Zero Touch Deployment: A Complete Guide for IT Admins in 2026

Device onboarding has never been more complex. As companies expand across remote, hybrid, and global teams, IT departments must provision hundreds or thousands of devices without physically touching a single one. Shipping laptops, phones, and tablets to different locations, managing user setups, ensuring security settings are applied, and keeping everything consistent across the organization used to take hours of manual effort.

That era is gone.

Today, zero-touch deployment has become one of the most important workflows for IT teams. It allows devices to be shipped directly to employees, no manual configuration, no IT hand-holding, and no onsite presence needed. Devices power on, connect to the internet, and instantly configure themselves with business apps, security settings, Wi-Fi profiles, and MDM policies.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about zero touch deployment in 2026, including how it works, why it matters, and how to make it effortless with Scalefusion.

What is Zero-Touch Deployment?

Zero touch deployment or zero-touch provisioning is an automated way of setting up company devices without any manual intervention from IT teams or end users. As soon as a device is powered on and connected to the internet, it automatically enrolls into the organization’s mobile device management (MDM) platform and receives all required configurations.

In simple words, zero touch device deployment is seamless way for companies to deliver “ready-to-work” devices straight out of the box.

Zero touch deployment is now a standard expectation for organizations managing distributed workforces, frontline operations, and global teams.

What is the difference between zero-touch deployment and zero-touch enrollment?

For Apple devices, the automated device onboarding process is known as Apple zero touch deployment, powered by Apple ADE (Automated Device Enrollment). It allows organizations to preconfigure every macOS, iPadOS, and iOS device before the employee ever touches it.

For Android devices, the equivalent is Android zero touch deployment, formally known as Android Zero-Touch Enrollment (ZTE). It allows organizations to bulk-enroll Android devices with preconfigured settings and automatic MDM enrollment, making it the Android counterpart to Apple’s automated provisioning workflow.

Both ecosystems share the same goal: eliminating the need for IT teams to physically prepare devices.

Why Zero-Touch Deployment?

Organizations today manage more devices than ever before, and these devices are often shipped across cities, countries, and time zones. Traditional provisioning methods where IT teams manually unbox, configure, and hand over devices are no longer practical in a world built around remote and hybrid work.

Zero touch deployment exists to eliminate the biggest challenges of modern device rollout. It removes the need for physical handling, manual configuration, or in-person onboarding. As soon as a device powers on, it connects to the internet and configures itself with the company’s required settings, apps, and security policies.

Companies rely on zero touch deployment because it solves real operational and security challenges:

• Remote workforce pressure: Teams working from home or distributed locations need devices that arrive ready to use, without requiring on-site IT support.
  
• High device volume: Large enterprises frequently deploy hundreds or thousands of devices, making manual setup slow and inefficient.
  
• Global distribution: Devices may be shipped directly to employees or frontline locations across different regions, requiring consistent configuration everywhere.
  
• Security from the first boot: Zero touch deployment ensures devices follow organizational security standards the moment they connect, reducing exposure and misconfigurations.
  
• Consistency and compliance: Every device receives the same baseline configuration, helping organizations meet regulatory and internal compliance requirements.
  
• Faster employee onboarding: New hires can start using their devices immediately, without waiting for someone to configure or troubleshoot initial setup.
  
• Reduced operational friction: No delays, no shipping devices back and forth, and no dependency on IT availability at specific locations.

In a modern workplace where agility, security, and scale matter more than ever, zero touch deployment has become the default approach for provisioning and deploying devices across global teams.

How does Zero-Touch Deployment work?

Zero-touch deployment feels almost magical to the end user: they turn on a brand-new device, and within minutes it transforms into a fully configured, secure, work-ready endpoint. Behind the scenes, however, it involves a coordinated process between hardware vendors, enrollment portals, MDM servers, and automated provisioning workflows.

Here is a detailed look at how the entire process unfolds from start to finish:

1. Purchase and registration

The zero-touch deployment process begins the moment an organization purchases devices. When devices are bought from an authorized reseller or directly from the manufacturer, they are automatically added to the organization’s provisioning portal:

• The Apple zero-touch deployment portal, also known as Apple ADE (Automated Device Enrollment), for Apple devices.
• The Android zero-touch deployment portal, known as Android ZTE (Zero-Touch Enrollment), for Android devices.

At this stage, each device’s serial number or IMEI is linked to the organization’s account. This ensures that whenever the device powers on for the first time, it knows who it belongs to and which MDM platform should manage it.

This registration step is the foundation of zero-touch deployment because it guarantees that devices cannot bypass management, even after factory resets.

2. Pre-donfiguration in MDM

Before the device ever reaches the employee, IT teams configure everything in advance inside their mobile device management (MDM) dashboard.

They assign:

• Enrollment profiles that determine how the device will behave.
• Applications required for work.
• Security policies such as passcodes, encryption, or restrictions.
• Wi-Fi and network configurations.
• VPN settings for secure access.
• Certificates and authentication profiles.
• Restrictions for blocking non-essential features.
• Work profiles for Android devices that separate personal and work data,

All these settings are saved in the MDM platform and mapped to the enrolled devices. This step ensures that provisioning is standardized and that every device follows the organization’s policies from the very first moment it connects.

3. Auto-enrollment

Once the employee receives the device, the real power of zero-touch deployment becomes visible.

When the device is powered on and connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data:

• It automatically reaches out to Apple’s or Google’s provisioning servers.
• It identifies the organization to which it belongs.
• It checks which configuration profile has been assigned.
• It auto-enrolls into the organization’s MDM solution without asking the user to take any steps.

The user cannot skip or remove this enrollment, which makes the process secure and tamper-proof. This is the heart of the zero touch deployment experience, no QR codes, no manual downloads, no IT assistance needed.

4. Automatic policy application

After the device successfully enrolls, the MDM platform begins pushing everything it has been preconfigured with.

Within a few minutes, the device receives:

• Business apps needed for daily work.
• Email and productivity configurations.
• Security controls such as password rules, encryption, and restrictions.
• Network profiles including Wi-Fi, VPN, and certificates.
• Compliance policies to meet industry or organizational requirements.

The entire setup takes place silently in the background. This ensures that the device boots into a secure and consistent environment, matching the standards defined by the company.

5. Fully operational device

After all configurations and applications are installed, the device is ready for use. The employee can log in and start working immediately without worrying about setup steps, configurations, or troubleshooting. The device arrives fully prepared for the user’s role, with everything from 

Benefits of zero-touch deployment for IT teams

Zero-touch deployment is more than just a faster setup method. It fundamentally changes how IT teams operate. Let’s look at the real-world benefits in detail.

• Instant device readiness: Devices arrive at the employee’s doorstep preconfigured. As soon as they turn it on, it connects to the MDM server, applies apps and policies, and becomes work-ready.
  
• Reduced manual effort: Instead of configuring each device one by one, IT teams use a central dashboard to predefine all settings. This reduces human error and saves hours or days of repetitive tasks.
  
• Enhanced security: Security is applied before the employee even logs in. Zero touch deployment ensures encryption is enabled, password and lock screen policies are enforced, apps are restricted, and certificates and VPN profiles are applied. This protects the device from the very first moment.
  
• Consistency across the entire device fleet: Every device whether Apple or Android follows the same configuration template. This removes variation and ensures every endpoint meets the company’s security and compliance standards.
  
• Lower support load: With devices arriving preconfigured, employees skip the confusing setup steps. Support tickets related to onboarding drop significantly.
  
• Scalable deployment: Whether your organization adds 10, 500, or 10,000 devices, zero touch deployment scales effortlessly. Bulk provisioning becomes smooth with platforms like Apple zero touch deployment and Android zero touch deployment.
  
• Works for Frontline Teams: For logistics, retail, and field service teams where devices break frequently or rotate across roles, zero touch deployment allows quick replacements without IT delays.
  
• Better Compliance: Organizations following HIPAA, SOC2, ISO27001, or GDPR stay compliant because devices are secured before they reach the user.

In short: zero touch deployment allows IT teams to focus on strategic work rather than device babysitting.

How to enroll devices through Zero Touch Deployment using Scalefusion MDM solution?

Zero-touch deployment Android

There’s no need to manually configure devices or enforce a complicated setup on employees with zero-touch. When assigned with an enterprise configuration, Android devices initiate the fully managed device provisioning method and download the Scalefusion MDM agent, which then completes the setup of the managed device.

Pre-requisites:

Before enrolling the devices via Android Zero-touch, organizations must ensure that the devices they wish to manage are:

• Purchased from a Zero-touch reseller partner or a Google partner.
• Running Android 6.0 and above (Android 4.2 and above for kiosk mode experience)
• A Google account associated with a corporate email account.
• A pre-configured Android device profile.

Step 1: Log in to the Scalefusion portal

Step 2: Navigate to Getting Started > Android Enterprise Setup. Select the Android Zero Touch & Samsung KME Setup tab

Step 3: Click on Create Configuration. Enter a name and select a QR code configuration from the dropdown list. Click Save.

Note:

• The QR code configuration allows IT admins to map a device profile or group against a QR code. 
• You can view the QR code configuration on the Scalefusion portal from Enrollment Configurations > QR Code COnfigurations
• Each Zero-Touch configuration will need a unique QR code configuration.

Step 4: Copy the configuration payload

Note: The configuration payload streamlines the process of setting up a large number of devices. The configuration payload instructs the mobile device to enroll itself as soon as the Scalefusion MDM client is downloaded on the device.

Step 5: Sign in to the Zero-touch portal account. It contains the details of the devices, resellers, and MDM configurations. The portal contains four main parameters.

Navigate to Configurations. Click the ‘+’ sign to add a new configuration.

• Enter a configuration name 
• Select Scalefusion – Kiosk & MDM Agent from the dropdown menu under EMM DPC
• Paste the configuration payload in DPC Extras copied earlier from the Scalefusion MDM portal
• Enter the company name, support email address, phone number, and custom boot up message

Click Add.

Navigate to Devices. Search the devices by entering an IMEI number. Select a configuration for the device, and click update.

Note: IT admins can select a default configuration to apply on any new devices

Zero touch deployment Apple

Scalefusion MDM supports Zero-Touch enrollment using Apple Business Manager to automatically configure devices after turning them on.

Prerequisites:

Before enrolling the Apple devices, organizations must ensure the following to enable a zero-touch enrollment strategy:

• Create APN (Apple Push Notification) Certificates to allow mobile device management software to communicate with Apple devices safely and securely.

• Enroll the organization into Apple’s Device Enrollment Program (DEP). (Note – DEP is now called Automatic Device Enrollment)

Step 1: Log in to the Scalefusion portal. Navigate to Getting Started > Apple Setup; Select the DEP tab and click on the Configure Device Setup Settings button as seen above.

Step 2: Click on the Choose button to select a configuration containing an iOS device profile or device group.

The configuration settings are deployed as soon as the Apple device is turned on. For devices in use, the configurations are applied after a factory reset. When the Apple device boots, the Apple server pushes the DEP configuration file to the device(s). It initiates the device enrollment process.

Future of remote work and device provisioning

The way organizations work is changing faster than ever. Remote and hybrid work models are no longer temporary adjustments, they are becoming the long-term reality for global teams. As companies hire talent from different cities, countries, and time zones, IT teams must find ways to deliver secure, work-ready devices without physical contact.

This shift makes zero touch deployment one of the most important IT capabilities of the future. In a world where employees rarely visit an office, ZTD is the only practical way to deliver consistent, secure, and immediate onboarding experiences.

Here is what the future looks like in 2026 and the years ahead:

1. Fully remote onboarding becomes standard

More employees will join companies without stepping into a physical location. With zero touch deployment, devices arrive preconfigured, secured, and linked to the company’s MDM platform, allowing new employees to start working from day one, no matter where they live.

2. Rapid growth of Android devices in enterprises

Frontline teams, retail staff, logistics workers, and field teams increasingly rely on rugged Android devices. Android zero touch deployment will become essential for provisioning these devices at scale, especially in industries with high device turnover.

3. Deep integration with identity and access systems

The device provisioning process will become tightly connected to IAM solutions. Passwordless authentication, conditional access, and role-based configurations will be applied automatically during onboarding, improving both security and user experience.

4. Zero trust meets zero touch

As organizations adopt zero trust security models, verifying devices continuously becomes a requirement. Combining zero trust with zero touch deployment ensures every endpoint is authenticated, compliant, and secure from its very first boot.

5. Remote reset and re-provisioning

Workforces are becoming more fluid, with seasonal staff, contractors, and frontline workers rotating frequently. Zero touch deployment will enable IT teams to wipe, reassign, and reprovision devices instantly without ever handling them physically.

6. Vendor-agnostic provisioning will expand

Device ecosystems are becoming more diverse. macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS, and Linux are now common in modern organizations. Future ZTD frameworks will support cross-platform provisioning under one unified workflow, making management easier for distributed IT teams.

The direction is clear: as remote work grows, zero touch deployment will evolve from a helpful feature into an operational necessity. Organizations that adopt ZTD early will onboard faster, maintain stronger security, and support distributed teams more effectively than those relying on old, manual methods.

Simplify device provisioning with Scalefusion MDM software

Zero touch deployment delivers its true value only when paired with the right device management platform. Scalefusion makes this possible by bringing all provisioning workflows across various OS such as macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows into one unified, automated system. Instead of juggling multiple tools or relying on manual steps, IT teams get a single platform where every device is prepared, enrolled, configured, and secured without physical handling.

As remote and hybrid work continue to grow, organizations need an onboarding process that is fast, consistent, and secure. Scalefusion extends the power of zero touch deployment through deep integrations with Apple and Android provisioning services, ensuring every device arrives ready for work the moment it reaches the user.

Here’s how Scalefusion simplifies and strengthens zero touch deployment across your entire device fleet:

• Native support for Apple Zero Touch Deployment: Scalefusion integrates directly with Apple ADE to automate provisioning for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices. Policies, restrictions, Wi-Fi settings, and apps apply instantly the moment the device is turned on, ensuring a secure and fully configured onboarding experience.
  
• Deep integration with Android Zero Touch Deployment (ZTE): From standard corporate Android devices to rugged handsets and frontline tools, Scalefusion works seamlessly with Android zero touch deployment to enable bulk enrollment and instant policy application. Every device boots into a work-ready, compliant state without IT involvement.
  
• Preconfigured policies for every device group: IT teams can define apps, restrictions, network profiles, security rules, and compliance settings upfront. These are automatically applied during enrollment, ensuring uniform configurations for departments, job roles, or regions.
  
• Silent app installation: Business-critical applications and updates install automatically in the background, with no user input required. Employees receive a device that is already equipped with everything they need to start working.
  
• Zero IT Intervention required: Devices never need to be unboxed or manually configured by IT teams. Whether sent to a new hire at home or deployed across branch locations, every device provisions itself remotely.
  
• Built for distributed and global teams: Scalefusion makes provisioning effortless for organizations that operate across multiple cities, time zones, or regions. Devices can be shipped directly to employees, contractors, or frontline staff and still follow the same secure onboarding flow.
  
• Full lifecycle management in one platform: Beyond provisioning, Scalefusion gives IT teams complete control over the device lifecycle from real-time monitoring and remote support to compliance checks, updates, and secure device retirement. Everything lives inside one centralized, intuitive dashboard.

Scalefusion brings the full potential of zero touch deployment to organizations of every size. Whether you are deploying 20 devices or scaling to 20,000, Scalefusion ensures each one reaches the user secure, consistent, and ready for immediate productivity.

Simplify, automate, and elevate your device rollout process. Explore zero-touch deployment with Scalefusion today.

FAQ

1. What is zero-touch deployment?

Zero-touch deployment is an automated device provisioning method that allows IT teams to configure and set up devices without any manual, hands-on work. For example, when a new laptop or phone is issued, it doesn’t need IT to install apps or apply settings manually. Instead, it arrives pre-enrolled and pre-configured through an MDM solution like Scalefusion. The end user simply powers it on, and the entire setup completes automatically.

2. How does MDM software support zero-touch deployment?

MDM software supports zero-touch deployment by automating the entire provisioning process—from the moment a device is powered on, it’s enrolled, configured, secured, and aligned with corporate policies without any manual setup. This dramatically speeds up rollouts and reduces the risk of misconfiguration. Solutions like Scalefusion MDM, which is Zebra-validated, take this even further by offering seamless zero-touch enrollment workflows, preconfigured policies, and automatic app/payload deployment specifically optimized for rugged and enterprise devices. This makes large-scale deployments smoother, faster, and far more reliable.

3. What is Apple Zero Touch deployment?

Apple Zero Touch Deployment refers to Apple’s automated device provisioning process that allows organizations to deploy iPhones, iPads, and Macs without manually configuring each device. Using Apple Business Manager (ABM) or Apple School Manager (ASM) along with an MDM solution like Scalefusion, devices are automatically enrolled, configured, and assigned the right policies the moment they’re powered on and connected to the internet.