Hey everyone, I’m kind of new to device management and am seeing things like user-driven mode, self-deploying mode, ESP, and pre-provisioning being used around. But I’m not sure how to decide what to use where. Would appreciate it if someone could help me see things more clearly. Cheers.
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Replies (7)
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Hexnode Expert
14 hours ago
Apr 03, 2026
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@noor_k, I hear you. The Autopilot setup options such as deployment modes, ESP, and pre-provisioning, can feel a bit layered at first, but it usually comes down to the device’s use case. If the device is going to a specific employee, user-driven is the way to go. The users sign in, and setup continues from there. If it’s a shared device or something like a kiosk, self-deploying fits better. No user login is involved, and the device just configures itself. That said, this mode depends on TPM being available for it to work properly.
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Participant
12 hours ago
Apr 03, 2026
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And ESP? Is that something we should always enable?
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Hexnode Expert
10 hours ago
Apr 03, 2026
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In most cases, yes.
ESP is basically there to stop users from getting into a half-configured device.
Without it, a user might land on the desktop while critical apps (like VPN or antivirus) are still installing in the background. With ESP enabled, the device just waits until everything you marked as required is done.
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Participant
7 hours ago
Apr 03, 2026
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Got it. What about pre-provisioning?
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Hexnode Expert
5 hours ago
Apr 03, 2026
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That’s more situational.
If your users are remote and the setup involves large apps, letting everything download on their home network can slow things down quite a bit.
Pre-provisioning lets IT handle that part in advance—apps and policies get installed before the device is shipped out. When the user receives it, they just sign in and it wraps up quickly.
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Participant
4 hours ago
Apr 03, 2026
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So, it’s more about improving first-time experience?
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Hexnode Expert
48 minutes ago
Apr 03, 2026
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Exactly. Not mandatory, but very useful when setup time becomes noticeable.
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