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About Apple Business Manager

Apple Business Manager (ABM) is Apple’s web portal for IT administrators to deploy and manage Apple devices, apps, and accounts at scale. Through ABM, organizations can enroll devices in Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions, purchase and distribute apps and books, and create Managed Apple Accounts for their workforce. Connecting Apple Business Manager to Serval enables your IT team to automate device enrollment workflows, manage device assignments, and streamline provisioning directly from chat or workflows.

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What the Apple Business Manager integration enables

CapabilityDescription
Device ManagementView and manage device assignments to MDM servers
Automation workflowsAutomate device enrollment and provisioning workflows
Anything defined in the Apple Business Manager API can be accessed through Serval.

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Prerequisites

Before connecting Apple Business Manager to Serval, you’ll need:
  1. Administrator access to your organization’s Apple Business Manager account
  2. An API account created in Apple Business Manager with a generated private key
Only users with the Administrator role in Apple Business Manager can create API accounts.

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Apple Business Manager configuration

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1. Create an API account in Apple Business Manager

Follow Apple’s official documentation to create an API account:
  1. Sign in to Apple Business Manager with an Administrator account
  2. Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, select Preferences, then select API
  3. Click Get Started, enter a name for the account (e.g., “Serval Integration”), then click Create
  4. Click Generate Private Key to download your .pem private key file
  5. Click Manage to view your Client ID and Key ID (you’ll need both for Serval)
Important: The private key file downloads only once. Store it securely—you cannot download it again. If you lose it, you’ll need to generate a new key.
For detailed instructions, see Apple’s documentation:

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2. Note your credentials

After creating the API account, you’ll have:
CredentialDescriptionWhere to find it
Client IDA unique identifier for your API account (format: BUSINESSAPI.xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)Apple Business Manager → Preferences → API → Manage
Key IDA unique identifier for your private key (format: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)Apple Business Manager → Preferences → API → Manage (shown after generating a key)
Private KeyA .pem file used to authenticate API requestsDownloaded when you generate the private key

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Serval Configuration

  1. In Serval, go to Apps → Available → Apple Business Manager → Connect
  2. Enter your Client ID from Apple Business Manager
  3. Enter your Key ID from Apple Business Manager
  4. Open your .pem private key file in a text editor and paste the entire contents (including the -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----- and -----END PRIVATE KEY----- lines) into the Private Key field
  5. Click Save

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Troubleshooting

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Invalid private key error

If you see an error about an invalid private key:
  • Ensure you’re pasting the complete contents of the .pem file
  • The key should start with -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----- and end with -----END PRIVATE KEY-----
  • Don’t include any extra whitespace before or after the key

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Authentication failed

If authentication fails:
  • Verify your Client ID is correct (it should start with BUSINESSAPI.)
  • Verify your Key ID is correct (it’s the UUID shown next to your private key in Apple Business Manager)
  • Ensure the API account is enabled in Apple Business Manager
  • Check that you’re using the correct private key for this API account
  • Ensure the Key ID matches the private key you’re using (each key has a unique Key ID)

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Need to rotate credentials

To rotate your credentials:
  1. In Apple Business Manager, generate a new private key for your API account
  2. In Serval, reconnect the Apple Business Manager app with the new private key
Need help? Contact [email protected] for assistance with your Apple Business Manager integration.