This five-day course provides a comprehensive exploration of how to use Configuration Manager 2016 and its associated site systems to efficiently manage network resources and business operations. You will learn practical day-to-day management tasks, including application management, client health monitoring, hardware and software inventory management, operating system deployment, and software update maintenance using Configuration Manager. The course also covers optimization of System Center Endpoint Protection, compliance management, and the creation of queries and reports for informed decision-making. Additionally, this course, when combined with Microsoft Official Course 20703-2A, prepares certification candidates for Exam 70-703: Administering System Center Configuration Manager and Cloud Services Integration.
Audience Profile:
This course is designed for experienced information technology (IT) professionals, typically described as Enterprise Desktop Administrators (EDAs). These professionals deploy, manage, and maintain personal computers, devices, and applications across medium, large, and enterprise-level organizations. A significant portion of this audience uses, or intends to use, the latest release of Configuration Manager to manage and deploy computing resources and applications enterprise-wide.
This course also serves individuals working with System Center 2016 who plan to take Exam 70-703: Administering System Center Configuration Manager and Cloud Services Integration. Completion of Courses 20703-1A and 20703-2A, or equivalent knowledge and practical skills, is necessary to prepare adequately for this certification exam.
Prerequisites:
Participants should have a foundation in networking fundamentals, including common networking protocols, topologies, hardware, media, routing, switching, and addressing. Additionally, learners need knowledge of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) principles and fundamentals of AD DS management. Experience with installation, configuration, and troubleshooting of Windows-based personal computers is essential. Basic understanding of public key infrastructure (PKI) security concepts is required, along with familiarity with scripting and Windows PowerShell syntax. Participants should also have a basic understanding of Windows Server roles and services, and configuration options for iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile device platforms.
Students who attend this training can meet the prerequisites by completing the following courses or obtaining equivalent knowledge and skills through hands-on practice activities:
Course 20697-1: Installing and Configuring Windows 10
Course 20697-2: Deploying and Managing Windows 10 Using Enterprise Services
Course 20411: Administering Windows Server 2012
At Course Completion:
After completing this course, students will be able to describe the features of Configuration Manager and Intune and explain how to use these features to manage personal computers and mobile devices in an enterprise environment. You will analyze data using queries and reports, and prepare management infrastructure, including configuring boundaries, boundary groups, and resource discovery. You will deploy and manage the Configuration Manager client, configure and monitor hardware and software inventory, and use Asset Intelligence and software metering. You will identify and configure appropriate methods to distribute and manage content for deployments, and distribute, deploy, and monitor applications for managed users and systems. Additionally, you will maintain software updates for managed personal computers, implement Endpoint Protection, manage configuration items and compliance baselines, configure operating system deployment strategies, and manage and maintain Configuration Manager sites.
Course Outline:
Module 1: Managing Computers and Mobile Devices in the Enterprise
This module describes the features of Configuration Manager that support complex management tasks, including hardware and software inventory, application management, operating system deployment, settings management, software update management, remote client troubleshooting, and malware protection.
Module 2: Analyzing Data Using Queries and Reports
The Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager database contains extensive data about your environment's resources. This module describes how to create queries to locate devices and user objects that meet specific criteria, use these queries to create collections, and run reports to view information related to your Configuration Manager environment. You will also learn how to install and configure a reporting services point for accessing reports.
Module 3: Preparing the Management Infrastructure to Support PCs and Mobile Devices
This module explains how to prepare management infrastructure by configuring boundaries, boundary groups, and resource discovery methods. Additionally, it describes how Configuration Manager interacts with Microsoft Exchange Server to discover and manage mobile devices throughout your organization.
Module 4: Deploying and Managing Clients
This module covers supported operating systems and devices, software requirements, and different methods for installing the Configuration Manager client. You will learn to configure default and custom client settings and perform routine management tasks after installation.
Module 5: Managing Inventory for PCs and Applications
This module provides an overview of inventory collection and explains how to manage collected information. You will learn the process of collecting hardware and software inventory, initiating inventory cycles, and securing inventory collection. The module also covers software metering to monitor program usage and the configuration and management of Asset Intelligence.
Module 6: Distributing and Managing Content Used for Deployments
Configuration Manager clients obtain content such as packages, applications, software updates, and operating system images from distribution points. This module reviews content management features, shows how to configure distribution points, and explains how to distribute and monitor content while performing content validation and prestaging.
Module 7: Deploying and Managing Applications
In this module, you will learn methods for creating, deploying, and managing applications with Configuration Manager. You will also learn to use the Software Center and Application Catalog to install available applications, manage deployments of specialized applications, and deploy Windows 10 apps and virtualized applications.
Module 8: Maintaining Software Updates for Managed PCs
This module explains how to use the software updates feature in Configuration Manager to implement an end-to-end management process for identifying, deploying, and monitoring software updates to your Configuration Manager clients throughout your organization.
Module 9: Implementing Endpoint Protection for Managed PCs
Configuration Manager provides security-related features to help protect client computers from malware threats and configure specific Windows Firewall settings. This module explains how to configure Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager to deploy and monitor antimalware policies and Windows Firewall settings on client computers.
Module 10: Managing Compliance and Secure Data Access
This module covers how enterprise organizations can ensure systems meet specific configuration and compliance requirements. You will learn to use compliance settings to identify configurations, discover systems with adverse changes, and remediate settings automatically when necessary. The module also addresses controlling how users manage and access data through folder redirection, offline files, roaming profiles, and secure connection profiles.
Module 11: Managing Operating System Deployment
This module explains how to use the operating system deployment feature in Configuration Manager to create operating system images for deployment to both unmanaged and managed computers. You will learn to configure settings on reference computers and use task sequences to manage image deployment. The module also covers managing Windows as a service throughout your organization.
Module 12: Managing and Maintaining a Configuration Manager Site
This module explains how to manage and maintain a Configuration Manager site, including role-based administration, Remote Tools, and site maintenance tasks. You will also learn how to back up and recover a Configuration Manager site system to ensure business continuity.
