A management apparatus connectable, through a network, to a managed device located in a network environment utilizing a firewall to disallow spontaneous access through the network from an outside, the management apparatus includes an input unit configured to enter an instruction addressed to the managed device, and an instruction reply unit configured to receive a query from the managed device through the firewall as to the presence/absence of the instruction and, when the instruction entered through the input unit is present, reply with the entered instruction in response to the query in the course of a session established when the query is received, wherein the instruction reply unit, along with replying with one instruction entered in response to the query, maintains the session and, executes another entered instruction according to the response of the managed device to the reply.