Bringing data into your Nexthink instance
To deploy Nexthink, you must install and configure a set of components that work together to ensure comprehensive data collection across your environment, along with enhanced visibility into and support for the digital workplace. These components gather data from endpoints, browsers, and third-party systems, providing the necessary context to support in-depth analysis, automation, and targeted employee experiences.
Identify your infrastructure and Nexthink license
When planning your Nexthink deployment, it’s important to consider the diversity of your IT environment.
IT environment type
You may have a combination of:
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments,
Traditional non-VDI devices,
Mobile endpoints.
Additionally, you organization may rely on different Identity infrastructure and applications, such as Entra ID, Workday, or Microsoft Teams.
In most cases, deployments will be hybrid, involving multiple device types and use cases.
Nexthink license
The specific Nexthink products and features you have access to based on your license will impact which Nexthink deployment components are required. For a detailed breakdown of available products and their components, refer to Infinity Products page.
Understand the components needed to bring data into Nexthink
Based on your environment and license, different Nexthink components will be required to support data collection and contextualization. This section introduces the core components that work together to collect, enrich, and contextualize data across your environment.
Endpoint agents
Nexthink Collector gathers hardware, software and activity data from employee devices. Refer to Nexthink Collector for more information.
Nexthink VDI Client Extension sends only relevant VDI-related data to the Nexthink instance from devices on which Nexthink Collector cannot be installed. Nexthink VDI Client Extension is included as a component in Nexthink Collector. Refer to VDI Client Extension for more information.
Nexthink Mobile app collects performance data from company-managed mobile employee devices, as well as from employee-owned devices that have a configured work profile. Refer to Nexthink Mobile App for more information.
Browser extensions
Nexthink browser extension collects web application data for app performance monitoring.
Additionally, it enables the Adopt guides for customers who purchased the Adopt expansion product. Refer to Nexthink browser extension for more information.
Amplify browser extension, available for customers with the Amplify license, connects to Nexthink and provides insights through a pop-up window within the configured ITSM. Refer to Amplify browser extension for more information.
Inbound connectors
Inbound connectors enrich data from endpoint agents and browser extensions with additional context from external vendors.
VDI Platform-specific connector is essential to provide the VDI environment context.
Entra ID connector imports identity and organizational data for employees to enhance analytics, targeting, and automation.
Connectors for Zoom and MS Teams, provide call quality data for customers who purchased the Collaboration Experience expansion product.
Workday, SAP, and Salesforce connectors import user information from external vendors, mainly to improve the targeting of Adopt guides for customers who purchased the Adopt expansion product.
Intune connector for Mobile devices allows enriching mobile device data with data from Intune or the possibility to import mobile devices from Intune to Nexthink.
Refer to Inbound connectors for more information.
Map your installation scenario
This section helps you identify which configuration scenario applies to your environment and shows you what to install, where to install it, and in what order.
The diagram below presents the recommended installation and configuration steps, organized by environment type. The three columns represent:
Endpoint devices
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
Mobile Devices
Identity infrastructure and applications
Each column includes a top-to-bottom sequence of steps that reflects the suggested order of installation or configuration. Items within a column may apply to different components of your infrastructure, such as:
Endpoint devices
Virtual machines (VMs)
Extrenal platforms
Some components may be relevant across multiple environments. Be sure to review labels and footnotes (marked with asterisks) to determine which items apply to your specific deployment scenario.
* VDI Client Extension is included by default in Collector. Install a standalone VDI Client Extension only on personal or unmanaged devices where you can’t install Collector.
** Install/Configure only if you purchased related expansion product(s).
***Intune connector for Mobile devices is optional to collect additional Mobile data or for customers who cannot or do not want to install Nexthink Mobile on mobile employee devices.
In hybrid environments that include VDI and non-VDI devices, the deployment process remains the same for devices within a specific infrastructure. However, you can deploy Collector agents and browser extensions to both VDI client devices and non-VDI endpoints as part of the same deployment task.
Connectors are configured independently of individual devices.
The following sections outline detailed deployment sequences for Nexthink components across different types of IT infrastructures.
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