Zappl
Secure, enterprise-grade Apple device management platform with automated patch management and real-time compliance monitoring.
Apple device management at enterprise price points, with patch management and compliance bolted on as separate tools.
DARE Technology, a Jamf Elite Partner, saw the same pattern across its customer base. Apple device management was being done by an expensive incumbent, patch management was a separate tool, compliance reporting was a third. Each one decent on its own, none of them integrated, all of them billed independently. For organisations with hundreds of Apple devices the running cost added up fast.
The brief to OpenKit was to build the platform DARE wished it could sell: Apple-native, patch and compliance built in, priced where the maths actually worked for mid-market customers.
- Apple-native end to end: ADE/ABM enrolment, Apple Push, the official paths.
- Patch management and compliance monitoring inside the same platform, not bolted on.
- Customer admins must be able to manage rollouts without a DARE engineer in the loop.
- Price point has to undercut the incumbent at the unit economics customers actually run.
Inside the Zappl admin floor.
Fleet at a glance, compliance and patch coverage live
The single view a customer admin opens first thing. Devices by state, compliance drift, outstanding patches, and a feed of recent enrolment activity.
Per-device drill-down with the hardware, the apps, and the policy posture
Hardware specs, installed applications, policy assignments, and the device's compliance trail in one record. The view ticket handlers actually use.
Application catalogue with version tracking and staged rollouts
Approved applications, version history, and staged rollouts to device cohorts. The admin pushes an update to a pilot cohort first and the rest of the fleet afterwards.
Multi-organisation admin with device groups and access roles
DARE staff manage every customer organisation from one interface. Each customer sees only their own fleet, with admin roles scoped to the groups they own.
Apple-native MDM, with patch management and compliance built into the same engine.
Zappl runs on the official Apple paths end to end. Apple Push for command delivery, ADE/ABM for zero-touch enrolment, MDM commands and protocol updates tracked as Apple ships them. Patch management is a first-class workflow: known-good versions pinned per customer, staged rollouts to cohorts, rollback paths if a release misbehaves.
The compliance engine sits alongside, evaluating policy rules continuously rather than on a nightly run. A device drifting out of compliance shows up immediately, with the admin able to push a corrective policy or quarantine the device from the same screen.
Customer admins operate the platform themselves. The interface is shaped around the everyday operations of a real IT team: enrol a new device, push an app, investigate a compliance flag, retire a leaver's machine. The DARE team kept the supplier role rather than becoming the operator.
- Apple Push, ADE/ABM, MDM-protocol command delivery.
- Patch automation with version pinning, staged rollouts, and rollback.
- Real-time compliance rule engine, not nightly runs.
- Multi-organisation admin and customer dashboards with role-scoped access.
- Application catalogue with cohort-targeted rollouts.
100+ customer organisations live, with £1,000+ per month in run-rate savings on a typical mid-market fleet.
Run-rate savings
£1,000+ per month against the incumbent for a typical mid-market customer. The maths now works for organisations the previous tool had priced out.
Tools consolidated
MDM, patch management, and compliance in one platform. The customer's IT team operates one tool with one access model, not three.
Customer self-service
Admin dashboards shaped around the IT team's actual workflow. DARE supplies the platform; the customer runs it.
Apple-native
Built on the official Apple paths so new MDM protocol features land on the platform as Apple ships them, not months behind.
OpenKit transformed our business requirements into Zappl, an elegant web application that provides secure Apple patch management for our customers. Their process began with thorough discovery sessions, demonstrating a clear understanding of our business objectives and user needs. The intuitive interface and streamlined workflows have reduced our staff admin workload and increased user adoption, with 100+ customers already onboarded. Throughout the partnership, OpenKit consistently demonstrated their commitment to delivering business value, from initial planning through to final implementation.
Michael Director, DARE Technology · DARE Technology Ltd
OpenKit delivered us a high-performance React application for Apple patch management, featuring large data ingestion and processing with enterprise-grade security. Their technical expertise was evident in every aspect, from an optimised frontend architecture to a robust backend with comprehensive API integration. The resulting application excels in both performance and reliability, with comprehensive monitoring and an automated deployment pipeline ensuring system stability.
How we delivered it.
Stack
Capabilities
Compliance
From scoping to live.
- Architecture and Apple integrationApple Push Notification, ADE/ABM enrolment, agent installation pattern. The bones a stable MDM has to stand on. Months 1-3
- Patch and compliance enginesAutomated patch management plus the rule-based compliance monitor that flags drift in real time. Months 4-5
- Admin toolingCustomer and admin dashboards, applications table, device list, error reporting. Operations team can act without a developer. Months 6-7
- Launch and onboarding100+ customer organisations onboarded. Costs that previously sat with the incumbent now sit with Zappl, £1,000+ per month per customer in many cases. Month 8
- Live operationProduction SaaS with ongoing patch coverage, compliance rule updates, and roadmap features. Ongoing
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