MDM to DDM: The Future of Apple Device Management
Table of Contents:
- What is DDM?
- What does DDM mean in Apple Device Management?
- Why DDM is The Future of Apple Device Management
- Declarative Device Management and MDM
- How does DDM compare to MDM?
- DDM’s 3 Main Parts: Declarations, Status, and Extensibility
- Benefits of DDM
- DDM and Addigy Device Management
First off, What is DDM?
What is DDM? Declarative Device Management (DDM) is Apple’s updated framework for managing macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices. Unlike traditional Mobile Device Management (MDM), DDM lets devices proactively enforce configurations and report their own status, reducing server load and improving security and automation.
What does DDM mean in Apple Device Management?
In Apple device management, DDM stands for “Declarative Device Management.” It’s a built-in framework that enables devices to manage themselves using predefined declarations, reducing the dependency on central MDM servers.
Why DDM is The Future of Apple Device Management
DDM truly revolutionizes Apple device management for IT admins and MSPs. Starting with macOS Ventura, iOS and iPadOS 15 and now being fully realized with macOS Sonoma,iOS and iPadOS 16, DDM offers a more efficient and secure means of administering macOS and iOS devices. Declarative Device Management introduces tamper-resistant configurations that simplify monitoring system services and background tasks. Not only that, but it’s more lightweight, allowing devices autonomy and proactivity.
Apple DDM means that devices actively respond to changes in their state and autonomously apply the necessary changes based on that state. This eliminates the need for your MDM servers to continually poll devices for state and then push changes when required. Devices now send notifications to the MDM server when changes occur so you always know the most up-to-date state of your fleet.
Apple’s DDM in macOS Sonoma completely transforms system service management, certificate and identity administration, and breaks away from traditional Mobile Device Management (MDM) systems. DDM enforces uniform configurations across all devices by utilizing tamper-resistant system configuration files, and it enhances protection against accidental changes made by users.
For a deeper dive into Declarative OS Updates & Upgrades, hear from our Apple experts in our recent webinar.
Declarative Device Management and MDM
Apple DDM works alongside today’s MDM. The path to upgrade devices from using MDM today to using DDM will happen seamlessly. Devices currently enrolled with a traditional Apple MDM will migrate to DDM under the hood as the device moves to OS versions that support DDM.
How does DDM compare to MDM?
To understand why DDM represents the next evolution of device management, let’s compare how it differs from legacy MDM workflows.
| Feature | MDM (Mobile Device Management) | DDM (Declarative Device Management) |
| Architecture | Server-driven (poll and push) | Device-driven (declarative and reactive) |
| Responsiveness | Dependent on server polling | Instant state-based updates |
| Configuration | Centralized | Distributed and autonomous |
| Performance impact | Higher on server | More efficient, less network load |
DDM’s 3 Main Parts: Declarations, Status, and Extensibility
Declarative Device Management encompasses three core data models: declarations, status, and extensibility. Let’s delve into each one to gain a better understanding of their roles and significance.
DDM Declarations
Declarations play a crucial role in DDM as they define policies and desired states for devices (such as Enable File Vault, setting minimum password requirements, and applying all critical updates immediately). When an organization wants to establish specific rules and configurations for a device, they utilize declarations. These declarations are serialized as JSON objects, differing from the previous use of plists. They consist of essential properties that facilitate synchronization with the management server.
There are four distinct declaration types:
1. Configurations: These are akin to the settings and restrictions currently employed for devices, such as device passcode settings delivered via MDM Profiles. Configurations enable organizations to apply specific settings (i.e.: setting Passcode settings for devices), ensuring adherence to desired policies.
2. Assets: Assets refer to the reference data required by Configurations for successful setup. This data can include MDM URLs, device User Information, and Certificates necessary to establish trust. Organizations leveraging assets can streamline the configuration process and ensure devices have access to the necessary resources. Assets can support one or more Configurations.
3. Activations: Activations encompass sets of Configurations automatically. This means that if a single Configuration with an Activation fails, none of the Configurations will apply to that device, preventing conflicts later. Many Activations can include the same Configuration. This many-to-many relationship provides you with unprecedented power. In simpler terms: device management solutions can send Activations to many devices, and only those devices that the Configurations within the Activation that apply will install them.
Activations also include a new capability called Predicates. Predicates provide the ability to set conditional rules for the application of the Configurations. You will be able to build rules such as “if device is iPad Then….”
4. Management: The management aspect revolves around sending static information to a device, such as details pertaining to the organization responsible for device management and the capabilities of the server. This information ensures devices possess the necessary context and knowledge about their management environment.
DDM Status Channel
The Status Channel allows your device management solution to subscribe to only the updates from the device it wishes to understand. Today, Mobile Device Management is an all-or-none solution. With the new Status Channel, unnecessary communication from each device to the device management servers is minimized, but you as the admin still have full access to everything you need to know and ensure compliance.
DDM Extensibility
Finally, we encounter Extensibility, which plays a pivotal role in keeping the management server and managed devices in sync regarding new capabilities. Both the server and device possess the awareness to recognize when new features are available and actively communicate this information to each other. This real-time exchange ensures that servers and devices can promptly leverage and incorporate new features and payloads into their operations. By embracing Extensibility, the system remains adaptable and future-proof, accommodating advancements and enhancements without delay.
Benefits of Declarative Device Management (DDM)
While existing MDM protocols are still available and functional with the introduction of DDM, Apple created Declarative Device Management (DDM) to bring stronger automation, reliability, and efficiency to device management for IT admins and MDM solution providers.
Unlike traditional MDM, which depends on constant server polling, DDM empowers devices to evaluate and act on policies proactively, reducing latency and server load while improving overall user experience.
Key advantages of DDM:
- Enhanced user experience: Devices apply settings instantly and proactively, minimizing delays or end user interruption.
- Improved reliability: Autonomous state management ensures consistent compliance, even when devices are offline.
- Smarter monitoring with asynchronous updates: Devices report real‑time status changes, giving admins a live view of compliance and health without waiting for periodic polls.
- Reduced network and server strain: Fewer server requests mean lower bandwidth consumption and less admin overhead.
- Simplified management complexity: Declarative policies replace repetitive push commands, streamlining workflows for large fleets.
- Faster device onboarding: New devices can self‑configure more quickly and securely as soon as DDM declarations are received.
- Better managed software updates: DDM enables policy‑driven, automated updates that strengthen endpoint security and compliance.
Declarative management is designed to coexist seamlessly with the existing MDM protocol, meaning that MDMs can take on a gradual adoption of the new functionalities without any interruption in the existing functionalities.
DDM and Addigy Device Management
The Bottom Line: DDM represents Apple’s next-generation framework for more autonomous, secure, and scalable device management. By adopting DDM, IT teams gain real-time visibility, simplify compliance, and future-proof their Apple environments.
At Addigy, we’ve incorporated DDM into our existing tools. DDM represents a noteworthy advancement in how we approach and understand device management, including all important software updates. DDM not only streamlines administrative tasks but also enhances the overall security, performance, and integrity of the devices managed by Apple device administrators.
Devices managed with Addigy’s device management tool will automatically begin transitioning to DDM as the capabilities now handled via MDM arrive in DDM.
For an even deeper dive into Declarative OS Updates & Upgrades, hear from our Apple experts in our recent webinar.
