MaaS360: Ask Me Anything about Smart Device Groups
Thank you for joining our recent Ask Me Anything session on Smart Device Groups with MaaS360. In this blog, we’ve recapped the key highlights and answered some of the FAQs to help you get the most out of MaaS360’s Action Orchestrator and its capabilities.
Key Takeaways:
Below is an overview of the presentation and discussion regarding Smart Device Groups from the session.
1. What are Smart Device Groups?
- Smart Device Groups automatically update device membership in near real time when device attributes change, eliminating the need to wait for scheduled refreshes.
2. Why implement Smart Groups?
- Traditional MaaS360 Device Groups can take up to 24 hours to reflect device attribute changes. Smart Device Groups reduce that delay by evaluating devices within minutes, enabling faster policy and app delivery.
3. Creating a Smart Device Group
- In the MaaS360 portal under Devices> Groups> Add> Smart Device Group> select and create conditions to fix the criteria of the group.
- To create a smart group: Enter Group Name, Description, and set access (public/private) → click Save.
- From advanced search, Filter devices (e.g., “Missing OS Patches”) → Search → Create Smart Device Group if compatible → specify details → Save
3a. Converting to a Smart Device Group
- Copy existing static device group → paste to create a new smart group. Navigate to Add → Smart Device Group, recreate rules, and save
- If the device groups that you are converting have distributions (Policy, Apps, Ruleset), you will need to redistribute these to the new Smart Device Group.
4. Smart Device Group Limitations
- Only supported device attributes can be used. Smart Device Groups support a defined subset of attributes for faster evaluation, while traditional Device Groups support a broader range of MaaS360 search attributes and filters.
- Near real-time updates are not instantaneous. Devices are typically reevaluated within minutes, but timing depends on factors such as device connectivity, communication with MaaS360, and meeting distribution requirements (for example, minimum OS versions for apps).
FAQs
Q: How can you add devices to the group once the smart group is created?
A: Navigate to Devices > Groups > Locate the Smart Group > Edit > Update the criteria to include the device
- If you are using a custom attribute, ensure the attribute is enabled for the device.
Q: How do I know if a Device group can be converted to a Smart Device Group?
A: When you view your Device Group in MaaS360, you will see “Your search criteria is 100% compatible with Device Groups” with the option to Create New Smart Device Group
Q: Are Smart Groups a paid feature?
A: No, all license plans include access to use Smart Device Groups
Resources:
Smart Device Group
Smart Device Group evaluation
IBM MaaS360 Smart Device Groups Demo: Near-RealTime Device Group Evaluation
MaaS360 Getting Started Webinar Registration