Iru (formerly Kandji) is a device management platform used to remotely manage devices, applications, and configurations at the organizational level. This guide provides instructions for remotely deploying the Insightful agent on company-managed Windows devices.

This guide covers the Insightful side of a step-by-step process Windows rollout via Iru: packaging your organization's installer, deploying it as a Windows Custom App, and tracking the rollout until every machine reports in.

Prerequisites

Your Windows devices are already enrolled in Iru and assigned to a Blueprint.
An Insightful admin account with permission to add employees.
You know which Blueprint your Windows devices are enrolled in - you will assign the app to that same Blueprint.

No Configuration profile needed on Windows

Unlike macOS, Windows devices do not require a configuration profile for permissions. The Insightful agent works on Windows without any additional permission profile - you only need to deploy the app itself.

If you are also deploying to macOS devices, see Install Insightful on macOS via Iru (former Kandji).

Step 1: Download the Insightful installer

The Insightful installer is unique to your organization - it carries your account's identity, which is how employees appear on your dashboard automatically after installation, with no sign-up required.

Go to your Insightful admin dashboard and open the Employees tab.
Click the Add New Employee button in the top-right corner.
Choose Company Computers:

Company Computers is the correct choice for MDM deployment - employees work on company-owned machines, and only admins can modify tracking settings.
Click Windows to download the installer. It saves as an .msi file, usually to your Downloads folder.
Compress the .msi into a .zip archive - right-click the file and choose Compress to ZIP file. Iru requires Windows Custom App installers to be uploaded as a .zip.

Note the MSI product code - you will need it for the detection rule in Step 2. Run the following in PowerShell on any machine that has the .msi file:

$db = (New-Object -ComObject WindowsInstaller.Installer).OpenDatabase("C:\path\to\workpuls.msi", 0)
$view = $db.OpenView("SELECT Value FROM Property WHERE Property = 'ProductCode'")
$view.Execute(); $view.Fetch().StringData(1)

It returns a braced GUID such as {3AC83C17-E360-4284-9289-60E8A1A076B8}

Step 2: Deploy Insightful as a Windows Custom App

Create the Library Item

Log into the Iru Login Portal.
Go to the Library and click on the Add Library Item button.
Search for Windows Custom App under the General category, select it, and click Add and configure:
Enter a Title for the item, for example, Insightful Agent. This is the name you will see in the Library and in status views.
Next to Assignment Maps, click + Assign and select the Blueprint your Windows devices are enrolled in. Without this assignment, the app will never reach any device.

Choose how the app is installed

Under Installation options, pick the enforcement behavior:

Install and continuously enforce (default, recommended) - Iru installs the app and reinstalls it if it is ever removed from the device. This is the best option for a monitoring agent you want permanently present.
Install once per device - Iru installs the app once and does not reinstall it if a user removes it.

Leave Enforcement deadline on Immediately so the rollout starts as soon as devices check in.

Enter the application details

Fill in Application details so the app is identifiable in the Library and in device inventory:

Publisher: Insightful
Name: Insightful
Version: the version of the installer you downloaded
App icon: upload a .png icon - this field is required, and the item will not save without one

Upload the installer and set detection logic

Under Upload app, upload the .zip archive containing your workpuls.msi file. The maximum upload size is 5 GB, and the upload is resumable if your connection drops.
Under Detection logic rules, tell Iru how to recognize that Insightful is already installed. At least one rule is required. Choose either:
- MSI (recommended) - paste the MSI product code you obtained in Step 1. Leave Check MSI product version on No unless you want to enforce a minimum version.
- File (alternative) - set Path to file to C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Workpuls\Workpuls.exe with the detection method File exists.
Note: Detection logic prevents Iru from reinstalling the app repeatedly on machines that already have it, so make sure the rule is set correctly.

Set architecture and install commands

Under Architecture, select the architecture of your target devices:
- x64 - standard Intel/AMD Windows machines
- arm64 - ARM-based Windows devices
If your fleet contains both, create a separate Library Item per architecture and assign each to the appropriate Blueprint or device group. An item set to one architecture will not deploy to devices of the other.
Enter the silent install and uninstall commands.

Install command line parameters:
```
msiexec /i workpuls.msi /qn
```
Uninstall command line parameters — substitute your own product code:
```
msiexec /x {3AC83C17-E360-4284-9289-60E8A1A076B8} /qn
```
The /qn switch makes the installation fully silent, so end users see no installer window or prompts.
Review everything and click Save.

The app is now live. Iru begins enforcement on assigned devices at their next check-in.

Step 3: Verify Deployment

Deployment is not instant. The Iru agent picks up the new Library Item at its next check-in (roughly every 15 minutes), downloads the installer in the background, and runs the installation silently. Allow some time for online devices to complete the installation - failed installs are retried automatically on subsequent check-ins.

Monitor the deployment across all devices:
- Go to Library → click on the created Insightful Agent item → Status. This lists every device the app is assigned to, along with its current state. A successful deployment shows Pass:
- Statuses you may see:
  - Pending: the device is targeted, but the agent has not completed the installation yet;
  - Pass: the app is installed, and detection logic confirms it;
  - Failed: the installation ran and returned an error (expand the row for the exit code).
- Use the All Statuses filter to isolate any failures once a rollout is underway, and the search box to find a specific machine.
Check the installation details for a specific device:
- Click the arrow at the left of any row in the Status tab to expand the full audit and install record:
- This diagnostic view gives you:
  - Last Audit - shows the detection result in plain language (e.g. "Insightful Agent 2.2.1.0 is installed and up to date"),
  - Last Install - a per-action breakdown with start and end times:
    Downloading - Iru pulling the installer down to the device,
    Installing - the silent msiexec run, with its exit code and any standard output or error,
- An exit code of 0 means the MSI installed cleanly. A non-zero exit code tells you which MSI error to look up - common ones are:
  - 1603 (generic failure, often because the app is running or disk space is low),
  - 1618 (another installation is in progress),
  - 1638 (a newer version is already installed).
Monitor the deployment from the device side:
- Go to Devices → click on a device → Status. This shows every Library Item targeting that device, along with the time each last ran. Use this view when a specific user reports a problem - it shows whether the app reached their machine and when:
- You can also open the Activity tab for the log of MDM operations against the device. If entries appear regularly, the device's connection to Iru is healthy. If the log goes quiet, the device is offline, asleep, or has lost its connection - no app will install until that is resolved.
Confirm the installation in the Insightful dashboard:
- Once the agent is installed and starts reporting, the machine appears in your Insightful admin dashboard under the Employees tab, listed as computername/username, and tracking data begins to flow.
- If a device shows Pass in Iru but never appears in Insightful, the app is installed but not reporting - check that the device can reach Insightful's services over the network.

Best Practices:

Pilot First: Always test the deployment on a small test Blueprint before rolling it out to the whole fleet - confirm it reaches Pass, then widen the assignment.
Do Not Mix With Manual Installs: If Insightful was previously installed manually on a device, detection logic reports it as already present, and Iru will not touch it. Decide on one deployment path per machine.
Keep Detection Logic Specific: The MSI product code is the most reliable option, as it identifies the package regardless of the installation path.
Keep the Installer Current: When a new version of the Insightful agent is released, download a fresh .msi file, update the Library Item, and update the Version field. The agent also self-updates after installation.
Separate Items per Architecture: Do not try to serve a mixed x64/arm64 fleet from a single Library Item.
Avoid Unnecessary Edits During a Rollout: Every save re-queues enforcement and restarts the delivery clock. Make a change, then allow a full check-in cycle before judging the result.
Documentation: Maintain clear documentation of which Blueprint each item is assigned to and what the detection rule checks.

Install Insightful on Windows OS via Iru (former Kandji)