted Users: When a user is deleted in Google, but not removed as Classroom Owner in Google Classroom, an orphaned class is created, an orphaned class cannot be modified in any way, until the deleted user is restored in Google Admin.

ÌÇÐÄVlog’s Strategies for Successful Google Classroom Sync

1. Data Mapping: We carefully map data points between Google Classroom and your MIS, ensuring that corresponding fields are correctly aligned.
2. Custom Data: Through our Admin area, you can customise your Classroom Groups, adding additional teachers and students as you see fit.
3. API Integration: We utilise the APIs provided by both and to establish a direct connection between the two systems. This allows for automated data exchange and updates.
4. Synchronisation Frequency: We synchronise data from your MIS to Google multiple times per day, and any changes made from our admin area will propogate to Google Classroom within 10 minutes.
5. Error Logging: Any errors that occur during a sync will be logged against your Classes, allowing you to pinpoint any issues (for example an orphaned Classroom), this can be viewed on a class by class basis in our admin tool.
6. User Training: ÌÇÐÄVlog provides training on how to best make use of Google Classroom in your school.
7. Orphaned Classrooms: Our software limits orphaned Google Classrooms by switching the owner where possible to the user marked as Lead Teacher in your MIS. Sometimes a Classroom may still become orphaned, and in this case we can intervene and restore the old user in Google, before switching the classroom owner in our admin area.
8. Regular Review and Updates: We regularly update and improve our Google Classroom Sync tools.

By using ÌÇÐÄVlog, schools can achieve a successful synchronisation between Google Classroom and their MIS, leading to improved efficiency, data accuracy, and overall educational outcomes.

You can find out more about our offering here.

The post Google Classroom Sync: Streamlining School Processes appeared first on realsmart.

Before starting the setup process contact realsmart support team to ensure the correct APIs are in place- Once checked and confirmed follow these simple stepts.

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