{"id":75452,"date":"2023-12-11T14:37:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T19:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/?p=75452"},"modified":"2024-02-08T11:12:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T16:12:58","slug":"setting-up-jumpcloud-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/setting-up-jumpcloud-free","title":{"rendered":"Optimizing Your JumpCloud Free Trial for Testing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s hard to determine whether software is right for you just by reading about it. That\u2019s why JumpCloud make its entire platform available as a free 30 Day Trial<\/a>. This allows you to fully test out the product \u2014 on your terms and in your own environment \u2014 without committing to a purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re assessing software, it\u2019s important to make sure you put it to the right tests. This starts with setup: the product should mimic your environment with enough moving pieces available for you to fully test the functionality you\u2019re interested in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With JumpCloud, there are a few things you can do to optimize your environment for testing and assessment. This blog will offer tips and tricks to setting up and optimizing your free account so you can functionally test out the platform and its features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Oriented <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can do a lot with JumpCloud. Some organizations use it for just about everything, from their core cloud directory<\/a> to their MDM<\/a> and password manager<\/a>; others use it to fill a more specific niche. The beauty of JumpCloud is that it\u2019s designed to do as little or as much as you need to, and on your terms. JumpCloud can work with the identity provider, operating systems, and resources you choose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this in mind, consider which JumpCloud capabilities you\u2019d like to test so you can set up your instance accordingly. JumpCloud offers a guided setup process that allows you to choose the functions you\u2019re most interested in and then offers support materials to help you get started in those areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for more guidance? Watch this tutorial<\/a> for a full walk-through of the JumpCloud Admin UI console.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding Users and Devices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To start using the platform, you should make sure your account has at least one user and one device. However, you\u2019ll get more out of the platform if you include multiple users and devices. Adding more than one user creates a rich environment where you can test drive capabilities that involve multiple users or groups, like policies<\/a>, conditional access<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Users Should You Add?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The easiest user to add is yourself. However, applying policies to more than one user or device can give you a better idea of what JumpCloud can do. Further, best practice recommends having at least two administrators per organization for redundancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following are a few common and effective groups of users you can add to get the most out of JumpCloud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure how to add user groups? Start with this tutorial.<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your IT team<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Try importing your IT team and and their devices first. This allows you to add multiple administrators, and your fellow admins will likely be the most willing and able to cooperate if you need their input. And it never hurts to apply additional security to those with elevated privileges \u2014 especially the IT team, who essentially hold the keys to the kingdom. Check out JumpCloud\u2019s Zero Trust security capabilities<\/a> to see what you can do to secure your users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mixed Privilege Levels<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You could also try adding users with different permission levels. For example, you could add one or two members of your IT team, an executive or manager, and a couple of standard end-users. Note that we recommend assigning Administrator with Billing privileges to at least two people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This mix of permission levels will allow you to create user groups and see policies play out dynamically. For example, you could create conditional access policies that apply step-up multi-factor authentication (MFA)<\/a> only to administrators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demo Users<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not ready to roll this out to anyone yet (even as a temporary experiment), try creating a few dummy accounts that can act as demo users. Add these demo users (and yourself) into JumpCloud, and try assigning them different privileges and creating a few different user groups among them. This way, you can still play around with user groups, apply policies to multiple people, and test out other capabilities that require multiple users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just Yourself, But Include Multiple Devices.<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t create or add demo users, consider just adding yourself, but adding multiple devices assigned to you. This way, you can still test out features that apply to multiple device groups. Bonus points if they run on different operating systems \u2014 JumpCloud can handle them all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Devices Should You Add? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your account should also have at least one device. However, it\u2019s easier to test out different functionalities when you have multiple devices in your environment. Try the following methods of adding devices to your account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n