Getting started with device groups

You can use device groups and folders to organize the devices in your account into logical groupings that support the needs of your organization.

For example, you can group devices by the following criteria:

  • Management level
  • Security risk assessment
  • Geographical location

Depending on the permissions associated with your user role, some device group functionality may not be available. For example, default Guest Users can't create device groups or folders, but they may view device groups created by other users.

A user can also be assigned to select device groups. The user can see the structure of all the device groups and folders, but can only see the devices that belong to their assigned device groups.

You can organize your device into folders, smart groups, or static groups.

Folders are a collection of device groups and other folders. When you open a folder, you can see all the devices in the collection. You can create a top level folder, or you can create a child folder under another folder.

Smart groups are a collection of devices based on a set of filter criteria. Devices that satisfy the filter criteria are members of the device group. You can create a top level smart group, or you can create a child smart group under a folder, static group, or another smart group.

Static groups are a collection of devices created by manually adding devices to the group. The list of devices remains the same until you add or remove a device. You can create a top level static group, or you can create child static group under a folder.

Smart groups and static groups are not available for selection in the Group field in some areas of the console.

If you want a folder or device group to reside within another folder or device group, you can create it as part of the folder or device group, or move it into the folder or device group after it's been created.

Device groups and folders support the following parent-child configurations:

Supported parent-child configurations
Parent Child Parent-Child Relationship
Folder Folder The devices of all children are compiled into a single list that you can view in the folder.
Smart group
Static group
Smart group Smart group The child inherits the parent's filters. You can add additional filters to the child smart group, but you can't remove inherited filters.
Static group Smart group The child inherits the parent's device list. You can then add filters to the child smart group to filter the inherited device list.

A permission group is a smart group or static group that has been assigned to one or more users in User Management to define the devices that those users have permission to manage.

To edit a permission group, the Edit permission groups permission for Device Groups and folders is required (to edit folders and all other device groups, the Manage permission is sufficient). Specifically, the Edit permission groups permission allows a user to:

  • Add or remove devices in a static permission group

  • Edit the filters of a smart permission group

  • Edit properties for a permission group

  • Move a permission group or its parent

All default Administrator roles are granted this permission.

The Edit permission groups permission does not grant a user the ability to edit or move their own permission group.

If a user is granted the Manage permission, but not the Edit permission groups permission, the following action icons are grayed out:

  • Static permission group: (Add devices)

  • Smart permission group: (Filters within this group)

A permission group can't be deleted until its permission group designation is removed. To do so, go to User Management and remove the device group from each user. You can then delete the device group.

You can perform the following actions on one or more devices in a device group or folder:

Depending on the permissions associated with your user role, some actions may not be available.