System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) provides a unified management console with an automated set of administrative tools to deploy software, monitor health, and enforce compliance across all devices in an organization. With Configuration Manager, IT technicians proactively manage the entire lifecycle of all Windows-powered devices. This includes deploying and maintaining systems and software, responding to security threats, distributing settings, and analyzing inventory data.

 

Capabilities

 

Application Delivery

 

Configuration Manager takes a user-centric approach to application delivery that allows administrators to create one application that can be delivered to all of a user’s devices. It evaluates device and network capabilities and optimizes delivery.

 

Check for running executable files before installing an application. If an executable is running the user must close the running executable file (or it can be closed automatically for deployments with a purpose of required) before the deployment type can be installed.

 

Beginning in version 1702, for available deployments of task sequences, you can choose to use pre-cache content. Pre-cache content gives you the option to allow the client to only download the applicable content as soon as it receives the deployment. Therefore, when the user clicks Install in Software Center, the content is ready and the installation starts quickly because the content is on the local hard drive.

 

Device Management

 

Integration with Microsoft Intune provides a single administrative console for managing policies and comprehensive asset and compliance reporting across PCs as well as mobile devices, including Windows, iOS, and Android. With new on-premises mobile device management (MDM) capabilities, Windows 10 devices can now be also managed via MDM.

 

Endpoint Protection

 

Configuration Manager serves as the infrastructure for System Center Endpoint Protection. It delivers a single solution for malware protection, identification, and remediation of vulnerabilities, while giving visibility into non-compliant systems.

 

Compliance and Settings Management

 

You can create a baseline for “desired configuration state” and ensure that all devices comply through auto remediation or alerts.

 

Software Update Management

 

Configuration Manager simplifies the complex task of delivering and managing updates to IT systems across the enterprise. IT administrators can deliver updates of Microsoft products, third-party applications, hardware drivers, and system BIOS to a variety of devices, including desktops, laptops, servers, and mobile devices.

 

Operating System Deployment

 

Configuration Manager distributes operating systems to physical desktops and eliminates the inefficiencies and errors associated with manually installing applications. With Windows 10, Configuration Manager can also manage in-place upgrades which significantly reduce the time and complexity of deploying Windows.

 

Inventory

 

Configuration Manager can inventory hardware and software in your organization to help give you a view into what resources you have. With Configuration Manager, you can enable custom hardware inventory more easily and extend the inventory schema.

 

Reporting

 

Reporting in Configuration Manager helps you gather, organize, and present information about users, hardware and software inventory, software updates, applications, site status, and other Configuration Manager operations in your organization.

 

Asset Intelligence

 

Administrators can have continuous visibility into hardware and software assets and usage. Asset Intelligence translates inventory data into information, providing rich reports that help administrators with software purchasing decisions, upgrade plans, and license reporting.

 

Power Management

 

Get more out of your energy-saving hardware with a comprehensive set of centralized client power management tools. Configuration Manager works with the capabilities built into your Windows operating system to help you optimize power settings at a granular level.

 

Windows 10 Management

 

Configuration Manager is designed to keep pace with Windows 10 updates to provide support for new Windows features as they become available. When Configuration Manager is integrated with Microsoft Intune, you can choose between multiple deployment and management options of Windows 10 that work best for your business.

 

In-Console Updates

 

Updates and servicing node in the Configuration Manager console provides more frequent and easier-to-apply updates for new features, cumulative updates.

 

Data Warehouse Service Point

 

Use the Data Warehouse service point to store and report on long-term historical data for your Configuration Manager deployment.

The data warehouse supports up to 2 TB of data, with timestamps for change tracking. Storage of data is accomplished by automated synchronizations from the Configuration Manager site database to the data warehouse database. This information is then accessible from your Reporting Services point.

 

Reporting

 

Reporting in System Center Configuration Manager provides a set of tools and resources that help you use the advanced reporting capabilities of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and the rich authoring experience that Reporting Services Report Builder provides. Reporting helps you gather, organize, and present information about users, hardware and software inventory, software updates, applications, site status, and other Configuration Manager operations in your organization. Reporting provides you with a number of predefined reports that you can use without changes, or that you can modify to meet your requirements, and you can create custom reports. Use the following sections to help you manage reporting in Configuration Manager.

 

Configuration Manager uses SQL Server Reporting Services as its reporting solution. Integration with Reporting Services provides the following advantages:

• Uses an industry standard reporting system to query the Configuration Manager database.
• Displays reports by using the Configuration Manager Report Viewer or by using Report Manager, which is a web-based connection to the report.
• Provides high performance, availability, and scalability.
• Provides subscriptions to reports that users can subscribe to; for example, a manager could subscribe to automatically receive an emailed report each day that details the status of a software update rollout.
• Exports reports that users can select in a variety of popular formats.

 

If you are utilizing SCCM today, but aren’t completely satisfied with how it is functioning, Zunesis can help with an SCCM Health Check. With this Health Check, we are going to focus on your Server Site and Component health, the health of the client system and the Configuration Manager client itself. We want to make sure the client system is properly configured to install the Configuration Manager client, to get policies, run inventory, and install software and patches. Your current environment will be documented and recommendations will be made to make sure your SCCM environment is delivering the results you intended it to deliver.