I've been able to successfully deploy applications and OS updates with BES 5.0. It's software configurations that include device OS', required, optional, disallowed applications and dispositions for unlisted applications lends itself to a lot of flexibility. If you include group and roles, it's even more flexible.

Is anyone else using these features? If so, what's your strategy? I.e. Will you be creating a group and assigning software configs to those groups? Or will you be assigning software configs directly to devices?

I've thought about this over and over again (from 4.1.6 to 5.0) and I think it all depends on your environment, number of users, number of applications, the disposition of those applications, and how your users react to hh reboots.

The larger the environment, the more of a need to use the groupings, IMHO. Currently, I basically have two groups (one group is 90% of users and the other is 10% of the user base) of users and only one required application and two optional applications. The optional apps are to a select few. I've been able to work with my Help Desk to manage these installations.

I am seeing a larger need to automate this in the future, but before I implement the groupings and assign the applications, I will need more help to set expectations with new activations on the user side. I say this, because my user base is VERY sensitive to reboots and administrative messages that pop up on their devices, even if notifications have been sent out to expect it.