ConfigMgr 1602: Manage Office 365 Updates
One of the exciting new features of ConfigMgr 1602 is that ability to manage Office 365 client updates. This allows you as the administrator to control Office 365 desktop suite updates just like other Microsoft updates. There’s some setup that goes along with this, so we will go through that now.
Updates from ConfigMgr 1602 work for the suite, Visio, and Project. The minimum version for ConfigMgr updates is 16.0.6741.2014, which was released on March 14, 2016.
Client Setup
First, your Office 365 client needs to be configured properly. There are two ways to set up your client. The first method would have had to have been done during installation. Also, with this method, the client would have had to get the installation from you. I know this is not always the case, so the second way to configure updates may work better for you.
To set up updates during installation, your installation XML file would need to look like this. I have highlighted the important sections.
<Configuration>
<Add OfficeClientEdition=”32″ Branch=”Current” OfficeMgmtCOM=”True” >
<Product ID=”O365ProPlusRetail”>
<Language ID=”en-us” />
</Product>
</Add>
<Updates Enabled=”True” />
</Configuration>
This installation method, particularly the OfficeMgmtCOM part, tells the software to look for updates from ConfigMgr.
The second method uses Group Policy. The downside to this method is that if a GPO applies to a computer that has the Office 365 desktop suite but is not managed by ConfigMgr, the suite may not receive updates. To configure Group Policy, you need the Office 2016 ADMX/ADML files, available here: https://microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=49030. Import that policy templates into your domain, if you have not already done so.
To configure the policy, go to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2016 (Machine) > Updates. Enable the “Office 365 Client Management” setting.
ConfigMgr Setup
Now that we have our clients configured, we need to setup ConfigMgr to get these updates. First, enable product in your Software Update Point settings. Go to Administration > Site Configuration > Sites. Select your site, then “Configure Site Components” from the ribbon, then “Software Update Point”. Under the Products tab, find Office, then check the “Office 365 Client” box.
Now run an update synchronization. After that is complete, you should have available Office 365 client updates:
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