What's New
Recast’s Endpoint Management Recap – February 2023
Topics: What's New
Welcome to Recast’s Endpoint Management Recap, February 2023 – by Daniel Engberg
It is the shortest month of the year, but there has been no lack of content from either Microsoft or the community.
This month we’ve had some long-awaited updates. My main excitement is around the public preview release of the deployment service for Intune, allowing for granular control of drivers and firmware. First announced in March 2021, it’s been a long wait and one that many organizations have been waiting for.
Having the ability to have granular control of drivers and firmware makes the transition easier for moving to a cloud-only approach. Updating drivers and firmware should be an improvement to most organizations, as in my experience, few use a driver as a service approach or update their firmware regularly. Traditionally, most organizations have updated their drivers and firmware (BIOS) only during operating system deployment or when a problem occurs.
I’m looking forward to seeing what this feature has in store for us!
We have also received a new Technical Preview (2302) of Configuration Manager this month.
Microsoft is also continuing to rebrand the Microsoft Endpoint Manager products to Intune. The latest change is the option to use intune.microsoft.com, instead of endpoint.microsoft.com. Both options work but getting used to the “new” naming convention could be a good idea :).
I hope you like this month’s recap and see you again in March!
– Daniel Engberg
Contents – Endpoint Management Recap
- Events / Conference News
- Microsoft Product Announcements
- Hardware Vendor Updates (Tools / Security / Features)
- Community Tools / News
- Recast Updates
Upcoming Events
- MMS – Midwest Management Summit – MMS at MOA, Minnesota – May 1 – May 4, 2023
- MMS – Midwest Management Summit – MMS 2023 Miami Beach Edition (mmsmoa.com) – October 30 – November 1, 2023
We’ve had the following Microsoft product announcements in February of this year.
- Configuration Manager Technical Preview 2302: After not keeping up with the previous cadence for the past two months, we now have a new version. As with 2301, the product name is now Microsoft Configuration Manager in the console.
- Public preview availability of the deployment service for drivers and firmware in Intune.
This is a long-awaited feature, first communicated in March 2021. The release has been delayed due to insufficient customer data. But now we have the public preview of the service ready. Check out the release notes here: Commercial driver and firmware servicing is publicly available! – Microsoft Community Hub.
If you haven’t heard of it before, you will now be able to granularly select which driver and firmware versions you wish to assign to your clients. Previously, the only option was to turn Drivers on or off as a category in Windows Update for Business.
Currently, the service can only be managed via the Graph API, but Microsoft will make the configuration available in Intune later. First, out of the gates, Johan Arwidmark has created a solution for this. Check it out here: Total Control for Drivers and Firmware – Cloud Edition – Deployment Research. - Microsoft has also released a Study guide for Exam MD-102: Endpoint Administrator | Microsoft Learn. Check it out if you are interested in this certification.
Microsoft Azure Active Directory [What’s New Page]
ConfigMgr [What’s New Page] [Tech Community] [Virtual Hub][MS QA][Reddit][Feedback]
- ConfigMgr Collection Evaluation Analysis The Easy Way (microsoft.com)
- Recommendations and insights to enrich the Configuration Manager site health and device management – Microsoft Community Hub
- Update rollup for Microsoft Configuration Manager version 2211 – Configuration Manager | Microsoft Learn
- Recommendations and insights to enrich the Configuration Manager site health and device management – Microsoft Community Hub
Microsoft ConfigMgr Tech Preview
- Configuration Manager technical preview version 2301 – Microsoft Community Hub
- Technical preview 2302 – Configuration Manager | Microsoft Learn
- ConfigMgr Technical Preview 2302 New Features | Baseline Version (prajwaldesai.com) – Prajwal Desai (@PrajwalDesai)
Microsoft Intune [What’s New Page]
- New Microsoft Intune troubleshooting experience – Microsoft Community Hub
- Unpacking Endpoint Management: new episodes monthly | Tech Community (Intune) (microsoft.com)
- What’s new in Microsoft Intune – 2302 (February) edition – Microsoft Community Hub
Windows [What’s New Page]
- Windows Server
- Windows 365
Security Alerts and Info [Microsoft Security Portal – Security Update Guide]
Every month, we cover updates to the tools, scripts, and software provided by the major hardware vendors related to enterprise client management. Check out the ConfigMgr Manufacturers page for a complete list of tools, blog posts, and information about the vendors.
No updates this month.
Podcasts / Blog Series / Video Blogs
- Getting started with Windows 365 – Part 6. Point in time restore – Windows 365 – www.windows-noob.com – Niall C. Brady (@ncbrady)
- What I’ve Learned This Week #2. WinGet, Logic Apps, MS Graph (nianit.com) – Niclas Andersson (@NiAndeIT)
- PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit – [Chapter 4 Mastering Registry Keys] – YouTube – Mattias Melkersen (@MMelkersen)
- The World of AI with ChatGPT, Bing, Edge for IT pros – YouTube – Namaste Techies (@anoopmannur and @Hoorge)
- VLOG – Driver and Firmware Updates Preview GUI Configuration (euc365.com) – David Brook (@DBBrook24)
- What’s new in Microsoft Intune (2301) – YouTube – Nickolaj Andersen & Mattias Melkersen (@NickolajA & @MMelkersen)
- What I’ve Learned This Week #3. MS Graph, Azure AD, OBS, Teams (nianit.com) – Niclas Andersson (@NiAndeIT)
- Graph 101 – E11 – Pagination… Is It Magic?! – (I.T) – YouTube – Intune Training Series (@OnPremCloudGuy, @AdamGrossTX, @powers_hell and @shackelfjaco)
- Latest Intune Troubleshooting Strategies | Fix Intune Policy Conflicts | Methods IT Admins -Helpdesk – YouTube – Anoop C Nair (@anoopmannur)
- Intune RBAC Strategic options | Role Based Access Controls | Scope Groups | Intune Objects | Roles – YouTube – Anoop C Nair (@anoopmannur)
- S04E10 – Removal of Inbox Apps – New store edition (I.T) – YouTube – Intune Training Series (@OnPremCloudGuy, @AdamGrossTX, @powers_hell and @shackelfjaco)
- Getting started with Windows 365 – Part 7. Patching your Cloud PCs with Windows Autopatch – Windows 365 – www.windows-noob.com – Niall C. Brady (@ncbrady)
- Stream episode EP 30 – Virtual Cloud Whisperers by The Cloud Whisperers podcast – David Broussard (@dbroussa)
Blog Posts
Intune
- Compliance Policy for Azure Virtual Desktop Session Host Virtual machine managed via Microsoft Intune | AskAresh – Aresh Sarkari (@askaresh)
- Managing privacy controls for Office products – All about Microsoft Endpoint Manager (petervanderwoude.nl) – Peter van der Woude (@pvanderwoude)
- Configuring Desktop App Installer using CSP and script?! – CCMEXEC.COM – Enterprise Mobility – Jörgen Nilsson (@ccmexec)
- UAC admin prompt for credentials in OOBE | by Niklas Tinner | Feb, 2023 | Medium – Niklas Tinner (@NiklasTinner)
- Uninstall Java using Proactive Remediation – Nicklas Ahlberg (@AhlbergNicklas)
- Factory Reset Protection: Secure your hardware (intuneirl.com) – Somesh Pathak (@pathak_somesh)
- Windows MDM Security Baseline – Settings Catalog – CCMEXEC.COM – Enterprise Mobility – Jörgen Nilsson (@ccmexec)
- The Perfect Intune Policy Design. The first week’s “Friday mail sack”… | by Scott Duffey | Feb, 2023 | Medium – Scott Duffey (@Scottduf)
- Monitoring Intune App creation and assignments using Logic Apps – Intune Tech – Jose Schenardie (@schenardie)
- Install an additional language pack on Windows 11 during Autopilot enrollment | Peter Klapwijk – In The Cloud 24-7 (inthecloud247.com) – Peter Klapwjik (@inthecloud_247)
- Onboard devices to Defender for Endpoint via Intune connector (endpointcave.com) – René Laas (@mr_helaas)
- Intune RBAC permissions (oceanleaf.ch) – Niklas Tinner (@NiklasTinner)
- Device Admin App: The necessity and importance (intuneirl.com) – Somesh Pathak (@pathak_somesh)
- How to manage Google Chrome with Intune (systemcenterdudes.com) – Jonathan Lefebvre (@JLefebvreGloben)
- Another way to install a language pack via Intune – Endpoint Cave – René Laas (@mr_helaas)
- Start managing your Linux with Intune – Mr T-Bone´s Blog (tbone.se) – Torbjörn Granheden (@MrTbone_se)
- Only WhiteGlove in the Building – Call4Cloud – Rudy Ooms (@Mister_MDM)
- How To Manage Intune Compliance Policy Settings HTMD Blog (anoopcnair.com) – Jitesh Kumar (@jitesh8092)
- Intune Windows 11 CIS Benchmarks Is Available For Download Now HTMD Blog (anoopcnair.com) – Anoop C Nair (@anoopmannur)
- About Intune device ownership | Corporate vs Personal | by Scott Duffey | Feb, 2023 | Medium – Scott Duffey (@Scottduf)
- Configuring search on Windows 11 taskbar – All about Microsoft Endpoint Manager (petervanderwoude.nl) – Peter van der Woude (@pvanderwoude)
- Hide your account information on the Windows login screen with Microsoft Intune (ccmtune.fr) – Mogis Christopher (@MogisChris59)
- Removing OEM configured bookmarks from Edge (rahuljindalmyit.blogspot.com) – Rahul Jindal (@rahulj1906)
- View Applicable Devices for Driver Deployments (euc365.com) – David Brook (@DBBrook24)
ConfigMgr
- Co-management Workloads and Capabilities (Revisited) (msendpointmgr.com) – Ben Whitmore (@byteben)
- Quick tip: Free up space on your ConfigMgr server | just another windows noob ? (niallbrady.com) – Niall C. Brady (@ncbrady)
- SCCM Daily Maintenance Tasks (systemcenterdudes.com) – Benoit Lecours (@benoitlecours)
- HP Devices – Inventory BIOS Settings in ConfigMgr – GARYTOWN ConfigMgr Blog – Gary Blok (@gwblok)
Windows 365
- Microsoft Store trying to install User Context Winget Apps (call4cloud.nl) – Rudy Ooms (@Mister_MDM)
- How to Configure Alerts for Windows 365 Cloud PCs in Intune (prajwaldesai.com) – Prajwal Desai (@PrajwalDesai)
- olastrom.com – Can we build a Windows 365 kiosk for shared use? – Ola Ström (@olastromcom)
- Remove built-in (default) Windows applications from the Windows 365 Cloud PC endpoints | AskAresh – Aresh Sarkari (@askaresh)
- Manage drive space with Storage Sense (ccmtune.fr) – Mogis Christopher (@MogisChris59)
- Windows 365 Will Change the Personal Computer Market (technewsworld.com) – Mark Vena (@MarkVenaTechGuy)
- 2 Ways to Get Windows 365 Cloud PC Connection Details (prajwaldesai.com) – – Prajwal Desai (@PrajwalDesai)
- Configuring Multimedia redirection in Windows 365 aka Cloud PC – VDI Tech Blogs (wordpress.com) – Amal Abraham (@amalkallath)
- Reprovision/Restore Windows 365 Devices – NielsKok.Tech – Niels Kok (@NielsKok5)
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) – Getting started for Windows 365 Cloud PC and Azure Virtual Desktop | AskAresh – Aresh Sarkari (@askaresh)
- Windows 365, 6 ways your company can use Cloud PCs – Roy Apalnes – MSFT Security and Endpoint Management (itiscloudy.com) – Roy Apalnes (@royapalnes)
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint – Web Content Filtering for Windows 365 Cloud PC and Azure Virtual Desktop | AskAresh – Aresh Sarkari (@askaresh)
- Enhance your Cloud PCs with Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365 | Citrix Blogs (ampproject.org) – John D’Agati
Other SysAdmin Info
- Simon does… Five Approaches For Local Admin Access On The Azure AD Joined PC (skotheimsvik.no) – Simon Skotheimsvik (@SSkotheimsvik)
- Get every week a Defender for Endpoint VM recommendation (endpointcave.com) – René Laas (@mr_helaas)
- Devices BSOD (blue screen) dashboard with Log Analytics | Syst & Deploy (systanddeploy.com) – Damien Van Robaeys (@syst_and_deploy)
- Total Control for Drivers and Firmware – Cloud Edition – Deployment Research – Johan Arwidmark (@jarwidmark)
- Monitoring Month – GPU Metrics — Desktops for Everyone – Doug Petrole (@petroljd)
- Using Smart App Control as starting point for Windows Defender Application Control – All about Microsoft Endpoint Manager (petervanderwoude.nl) – Peter van der Woude (@pvanderwoude)
- Enable Suspicious Activities Report In Azure AD HTMD Blog (anoopcnair.com) – Jitesh Kumar (@jitesh8092)
Recast Software has updated their product suite to version 5.0. The 5.0 release overhauls the total software infrastructure across all Recast Software products. Major changes under the hood won’t impact core functionality, but they do offer immediate performance, stability, and usability improvements. Learn more and upgrade here.
In January, Recast Software launched the Recast Academy, a learning platform for Enterprise customers to train on our software’s features. Initial courses focus on Right Click Tools Enterprise and enable users to understand the vital features and functionality of our platform. These features empower IT teams to improve their efficiency within MECM / SCCM. Learn more here or sign up and get started.
Check out a couple new blog posts on the Recast Blog:
Also:
- Follow Recast on Twitter @RecastSoftware to hear the latest.
- Read our eBook, The Top 10 Most Used Right Click Tools.
Thank you for checking out Recast’s Endpoint Management Recap – February 2023. Stay tuned for more helpful content coming your way in the new year.
