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Moving your application management from ConfigMgr to Microsoft Intune

As organisations move more and more of their workload to the cloud, it becomes increasingly important to have a cloud-based application management solution. ConfigMgr is a great on-premises application management solution, but for organisations moving to the cloud, Intune provides all the features of ConfigMgr, plus additional features only available in the cloud.

Along with the advantages of Microsoft Intune, many IT professionals also prefer their existing SCCM configurations, which allow them to distribute applications, firmware updates, and operating system updates to desktop computers. Despite being a complex solution, ConfigMgr is an on-prem tool that’s proven to deliver powerful results. Thousands of companies still use it.

Both ConfigMgr and Intune have their pros and cons. That is why many organisations go for a hybrid approach – co-management – where people continue to do things as they used to, minimising disruptions while moving to Intune. With co-management, admins can continue to use the features in ConfigMgr while taking advantage of the Intune functionality for security and modern provisioning.

Blogs to read:

The best MDM Solution in 2022: Intune vs. ConfigMgr

A way to Modern device management: why you should use co-management with Microsoft Intune

The decision to move to Microsoft Intune requires a well-thought strategy and careful consideration of how to approach the migration process. In this blog, we will cover the advantages of migration to Microsoft Intune, how to plan the migration process, and the peculiarities of application packaging in Intune.

Advantages of going cloud or migration from ConfigMgr to Intune

There are many advantages of migrating from SCCM to Intune. Intune is a cloud-based management system that offers more features and flexibility than SCCM. With Intune, you can manage mobile devices, PCs, and apps all in one place. Intune also makes it easier to keep your devices up to date with the latest security patches and software updates. There are some additional benefits of migrating workloads from ConfigMgr to Intune: 

  • Intune is an effective tool for application management.  
  • Companies can easily implement advanced security measures, like conditional access. 
  • Unlike SCCM which is available with volume licensing, Intune is available with Microsoft 365 plans making it suitable for deployment even on a smaller scale. Although SCCM is available with volume licensing, Intune is available as a part of the Microsoft 365 and can be used for deployment even on a smaller scale.

How to plan migration to Microsoft Intune

When making the switch to Microsoft Intune, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration: 

  • Set up hybrid Azure AD with Azure AD Connect and Active Directory Federated Services (ADFS).  
  • Configuring the Default Client Settings in the Configuration Manager console to automatically register users with Azure AD. 
  • When hybrid Azure AD set-up and Configuration Manager client configurations are in place, you’re ready to flip the switch and enable co-management of your devices.  

When hybrid Azure AD set-up and Configuration Manager client configurations are in place, you’re ready to flip the switch and enable co-management of your devices.  

Once co-management has been enabled, the next step is switching workloads from ConfigMgr to Intune: compliance policies, device configuration (endpoint protection, resource access policies), Client apps, Office Click-to-Run apps, and Windows update policies). And you, as an admin, control which workloads, you switch the authority from Configuration Manager to Intune. 

Application packaging in Microsoft Intune

Regarding application packaging, Microsoft Intune is a clear winner compared with Config Mgr. Intune offers a simpler and more streamlined process that doesn’t require nearly as much IT expertise. In addition, Intune’s application packaging process is far more flexible, allowing for a broader range of applications to be packaged and deployed. Finally, Intune’s application packaging process is significantly faster than SCCM, making it the ideal choice for organisations needing to deploy their applications quickly and efficiently. This is because Intune uses compression to reduce the size of the package.

Another benefit is that Intune can help to improve the speed of installation. This is because Intune can install multiple packages at the same time. Finally, Intune can help to enhance security by enforcing policies such as requiring a password for installation or only allowing certain users to install specific packages.

Blogs to read:

How to create .intunewin package in Microsoft Intune and how to deploy a Win32 application in Microsoft Intune

Your complete solution for application management in Intune: from creating a third-party application (packaging) to deployment

Even though the packaging process in Microsoft Intune is straightforward and creating one application package is not that difficult, certain factors can make it a bit challenging. You must go through this process each time to create an app and an update. Manually packaging and creating third-party applications like 7zip, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and Google Chrome in Microsoft Intune can take up much of your valuable time. That is why we created Scappman.

With Scappman, the process of creating, deploying, and updating applications in Microsoft Intune is fully automated! To create a third-party application in your Intune environment with Scappman, you choose the application from the wide selection of the Scappman App store (we have more than 800 public applications available!) and hit install. That’s it! And Scappman will keep all your applications up to date.

Useful links:

Scappman demo video recordinig

Book a live demo

List of supported third-party applications

How to get started with Microsoft Intune guide

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Patch Management Best Practices for MSPs

In today’s technology landscape, patch management is more important than ever for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). With the constant stream of new vulnerabilities and exploits being discovered, it is crucial for MSPs to have an effective patch management solution in place. Without a proper patch management solution, MSPs are leaving their clients’ systems open to attack.  It may seem like it is fairly easy to install a few patches to a few devices manually, but in reality, it is not, especially when you have multiple clients. Well, to make this task a bit easier MSPs use RMM that constantly monitors what is going on with the endpoints and applications.   While having an RMM solution (even with patch management functionality) is great, it is not enough for proper patch management.   In this article, we want to share 5 best practices to optimize patch management for you and your clients.  Patch Management Tips for Managed Service Providers Inventory. Being able to implement effective patch management starts with knowing exactly what devices you have. You as an MSP should make sure they have a complete overview of endpoints and software inventory on the regular basis (you can’t fix what you don’t know). This will help you know what needs to be patched and when.  Track patch announcements from vendors. On average, companies have 110 applications in use and the majority of them are from other vendors than Microsoft – Adobe, Google, Amazon, etc. This means that staying on top of the latest update announcements from vendors plays a crucial role in effective patch management. Make sure to subscribe to security mailing lists and RSS feeds from third-party vendors to help ensure that the updates aren’t overlooked. Test patches before deployment. Applying patches does not always solve a problem: there is a risk that some things can go wrong with updating software. This can occasionally happen, even if the vendor extensively tested a patch before the release. Sometimes, the reason for a patch failure is that you install the patch and forget to reboot the system.  A good way to mitigate this problem and not “break everything”, is to test the patch in a controlled environment before pushing it out to all endpoints.  Regular reporting. Providing your customers with reports with patch management information like frequency, history, patch category, and resolution times on a regular basis will help build trust and long-term relationships with your clients. Automate as much as possible. This is perhaps the most important patch management best practice. Using a good third-party patch management tool can enable you to automate your patch management processes. Automating third-party patching can save your organization time and money. By automating the process, you can ensure that all third-party applications are up to date with the latest security patches. Automate third-party patch management of your customers with the right tool = Scappman For automated third-party patch management that is reliable and user-friendly, look no further Scappman. This 100%-cloud solution ingrates with Microsoft Intune and automatically installs all the necessary application updates for your customers.  Scappman allows you to easily keep third-party applications updated across numerous client endpoints, with features like managing custom applications, automated log collection, customizable installation commands, creating a set of reg keys etc.   For MSPs, Scappman provides a complete third-party patch management solution, that allows you to manage all your customers’ apps from one platform with extra functionality:   Multi-tenancy support  Partner Portal (invoicing, inviting customers, pop-up customization…)    Advanced application management (app sets, users & group assignments…).   Furthermore, there are more than 800 third-party applications in Scappman App Store, that are always up to date and secure to use. You can also upload your own application to the platform and manage it like any other application.    If you’re an MSP looking for a cloud third-party patch management solution, try Scappman at no charge – a 15-day free trial is available! 

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