Windows Analytics is the suite name following the original release of Upgrade readiness. The suite adds Device Health and Update Compliance under the same roof. Depending on the environment each sub-product will provide key information for end-user computer admins. Windows Analytics and Log Analytics is better together! Upgrade readiness can help assess applications and drivers compatibility prior to migrate from Windows 7/8.1 to Windows 10, or even from one Windows 10 build to another. Device Health provides extra information for admins to review various crash within their environment. Update compliance provides a way to track how updates and upgrades are doing in the environment. This will be particularly useful when mixed with Windows Update for Business. All of the Windows Analytics features sit on Log Analytic from Azure. Previously it was possible to host the data in OMS. OMS as retired and it is possible to move it into Log … Read More
How to update HP BIOS using latest HPFirmwareUpdRec with SCCM
At a client site, they received newest HP models to be tested. Downloading drivers and BIOS updates were the usual. Looking at details about the BIOS update, we noticed that the HPBIOSUPDREC.exe that was used was no longer available. HP released a new version called HPFirmwareUpdRec to replace it. Even if the help stated the command line to be the same, it turned out it didn’t work at all. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem HP documented the new tool and how to use it. we were able to figure it out by digging into HP forums… In this post, we will show hot to update HP BIOS using the latest HPFirmwareUpdRec tool within a task sequence. Prerequisites When downloading the bits from HP, looking at the BIOS files you need to see HPFirmwareUpdRec.exe. If the file is not there, the update should be done using the old tool HPBIOSUPDREC.exe like before. Update … Read More
SCCM Office 365 Inventory Report
This post describes how to inventory Office 365 using SCCM 1606. We will also provide a free report at the end of the post that you could use on your Reporting Point to easily display Office 365 inventory data. SCCM 1606 introduces new hardware inventory classes for Office 365 configurations. You no longer need to edit your MOF files to gather Office 365 inventory. If you are using SCCM 1602 or below, follow Jason Sandys post which describes Office 365 inventory process using a MOF customization. If your goal is to deploy Office 365 updates, refer to our post on how to manage Office 365 updates using SCCM. SCCM Office 365 inventory report post summary : SCCM Office 365 Inventory Report – Direct Download link If you don’t want to read the whole post, you can download the RDL file directly using this link : Office 365 Inventory Data Office 365 is using new update channels and update mechanisms. Tracking versions and update … Read More
Create Office 365 Installer using SCCM
There have been many different posts about deploying Office 365 with SCCM. The majority of them used the Office Configuration tool in a more or less creative way. An easier method has been available for awhile to help SCCM admins to create the “perfect” Office 365 package. The SCCM Office 365 Installer is a new feature released in SCCM 1702. SCCM Office 365 Installer provides an easy-to-use wizard to define every related item for an Office 365 application. Whether you are new to creating Office 365 package or simply want to refresh an older package, this solution will ease every step of creating an Office 365 package. In this post, we will detail how to use the Office 365 Installer creation wizard. If you are looking for How to Update Office 365 using SCCM, see our previous post. Prerequisites SCCM Current Branch 1702 and up Create SCCM Office 365 Installer Package Browse … Read More
Enable SCCM Azure Active Directory User Discovery
Today, we are continuing our posts about SCCM 1706 new features. One of them is the ability to enable SCCM Azure Active Directory User Discovery. This discovery method enables organizations to import Azure Active Directory user information. With the growing popularity of Azure AD, this discovery method will soon be circumvented. Azure AD Requirements Before configuring the new discovery method, you’ll need to have : A valid Azure Tenant Access to your Azure admin portal SCCM 1706 Configuration The first step is to configure the Azure Services in SCCM. This step will automatically create the web app in your Azure tenant, there’s no need to create it manually, SCCM takes care of it. Open the SCCM Console, go to Administration / Cloud Services / Azure Services Right-Click Azure Services and select Configure Azure Services In the Azure Service wizard, name your Azure Service and select Cloud Management in the bottom pane In … Read More
Automatic Windows 10 PC Enrollment in Microsoft Intune or SCCM
The process of enrolling your Windows 10 computers in Intune should be as simple as possible for your users. If you’re using Azure Active Directory in your organization, the enrollment process can be made automatically when a user joins it’s device to AAD. It couldn’t be simpler. The process is the same rather for Intune Standalone or Hybrid mode (integrated with SCCM) Windows 10 Intune Automatic Enrollment Prerequisites CNAME DNS Entry created on your domain for automatic name resolution A valid Intune Tenant (Standalone or SCCM Integrated) Azure Active Directory Premium enabled For this post, we’ll be using a Windows 10 1703 device but the process is the same for Windows 10 1607 and slightly different for older versions but is supported. CNAME DNS Follow our Intune Preparation post for the steps to create CNAME entry. The Azure portal let you test your configuration Open the Azure Portal Go to Intune / Device Enrollment / Windows … Read More
List of Windows 10 1803 Resources for SCCM Administrators
Each new Windows releases brings its daily tweet-storm. Yesterday, we saw multiple tweets about the new Windows 1803 (April Update) release and what’s coming with it (ADK, Baseline, ADMX…). All this new information may be difficult to assimilate and follow. This post will describe all the information you need to know if you’re planning to deploy Windows 1803 in your organization as an SCCM administrator. We will update this post as new information is released. Windows 10 1803 New Features First, we like to check What’s new in Windows 1803. This article aims IT professionals so you can see if this Windows version has some interesting features for your organization. You can also see this Microsoft article to see what’s been removed from Windows 1803. Windows ADK A new version of the Windows ADK is available. This ADK is backward compatible. Which means that you can deploy older versions of Windows with … Read More
How to setup an SCCM Cloud Management Gateway
Starting with SCCM version 1610, cloud management gateway introduces a new way to manage internet clients. This method is different than the “traditional” Internet-based client management (ICBM). Cloud Management Gateway uses a combination of a cloud service deployed in Microsoft Azure and a new site system role that communicates with that service. Clients then use the service to communicate with SCCM. The main advantage of a cloud management gateway is that it doesn’t expose your SCCM servers to the internet but the downside is that it requires an Azure subscription which brings recurring monthly costs. If you’re still unsure which method to use, you can read the Microsoft documentation and see our blog post about internet client management. Make sure that you understand the limitation of using internet clients. We strongly encourage to use this new method if you’ll be managing client on the internet since this feature will evolve with … Read More
SCCM Migration Guide to new operating system
With the release rhythm of SCCM and latest requirements on the OS and SQL side, sometimes, it’s inevitable to migrate to a newer operating system to remain under support and also gain new features as part of the latest SCCM Current Branch release. This product is a complete SCCM Migration Guide. Over the years, we’ve done many migrations of all kinds, depending on the environment and needs. We created this complete SCCM Migration to a new operating system guide based on our knowledge and experience. This guide is a refreshed version of our previous post about Side-by-Side Migration to new Hardware. It also includes answers and how-tos to the most commonly asked questions on side-by-side migration. Also included: all the details to achieve the migration to a new operating system by using the Backup and Restore strategy. This guide aims to help SCCM administrator evaluate, plan, understand and achieve a … Read More
Step-by-Step SCCM 1710 Upgrade Guide
Microsoft has released a new version of SCCM Current Branch. It’s now time to upgrade your environment! This post is a complete step-by-step SCCM 1710 upgrade guide. If you’re looking for a complete SCCM installation guide, see our blog series which covers it all. You won’t be able to install this upgrade if you are running SCCM 2012, the minimum required version is at least SCCM 1702. This version is the latest baseline version. It’s very important to keep your infrastructure up to date. You can benefit from the new features and fixes lots of issues, which some of them are important. It’s also easier to upgrade to the new version since Microsoft has implemented the new model of update servicing. SCCM 1710 New Features and Fixes SCCM 1710 includes lots of new features and enhancements in the adoption of Windows 10 and Office 365 as well in modern management, mobile device … Read More