Device group evaluation

Administrators create device groups to distribute apps, documents, or to take various actions on a group of devices. MaaS360® periodically evaluates these groups based on the device group conditions that are set by administrators.

For devices that are enrolled in the MaaS360 Portal, device group evaluation is continuous, so devices are evaluated multiple times or at least one time every 24 hours. MaaS360 also evaluates devices in a group according to the conditions that are set by administrators before those conditions are distributed to a group of devices, where only specific devices receive the distribution.

Conditions for device group evaluation

For newly enrolled devices, the amount of time that it takes MaaS360 to evaluate group membership and to apply policies, apps, and document distributions are based on the following conditions:

  • If a device group is based on custom attributes that are configured during device enrollment, MaaS360 immediately evaluates the enrolled device for group membership.
  • If a device group is based on attributes that are reported by the device after device enrollment, MaaS360 takes a maximum of 15 minutes to evaluate the enrolled device for group membership.

Note: MaaS360 takes a maximum of 24 hours to evaluate a device group for existing devices.

Evaluation modes

Two evaluation modes are available for administrators to view device groups based on the type of device group evaluation. The Evaluation Mode column in the Groups filters device groups for the following evaluation modes:
  • Batch: Displays the device groups that are evaluated after the device enrollment is complete. iOS devices are evaluated 2 minutes post the completion of device enrollment. Android devices are evaluated 15 minutes post the completion of device enrollment.
  • Batch and Enrollment: Displays the device groups that are evaluated immediately during the process of device enrollment.
For a device group to become a Batch and Enrollment device group, the group must contain one or more of the following attributes in the respective categories. Note: If the device group contains attributes that are not included in a category, the device group is not considered a Batch and Enrollment device group.
Category Attribute Name
Users Managed User Groups
Custom Attributes
  • Ownership
  • Public App Store Region
  • Purchase Price
  • Department or Business Unit
  • Important Device (Skip Enforcement Action)
  • Custom Asset Number
  • Device Owner
  • Vendor
  • Purchase Order Number
  • Purchase Type
  • Purchase Date
  • Warranty Number
  • Warranty Type
  • Office or Location
  • Warranty Expiration Date
  • Comments
  • Test Device

Note: You can also create your own custom attributes to make the device group evaluation mode as Batch and Enrollment.
Hardware Inventory
  • Device Enrollment Profile Name
  • Platform Name
  • Domain or Workgroup
Users
  • Employee ID
  • Department
  • Job Title
  • User Domain
  • Domain or Workgroup

Note: You can also create your own custom attributes to make the device group evaluation mode as Batch and Enrollment.
Location User Location from AD or LDAP
Network Information Domain or Workgroup

For example, if you create group X that contains one or more of the needed criteria and then enroll a device, the device becomes a member of group X. The device is evaluated immediately after the device is enrolled.

The groups that are based on device custom attributes and user custom attributes are marked for instant evaluation after those devices are enrolled. MaaS360 distributes policies, apps, and documents based on the custom attribute values that are specified during device enrollment. For example, Sales representatives can select the Sales department during device enrollment. As a result, the device instantly moves into the Sales group (device group) and Sales documents are distributed to the device.

Note: Contact your account manager to enable evaluation mode for device groups.