SCCMinfo

SCCMinfo

Run Powershell Script

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Microsoft has added the capability to run and manage PowerShell script from the configuration manager console. With this feature we can create and customize PowerShell script according to requirement of the routine or ongoing job operations to be done quickly and more steadily. This comes handy when any jobs to be done on large numbers of device with limited IT resources available.

 

With this,

 

  • You can create and edit the scripts in configuration manager console.
  • Manage these scripts with the help of roles and security scopes.
  • These scripts can be run on individual device or on collections.
  • Get instant result on output from client devices.
  • Monitor and see output results.

 

 

SCCM CMPivot Overview

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In configuration manager infrastructure, getting client inventory data to site server takes time, even to process hardware inventory instructions and send data to site server by clients takes time. In most of the cases software inventory triggers huge network bandwidth traffic as well and for this reason schedule of the inventory would be either on weekly or biweekly basis for most of the organizations. This leads to problems, whenever management need some urgent information to plan out any deployment or for troubleshooting any production environment issues also takes time due to lack of getting this information on demand.

 

To overcome this Microsoft has come up with CMPivot which is in-console based utility starting from version 1806 to fetch real time inventory data from clients which are part of targeted collections and then according to our need we can filter out or group the data in tool.

 

By getting real time data on demand helps to quickly answer business or management queries, troubleshoot production environment issue, and solve major incident.

 

Please share your comment or feedback on this post to improve which can help people to know more about CMPivot utility.

 

Cloud Management Gateway

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Cloud Management Gateway helps to manage the on-premises clients over the internet. We need to deploy the CMG as a cloud service on Azure portal which will authenticate and forward the clients request to on-premises infrastructure.

 

Without making any major changes to infrastructure, we will be able to manage the clients which roam on the internet. Also, it helps to support and manage the clients which are there in the branch offices connected with a very low bandwidth more efficiently, as instead communicating with main office infrastructure over the low bandwidth they can directly connect to CMG over the internet.

 

  • Deploy the CMG as service in Azure portal
  • Add the CMG connection point role on on-premises infrastructure
  • Configure the site and site role for the services

 

Configuring the CMG consist below three steps,

 

Upon configuration done, the clients would be able to access the on-premises infra and the policies easily whether they are connected via intranet or internet.

Co-management

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What is Co-management?

 

Microsoft has brought new capability called co-management which help to bring instant benefit from the cloud without making any changes to existing configuration manager infrastructure setup.

 

It is basically connecting your existing configuration manager infrastructure to Azure cloud Intune which brings instant benefits as below,

 

Conditional Access:

 

This would help to control user access to corporate resources with applying compliance policies from Intune irrespective users use their work device or personal device

 

Remote Access:

 

On co-managed devices the devices can be wiped or reset remotely.

 

Client Health:

 

Configuration manager client’s health can be maintained from Intune Azure portal

 

Azure AD:

 

With this, as user can access the data from both on-premises and cloud environment which will be secured with users improved productivity.

 

Windows Autopilot:

 

We can take the advantage of windows autopilot to reduce administrative efforts, cost, and time to reset, redeploy or recycle user’s devices over the internet.

SCCM Infrastructure

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Here we are going to understand the fundamentals of SCCM infrastructure which is going to help across all the time whoever is working on this product.

Sites in SCCM infrastructure as below,

  • Central Administration Site
  • Primary Site
  • Secondary Site
  • Standalone Primary Site

Let’s talk about each of these sites in brief

Central Administration Site

Central Administrator Site also known as CAS is the topmost sites in the hierarchy of SCCM infrastructure. This site is to manage all primary sites, secondary sites and all the object across all locations of the organization.

Primary Site

This is the site where all the client would be assigned and managed. It is going to be the child site for the Central administrator site, and it support secondary site as child site. There can be multiple secondaries sites reporting to primary site. And multiple primary sites can report to central administrator site.

Secondary Site

Secondary site mainly uses to manage the distribution of deployment contents and transfer of the client’s data across low bandwidth networks. Multiple secondary sites can report to primary site.

Standalone Primary Site

Standalone Primary site can be used when supported devices of the organization is less than supported no. client by this site.

What does Microsoft endpoint manager do?

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Microsoft Endpoint Manager is product from Microsoft. It can now manage internet-based clients along with on-premises configuration manager clients from centralized Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin console as Intune is now become part it. Along with Configuration Manager, Autopilot, and Desktop Analytics.

 

Microsoft Endpoint Manager uses Azure-AD subscription to manage azure registered, enrolled devices. With this organizations can also now take the advantage of co-management capability.

 

Is SCCM going away?

 

No, Microsoft has just renamed System Center Configuration Manager to Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager from version 1910 which consist of,

 

  • Configuration Manager
  • Intune
  • Autopilot
  • Desktop Analytics

 

 

Let’s talk about all in brief,

 

Configuration Manager:

 

This is the product from Microsoft to manage the large no. of devices on organization’s network from centralized configuration manager console.

 

Intune:

 

MS Intune is cloud based service to manage and control the organizations devices which includes laptop, mobile and tablets. Intune allows users personal devices to be used for organization’s work by setting up policies like how users can handle the organizations data on personal devices. 

 

It is also used to control the applications like Team, OneNote from Office365 family.

 

Benefits with Intune,

 

  • Either we can be totally on cloud or we can have the mix mode environment of on-premises or cloud.
  • We can set control and policies to access data and network on either user work device or personal device.
  • Protect organizations data by controlling the ways users access the information and share
  • We can have the devices compliant with Intune
  • Install and authentication application on users work device or personal device.

 

Autopilot:

 

Autopilot is now made part of Microsoft Endpoint Manager Admin Console which is nothing but the set of actions or instructions to pre-configure the windows devices. It helps to setup and pre-configure the new devices, or the old devices can be reset, recycle, and recovered.

 

It also helps to use windows 10 provisioning model which help to prevent the need of creating, updating, and maintaining the windows 10 custom images.

 

It helps to reduce cost, complexity, time, and administrative overhead to set up devices for user to use.

 

Desktop Analytics

 

It is cloud base service which provide intelligence and insights on readiness on the deployment of the software updates on the organization’s devices. It gathers the data from the organization’s devices and from the devices on cloud and provide with the information to make informed decision on the update readiness for the clients

 

Note: It is successor of windows analytics which is retired on Jan31,2020

 

 

Please share your comment or feedback on this post to improve which can help people to know more about Microsoft EndPoint Manager.

What is SCCM?

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This article is going to provide basic information about concept and overview of SCCM (System Centre Configuration Manager) which is now known as Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager).

 

SCCM or MEMCM is basically the product from Microsoft for managing the computer devices available on the organization network by centralized way. In most of the small and medium type of organizations, management of devices happens by manually efforts but when any organizations expands and it comes to manage large no. of devices from few thousand to lacs becomes tedious task where SCCM or MEMCM would be great help to reduce administrative efforts, organization cost and deployment time.

 

Click Here to read more on Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager

 

This product mainly helps to manage below most common services used in most of the organizations,

 

  • Company resources access
  • Endpoint protection
  • Power management
  • Remote connection profile
  • Remote Control
  • Compliance
  • Queries
  • Software metering
  • MS Intune management
  • Managing operating system deployment
  • Managing Application
  • Managing Software updates
  • Managing Reports
  • Managing inventory

 

Along with above most common services, below features can also be used to manage their respective services,

 

Managing Software updates

 

Will go through the features of this product in brief here,

 

Operating system deployment

 

This feature provides set of tools for creating the Operating System images and then deploy them to manage and unmanaged computers on the network by using either bootable media or installing and configuring one of the roles of this product called PXE.

 

Click Here to explore more operating system deployment

 

Managing Applications

 

This feature helps to create application and then deploy to devices or computers available on the network and then deployment status can also be monitored in the organizations.

 

Click Here to explore more on managing applications

 

This feature helps to download and deploy the software’s updates released by Microsoft to applicable devices, third party software updates also can be managed.

 

 Click Here to explore more on managing Software updates

 

Managing reports

 

With this different kind of reports can be generated accordingly to management’s requirement with help of SQL Server reporting services.

 

Click Here to explore more on managing reports

 

Managing inventory

 

This feature helps in collecting the information on hardware and software’s of the devices on the network and monitor the software license usages in the organization.

 

Company resources access

 

This feature enables organizations users to access data and applications from the remote locations by configuration of Wi-Fi profiles, VPN profiles, certificate profile.

 

Endpoint protection

 

This provides security, firewall and antimalware management for the computers on the organisations network

 

Power management

 

This feature enables to control the power consumption of client computers available on organization network resulting in cost saving.

 

Remote connection profile

 

This feature helps to manage the remote-control settings for the client computers on the network so that user does not need to put more efforts to connect their computes on the organizations network.

 

Remote Control

 

This help administrators to take the remote of the client’s computer for any troubleshooting avoiding visiting the user’s desk personally.

 

Compliance Settings

 

This compliance setting allows to create the baseline for the hardware or software for which we are looking for the compliance and then remediate the same according to the actions set.

 

Queries

 

This helps to create the different queries to get he information on hardware or software according to the requirement and then form the different reports on the same.

 

Software metering

 

This enable to get the software usages data form the client’s computers on organization network which help to see on how frequently metered software is being used.

 

MS Intune management

 

This feature enables to manage the iOS, android and windows phone and using Intune service form configuration manager console.