Blueprint Overview
What is a Blueprint
A Blueprint is a collection of configuration settings that defines how a device should behave. Think of it as a policy template — you create one Blueprint with your desired settings (passcode policy, Wi-Fi profiles, restrictions, etc.) and assign it to one or more device groups. Every device in those groups automatically receives the same configuration.
Blueprints are the primary mechanism for managing device settings at scale. Instead of configuring each device individually, you define the policy once and let the system propagate it.
How to Create a Blueprint
- Navigate to Blueprints in the left sidebar.
- Click Create Blueprint.
- Give it a name and an optional description.
- Configure the settings you need (see available types below).
- Save the Blueprint.
Once saved, the Blueprint is ready to be assigned to groups.
Available Configuration Types
GuardMDM currently supports the following configuration types in the console:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Passcode | Require a device passcode with configurable complexity, minimum length, and lockout rules. |
| Restrictions | Block or allow device features (camera, app store, in-app purchases, etc.). |
| Wi-Fi | Deploy Wi-Fi network profiles (SSID, security type, certificates). |
| Content Filter | Filter web content by URL allow/block lists or plug-in-based filtering. |
| Custom Configuration | Upload a raw plist (Apple Property List) for any unsupported or custom configuration profile payload. |
| VPP App Assignments | Assign Volume Purchase Program apps to devices with license management. |
More Types Coming Soon
GuardMDM is actively expanding Blueprint support. Additional payload types (VPN, Email, Exchange, LDAP, etc.) will be added in future releases.
Assigning Blueprints to Groups
After creating a Blueprint, assign it to one or more device groups:
- Open the Blueprint detail page.
- Click Assign to Groups.
- Select the target groups from the list.
- Confirm the assignment.
A group can have multiple Blueprints assigned at the same time. Each Blueprint's settings are applied independently to devices in the group. If two Blueprints configure the same setting, the device applies both profiles and the operating system resolves any conflicts according to Apple's MDM protocol.
Viewing Assigned Groups as Badges
On the Blueprint list page, each Blueprint shows a badge count of how many groups it is currently assigned to. Clicking the badge navigates to the assignment view for that Blueprint.
Blueprint Sync Process
When a Blueprint is created or updated, the system processes the changes as follows:
- Profile generation — The system compiles the Blueprint settings into Apple Configuration Profile format (XML plist).
- Push notification — An APNs push notification is sent to each enrolled device in the assigned groups, signaling a configuration update.
- Device check-in — The device checks in with the MDM server and downloads the updated profile.
- Installation — The device installs the profile and applies the new settings.
This process is asynchronous. Changes typically propagate within minutes, depending on device connectivity and APNs delivery.