As an Office 365 Pro Plus, “Click-to-Run” administrator or enthusiast we’re familiar how this new wave of application delivery when it comes to Office 2013 or 2016, has turned the application delivery and updating arena on its head.
No more traditional hefty “MSI” install and long waiting time and also no updating through the traditional WSUS or Windows Updates.
While this is a speedy much needed revelation for end users and administrators – it has caused quite a challenge when it comes to updating these clients. If you have System Center Configuration Manager to manage your application delivery and patching a whole can of scripting worms has to be opened to patch your new click to run clients – similar to getting a square peg into a round hole!
Now System Center Configuration Manager is taking leaps and bounds in the right direction with update 1511, not only with its own patching (gone are the annoying CU’s!) but in many, many other areas.
However, in this blog we’re just looking at 1511’s impact on Office Pro Plus Click-to-Run clients.
With Configuration Manager and the 1511 update we are now able to manage natively the Office Pro Plus client update system using the Configuration Manager Software Update Management workflow.
As Microsoft publishes and pushes out a new desktop client update to Windows Server Update Services, Configuration Manager is now able to synchronize that update to its catalog if the Office Pro Plus update is added as part of the catalog synchronization.
Your Configuration Manager server will then download the Office Pro Plus client update and distribute the package to Configuration Manager distribution points.
The Configuration Manager client will then let Office Pro Plus desktop client where to get this update and when to start the update processes!
There are just a couple of prerequisites you’ll need for this streamlined and headache free improved process to work:
- Windows 7 SP1 +
- Office Pro Plus build 16.0.6228.1000
Now you can manage your Office Pro Plus click-to-run clients as you would any other.
Enjoy!
