Resource Delivery Optimization and Deployment Tracking
Overview
With the modernization of Workspace ONE UEM, not only have we achieved a 10x faster deployment of resources, but we have also completely revamped the monitoring experience of resource deployments.
Historically, Workspace ONE UEM operated as a push-centric model, where installation commands were queued in the database upon resource publication. These commands were subsequently released in batches for devices to retrieve installation instructions. As demand grew for managing and provisioning a higher volume of resources, deployment times extended, particularly in scenarios involving numerous resources or offline devices. Moreover, the process faced challenges with resilience, especially in cases where commands could potentially be lost.
Now, with the introduction of the next-generation Workspace ONE SaaS platform and Desired State Management, we transitioned away from the queue-based system of releasing commands and implemented a new process called Resource Delivery Optimization. This new process is facilitated by the device fleet proactively communicating with Workspace ONE UEM to receive commands. Devices independently check in at set intervals, undergo a drift evaluation to determine their desired state, and are provided with install or uninstall instructions accordingly to bring them to their desired state. This innovative approach eliminates guesswork for administrators, who previously had to debug whether commands were queued or released and streamlines the overall experience for resources being deployed to devices.
Alongside the delivery enhancements, we are introducing a significant redesign of the user interface and resource tracking methods for applications. Additionally, for the first time, deployment tracking views are also being introduced to Profiles, ensuring consistency with the Application experience.
Purpose of this tutorial
In this article, we explain the benefits of the resource delivery optimization implemented in Omnissa Workspace ONE UEM and how this applies to daily management of devices. Additionally, this tutorial will cover in depth the following key features related to the new deployment tracking experience for profiles and applications:
- Deployment Tracking Dashboard: Provides charts to enable real-time monitoring of the resource installation progress. You can interact with these charts, apply filters, view device-level installation status and perform bulk operations on devices. The dashboard allows you to quickly identify issues and take appropriate actions to ensure successful deployments.
- Assignment Previews and ETA: Provides insights into device assignments and estimated time for delivering instructions. You can preview assignment changes before publishing resources, allowing for better planning and resource management.
The features covered in this article relate to the new UEM Modern SaaS Architecture released with Workspace ONE UEM 2406.
The next generation of Workspace ONE features revolutionizes the way you interact with our platform, delivering unparalleled performance, scalability, and user experience.
Audience
This tutorial is intended for IT (Information Technology) professionals and Administrators who utilize Workspace ONE UEM.
Resource delivery optimization
In this section, we will discuss how Omnissa is optimizing delivery of resources to devices in Workspace ONE UEM.
Omnissa Workspace ONE platform modernization
The Omnissa Workspace ONE Platform modernization is based on a new Architecture that leverages distributed microservices to support existing and new UEM capabilities, this architecture empowers our teams to release new features for our customers much faster. In addition to velocity, the new service design architecture brings several benefits, such as:
- Improved fault tolerance and resilience achieved for our systems due to the development of distributed microservices which operate independently.
- Introduction of automation to scale services in response to environmental needs, such as a sudden surge in enrollment, allowing us to meet the demand and then descale once the need has passed.
- Platform extensibility allows our customers and partners not only to build within the platform but also build upon it, thereby creating additional value.
The transition away from legacy architecture towards a Modern SaaS platform will happen over time. This article will focus on Resource Delivery Optimization, the first major milestone delivered by the Modern SaaS architecture.
Resource delivery optimization
Resource Delivery Optimization represents a shift on how devices communicate, how they process resources and updates, and how the administrator’s experience is updated to consume those changes. The outcome continues to revolve around delivering resources to devices. However, as an administrator, it’s crucial to comprehend the communication flow that ensures these resources reach the devices effectively.
Moving away from the traditional queue-based system and push-centric model, where installation commands were queued in the database upon publishing a resource sent by the UEM servers, our updated approach (pull-model) ensures that devices communicate proactively with Workspace ONE UEM to receive commands. Devices independently check in at predefined intervals (default 4 hours), undergo evaluation to determine their desired state, and are then provided with installation or uninstallation instructions to bring device to its desired state. This eliminates the guesswork previously faced by administrators, who had to debug the status of queued commands and their release.
Some of the key benefits of this enhanced approach are:
- 10x faster deployment of applications and profiles: By streamlining the delivery process, applications and profiles are deployed rapidly, enhancing productivity and user experience.
- Enhanced deployment resilience: Even in cases where commands are lost, such as during intermittent connectivity issues, this new approach remains resilient. When a device checks in next, it is re-evaluated, and installation or uninstallation commands are regenerated based on the device's desired state compared to its current state.
- Reduced administrative burden: The resilient nature of the resource delivery reduces the manual intervention required by administrators. They no longer need to closely monitor command queues or troubleshoot issues related to command execution, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks.
- Enhanced end-user's experience: With faster deployment times and seamless delivery of applications and profiles, end-users experience minimal downtime and disruptions. This results in a more positive user experience, improving overall satisfaction and productivity.
- Real-time visibility and reporting: Administrators gain visibility into the status of resource deployments through intuitive deployment tracking dashboards. This transparency allows the admins to track deployment progress, identify potential issues, and resolve them quickly.
Fastlane Delivery
While the pull-based method of resource delivery promises significant performance improvements for large-scale deployments, the Workspace ONE UEM teams acknowledge that there are scenarios requiring more targeted resource deployment. This is especially true for addressing VIP devices, critical security patches, or for testing purposes. To address these concerns, we have introduced the principle of Fastlane Delivery.
Fastlane Delivery is applicable for resource deployments targeting fewer than 20,000 individual endpoints. Fastlane Delivery reverts initial communication to the legacy method of querying devices, prompting them to communicate back with the UEM system without waiting for their next scheduled check-in. This communication query marks the end of the legacy methods, ensuring that once devices communicate, they benefit from the advantages of faster processing and Desired State Management flows.
For more information about Fastlane delivery, please see Accelerating Resource Delivery with Fast Lane Deployment.
Desired State Management (DSM)
Desired State Management refers to the process of ensuring that devices adhere to organizational policies and requirements. This maintains consistency and compliance across the device fleet by continuously assessing and enforcing the desired applications, and policies. It involves evaluating each device's current state against the desired state defined by the organization and taking corrective actions to bring devices into compliance if they deviate from the desired configuration. This helps enhance security, streamline operations, and improves the overall efficiency of device management.
The Desired State Management service is the core that enables the enforcement of resources defined by the admin in a faster and predictable way. It’s powered by several services such as desired state, entitlements service, device state and platform resource manager.
Historically, DSM calculations occur on the server at the database layer. Once the difference is calculated, UEM queues the corresponding commands into the command processor and pushes them to the Hub. Upon receiving the commands, the Hub processes them and takes action.
Figure 1. Resource delivery with legacy architecture.
With resource delivery optimizations, these core services move the calculation from the UEM database, where device state changes are detected, to the server application layer. In this process, the device becomes the central focus of resource management, serving both as the initiator and the consumer. For example, the device initiates communication with the backend and requests everything (apps, profiles, certificates, etc.) that will be processed by the backend services. During this process, the device checks in automatically at 4-hour intervals. The backend services calculate the deltas based on previously synced samples and send all missing or updated items at once. As the device receives commands (install, uninstall, update, etc.), it reports back the current status of each resource as it is processed locally.
Figure 2. Shift in resource delivery using modern SaaS architecture.
This innovative approach significantly enhances the user experience on devices by enabling more efficient communication. At scale, organizations can manage hundreds of thousands of devices and seamlessly provision numerous resources, resulting in substantial economies of scale through the new architecture.
Deployment tracking
Deployment tracking dashboard for applications
The deployment tracking dashboard offers detailed insights into application deployment progress. Intuitive and interactive charts allow real-time monitoring of installation, application of filters, viewing device-level installation statuses, and bulk device operations. This functionality helps quickly identify and address issues, ensuring successful deployments.
Deployment tracking dashboards are standard for public and internal applications. For internal applications, you can track deployment at two levels: app bundle level and app version level. Deployment tracking at the app bundle level shows a summary for all versions of the application, while tracking at the app version level provides a summary only for that specific version.
To learn more about the dashboards and charts available for tracking public application deployments, please see: Tracking and monitoring deployment of public applications.
For a more detail explanation about the dashboards and charts available for Internal application deployment tracking, please see: Tracking and monitoring the deployment of Internal applications.
Deployment tracking dashboard for profiles
The deployment tracking dashboard offers comprehensive insights into the deployment progress of profiles. Utilizing intuitive and interactive charts, users can monitor installation progress in real-time, apply filters, view device-level installation statuses, and execute bulk operations on devices. This functionality enables IT administrators to promptly identify and resolve any issues, thereby ensuring successful deployments.
For further insights into the dashboards and charts available within Workspace ONE UEM for tracking profile deployments, please see: Tracking and monitoring the deployment of profiles.
Assignment preview
When you save assignments for a specific resource version, an assignment preview is displayed before publishing the assignments. This preview acts as a snapshot, providing a concise overview of any modifications made to the assignments. Its primary objective is to assist you in identifying any substantial deviations in assignments that may have occurred inadvertently prior to publishing. Furthermore, the preview includes an estimated time for devices to receive the assignment instructions. To quickly identify significant changes, you can use these assignment stats:
- Assigned: Total devices entitled to receive the resources, calculated by subtracting excluded and ineligible devices from the total assigned through smart groups.
- Newly Added: Devices newly assigned to receive the resource.
- Newly Removed: Devices whose assignments were lost due to updates or exclusions.
- Unchanged: Devices retaining their assignments after updates.
Furthermore, an estimated time is provided for assigned devices to receive the assignment instructions. This estimate reflects the percentage of devices expected to receive these instructions within the next 4 hours. This estimate is based on the historical check-in frequency of the devices. Note that this estimate represents the best-case scenario, as devices may not receive assignment instructions if they fail to check in after the resource is published.
Additionally, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) is only applicable when the deployment type is set to Auto. For on-demand deployments, devices receive instructions when a user chooses to install the resource or when an administrator forcefully pushes it from the console.
This estimate is calculated based on the check-in posture of your device fleet. Devices that have successfully checked in within the last check-in window will be included in this estimate as they have demonstrated successful connection and online status.
Revamped deployment tracking experience – An illustrative example
When you add an application or create a profile in the Workspace ONE UEM console, a deployment tracking page is generated to monitor its progress and status. This dashboard offers detailed insights into the deployment of the application or profile. You can track installation progress in real-time using intuitive and interactive charts, apply filters, view device-level installation statuses, and perform bulk operations on devices. This functionality enables you to quickly identify and resolve any issues, leading to successful deployments.
This section showcases the new deployment tracking experience using a sample internal application. It will explore how different scenarios, such as adding an assignment, excluding smart groups, and side loading devices, impact resource deployment tracking.
Add internal application to Workspace ONE UEM console
Our illustration starts when an administrator adds an internal application through the Workspace ONE UEM console. However, they haven’t assigned this application to any Smart Group yet. As a result, the deployment tracking page will show zero summary statistics, and the charts and device grid will appear empty.
Add assignment
Next, an administrator assigns the application to a smart group which contains 10 devices. The tracking dashboard updates with the new assignment to reflect the following:
- The total assigned count increases from 0 to 10 because the application has been assigned to 10 devices.
- The evaluated count is 0 because none of the devices have either checked in or undergone offline evaluation yet and, therefore, have not received assignment to the application.
- The pending count is 10 as the devices await evaluation.
- The device grid under ‘Pending evaluation’ tab displays the 10 devices awaiting evaluation. One of the devices has Installation Status as Installed. This is because the device has side-loaded the application.
At this stage the admin is expected to wait till the devices either check-in or undergo offline evaluation and as a result eventually transition from ‘Pending’ state to ‘Evaluated’ state.
Devices evaluated
After a default check-in frequency of up to 4 hours for online devices or 6 hours for offline, all devices have either checked in or undergone offline evaluation. Currently, the evaluated count stands at 10, with a pending count of 0. Charts for the evaluated devices are now accessible for viewing and filtering. Additionally, the admin can now access device details in the grid. It’s important to note that only devices that are online and have checked in will receive installation instructions, even if all devices have been evaluated. Devices that have been evaluated offline will not receive installation instructions until they check in, and their Installation Status will remain as ‘Not Installed’.
Exclude smart groups
A smart group has been added to the sample app’s exclusion list. Consequently, a device belonging to this smart group, which previously had the app assignment, no longer has it. This device is now displayed under the ‘Excluded’ tab, as shown below. Upon checking in next, this device will receive an ‘Uninstall’ instruction. The remaining 9 devices are still assigned to the app but have moved to the ‘Pending Evaluation’ tab because the assignment has been republished.
The device that was previously excluded from the assignment will now transition from the ‘Excluded’ tab to the ‘Installed but Not Assigned’ tab upon checking in. Device details can be accessed under the ‘Installed but not assigned’ tab. However, the device will only be visible in this tab temporarily until it receives and executes the uninstall command during the check-in process.
Add another sample internal app version
This section demonstrates the new deployment tracking experience when multiple versions of an internal application exist for the same set of devices.
Add new internal app version to UEM console
Let’s enhance our illustration by adding an additional element. An administrator adds another version of the 7-Zip app to the Workspace ONE UEM console but hasn’t assigned it to any Smart Group yet. Since assignments haven’t been made, the deployment tracking page for this new version will display zero summary statistics, and the charts and device grid will appear empty.
Add assignment
The administrator assigns the new version to the same smart group as the first version.
Note that all devices will now receive the latest version of the application, which is 24.06. You can view the devices under the ‘Pending evaluation’ tab. The older version, 16.04, will lose all assignments.
As with before, the administrator must wait until the devices either check-in or undergo offline evaluation. As shown below, the results will transition from a ‘Pending’ state to ‘Evaluated’ state for the new version.
Summary and additional resources
The next generation of Workspace ONE features transforms the way you interact with our platform, offering unparalleled performance, scalability, and user experience. In this article, we delved into the advantages of resource delivery optimization, a crucial component of the Modern UEM SaaS Platform. Administrators must comprehend the intricacies of the new resource delivery optimization process, as it introduces significant enhancements in resource management and deployment tracking. These improvements are now accessible through the new deployment tracking dashboard, which provides comprehensive profiles and application management capabilities.
Additional resources
To learn more about the Workspace ONE UEM Modern Architecture and most recently released features that leverage this architecture, checkout the following resources:
- Security Posture of the UEM Modern Architecture
- Workspace ONE UEM Windows Multiuser
- A primer of Declarative Device Management for Apple devices
- Workspace ONE Launcher Widget Feature
Changelog
The following updates were made to this guide:
| Date | Description of Changes |
| 03/23/2026 |
|
| 09/04/2024 |
|
About the authors and contributors
This document was written by:
- Michael Bradley, Senior Product Specialist, Omnissa
- Sivapratap Reddy Chintam, Group Product Line Manager, Omnissa
- Shambhavi Chaugule, Senior Product Manager, Omnissa
With contributions from:
- Benjamin Jacoby, Group Product Line Manager, Omnissa
- Andreano Lanusse, Omnissa alumni
Questions and feedback
For questions or feedback, send to tech_content_feedback@omnissa.com.