Plan One or Multiple Deployments
What
A Deployment groups one or more payload assignments under shared delivery rules. Put assignments together when their timing, installation method, Kiosk behavior, licensing rules, platform requirements, and destinations should be managed as one unit.
There is no single correct number of Deployments. Choose an organization that makes the current behavior clear and that you can extend safely when applications, target groups, or delivery rules change later.
Decide before you group assignments
Split assignments into separate Deployments when any of these settings need to differ:
| Setting | Use separate Deployments when |
|---|---|
| Assignment type | Some content installs automatically, appears in Kiosk, or exists only for license assignment |
| Activation and deactivation | Payloads need different start or end dates |
| Installation timing | Payloads need different installation windows |
| Kiosk rules | Items need different self-service visibility or presentation |
| Deployment on request | Only some payloads or target groups should use self-pickup behavior |
| Payload requirements | Platform, Booster, dependency, or runtime requirements do not match |
Fewer Deployments are easier to maintain only when the assignments genuinely share the same rules. Combining unrelated assignments merely to reduce the Deployment count makes later changes harder to understand and riskier to scope.
Organize by payload or destination
As a primary pattern, organize Deployments around the payloads being delivered or around the destinations receiving them. Avoid making both dimensions vary inside one Deployment unless the assignments still share every relevant delivery rule. Delivery method and platform are common reasons to separate otherwise similar assignments.
Worked example
Suppose the following applications must be assigned to all managed Windows and macOS devices:
| Payload | Delivery | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome - Windows | Automatic installation | All Windows Devices |
| Google Chrome - macOS | Automatic installation | All macOS Devices |
| Firefox - Windows | Kiosk | All Windows Devices |
| Firefox - macOS | Kiosk | All macOS Devices |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader - Windows | Automatic installation | All Windows Devices |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader - macOS | Automatic installation | All macOS Devices |
| TeamViewer Host - Windows | Automatic installation | All Windows Devices |
| TeamViewer Host - macOS | Automatic installation | All macOS Devices |
Recommended grouping
- Standard Apps Windows (Automatic): Chrome, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and TeamViewer Host assigned to All Windows Devices
- Standard Apps macOS (Automatic): Chrome, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and TeamViewer Host assigned to All macOS Devices
- Optional Apps Windows (Kiosk): Firefox assigned to All Windows Devices
- Optional Apps macOS (Kiosk): Firefox assigned to All macOS Devices
This creates four reusable building blocks because the platform and delivery behavior differ. If Microsoft Teams is later added for automatic installation to the same All Windows Devices and All macOS Devices groups, add its Windows and macOS Filesets to the corresponding Standard Apps Deployments. If Teams needs a different schedule, Kiosk behavior, or destination, give it a separate Deployment instead.