Administering System Center Configuration Manager

This five-day course describes how to use Configuration Manager and its associated site systems to efficiently manage network resources. In this five-day course, you will learn day-to-day management tasks, including how to manage applications, client health, hardware and software inventory, operating system deployment, and software updates by using Configuration Manager. You also will learn how to optimize Endpoint Protection, manage compliance, and create management queries and reports.

Intended Audience

• This course is for experienced information technology (IT) professionals, typically described as Enterprise Desktop Administrators (EDAs). These EDAs deploy, manage, and maintain PCs, devices, and applications across medium, large, and enterprise organizations.
• A significant portion of this audience uses or intends to use the latest release of Configuration Manager to manage and deploy PCs, devices, and applications.

Course Prerequisites

Required

• Networking fundamentals, including common networking protocols, topologies, hardware, media, routing, switching, and addressing.
• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) principles and fundamentals of AD DS management.
• Installation, configuration, and troubleshooting for Windows-based personal computers.
• Basic concepts of public key infrastructure (PKI) security.
• Basic understanding of scripting and Windows PowerShell syntax.

Recommended

• Basic understanding of Windows Server roles and services.
• Basic understanding of the configuration options for iOS and Android Mobile device platforms.

Course Objectives

• Describe the features Configuration Manager, and Intune include, and explain how you can use these features to manage PCs and mobile devices in an enterprise environment.
  
• Analyze data by using queries and reports.
• Prepare a management infrastructure, including configuring boundaries, boundary groups, and resource discovery, and integrating mobile-device management with Intune.
• Deploy and manage the Configuration Manager client.
• Configure, manage, and monitor hardware and software inventory, and use Asset Intelligence and software metering.
• Identify and configure the most appropriate method to distribute and manage content used for deployments.
• Distribute, deploy, and monitor applications for managed users and systems.
• Maintain software updates for PCs that Configuration Manager manages.
• Implement Endpoint Protection for managed PCs.
• Manage configuration items, baselines, and profiles to assess and configure compliance settings and data access for users and devices.
• Configure an operating-system deployment strategy by using Configuration Manager.
• Manage and maintain a Configuration Manager site.

Course Outline

Managing computers and mobile devices in the enterprise

• Overview of systems management by using enterprise management solutions
• Overview of the Configuration Manager architecture
• Overview of the Configuration Manager administrative tools
• Tools for monitoring and troubleshooting a Configuration Manager site
• Lab 1: Exploring the Configuration Manager tools

Analyzing data using queries, reports, and CMPivot

• Introduction to queries
• Configuring SQL Server Reporting Services
• Analyzing the real-time state of a device by using CMPivot
• Lab 1: Creating and running queries
• Lab 2: Configuring SSRS
• Lab 3: Analyzing the real-time state of a device by using CMPivot

Preparing the Configuration Manager management infrastructure

• Configuring site boundaries and boundary groups
• Configuring resource discovery
• Organizing resources using device and user collections
• Lab 1: Configuring boundaries and resource discovery
• Lab 2: Configuring user and device collections

Deploying and managing the Configuration Manager client

• Overview of the Configuration Manager client
• Deploying the Configuration Manager client
• Configuring and monitoring client status
• Managing client settings and performing management operations
• Lab 1: Deploying the Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager client software
• Lab 2: Configuring and monitoring client status
• Lab 3: Managing client settings

Managing inventory for PCs and applications

• Overview of inventory collection
• Configuring hardware and software inventory
• Managing inventory collection
• Configuring software metering
• Configuring and managing Asset Intelligence
• Lab 1: Configuring and managing inventory collection
• Lab 2: Configuring software metering
• Lab 3: Configuring and managing Asset Intelligence

Distributing and managing content used for deployments

• Preparing the infrastructure for content management
• Distributing and managing content on distribution points
• Lab 1: Distributing and managing content for deployments

Deploying and managing applications

• Overview of application management
• Creating applications
• Deploying applications
• Managing applications
• Deploying and managing Windows apps
• Lab 1: Creating and deploying applications
• Lab 2: Managing application supersedence and removal
• Lab 3: Using Configuration Manager to deploy Windows apps

Maintaining software updates for managed PCs

• The software updates process
• Preparing a Configuration Manager site for software updates
• Managing software updates
• Configuring automatic deployment rules
• Monitoring and troubleshooting software updates
• Enabling third-party updates
• Lab 1: Configuring the site for software updates
• Lab 2: Deploying and managing software updates

Implementing Defender Protection for managed PCs

• Overview of Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• Configuring, deploying, and monitoring Endpoint Protection policies
• Configuring and deploying advanced threat policies
• Lab 1: Implementing Endpoint Protection
• Lab 2: Implementing advanced threat policies

Managing compliance and secure data access

• Overview of Compliance Settings
• Configuring compliance settings
• Viewing compliance results
• Managing resource and data access
• Lab 1: Managing compliance settings

Managing operating system deployment

• An overview of operating system deployment
• Preparing a site for operating system deployment
• Deploying an operating system
• Managing Windows as a service
• Lab 1: Preparing the site for operating-system deployment
• Lab 2: Deploying operating-system images for bare-metal installations

Managing and maintaining a Configuration Manager site

• Configuring role-based administration
• Configuring Remote Tools
• Overview of Configuration Manager site maintenance and Management Insights
• Backing up and recovering a Configuration Manager site
• Updating the Configuration Manager infrastructure
• Lab 1: Configuring role-based administration
• Lab 2: Configuring Remote Tools
• Lab 3: Maintaining a Configuration Manager site

What’s new in Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager

• Whats new in Microsoft Endpoint Manager covering each semi-annual release