Gary BlokRecast’s Endpoint Management Recap – April 2022
Welcome to the Recast Endpoint Management Recap, April 2022 – by Gary Blok.
You might have noticed that April’s edition is earlier than usual and that’s because I’m getting ready for my Midwest Management Summit (MMS) sessions at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Also, because of that, this month’s recap is going to be a bit shorter than normal. Can you believe that MMS is almost here? I hope to see many of you very soon.
In other news, Microsoft started off April with some big announcements about Windows 365 and Windows 11. I had already decided to focus on Windows 11 in this month’s recap, so my timing couldn’t have been any better. I’ve been testing some of the new Win 11 features and had a chance to publish a new blog post last week. I’ll tell you more about it a little later on in the recap
Please remember, if you want me to include a community event or blog post, please reach out to me on Twitter. I’ll also be updating you about the usual list of items, so use the quick links to get to what you need first.
- Windows 11
- Events / Conference News
- Microsoft Product Announcements
- Hardware Vendor Updates (Tools / Security / Features)
- Community Tools / News
- Recast Updates
MMS Mall of America (MOA) is just around the corner and, as I said earlier, I’m preparing for my three speaker sessions. As part of my preparations, I wanted to learn all that I could about Windows 11 and OSD. While testing Win 11 in my lab, I realized that a Sys Admin could accidentally install Win 11 on devices that do not meet Win 11’s hardware requirements. In order to help you out, I modified Microsoft’s detection script to include a pop-up message. I think it’s very helpful and you can read more about it in this blog post, Initial Review of Windows 11 and ConfigMgr OSD.
If you have any questions about my Windows 11 blog post, please contact me @gwblok.
Lastly, I want to share that I have accepted employment elsewhere; you can look it up on LinkedIn after May 16. This will be my last Endpoint Recap for Recast Software. It’s been a pleasure creating this newsletter and helping to keep the community apprised of information.
- Tech Community Live: Microsoft Endpoint Manager Edition – April 27
- MMS 2022 at MOA – May 2 – May 5
- Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon 2022 – May 4 – May 6
- Cleveland Microsoft Endpoint Manager User Group – May 12
- Windows Office Hours – May 19
- Northwest System Center User Group – May 20
- ViaMonstra Office Hours – Community – Every Wednesday. “This is your chance to join us every week for Q&A and roundtable discussion on anything related to Windows deployment, MDT, ConfigMgr, or Microsoft Intune. We bring the experts; you bring the questions.”
Please note, after the product name, there are several standard links to product specific landing pages, YouTube channels, or related content. As I find more items that are handy to be associated with a product, I’ll append them on. I’ll often reference past Endpoint Recaps just for those different links.
Products:
Microsoft Edge Browser (Based on Chromium): [Landing Page][What’s New Page][RoadMap Portal]
Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection – [Landing Page] [Resource Hub]
Microsoft 365 [Landing Page][Licensing][Roadmap][Tech Community][Youtube][ODT Release]
- Commercial Licensing Terms – This page gives a pretty good overview of M365 licensing.
ConfigMgr [What’s New Page] [Tech Community] [Virtual Hub][MS Q\A][Reddit][Feedback]
- 2203 – Early Update Ring – I’m personally quite excited for this release. I’ve been trying to hack together a method to escrow the BitLocker recovery password during OSD, but now it’s solved and supported. Adding the custom icon support for a task sequence and a package is also huge when trying to provide a polished end user experience in Software Center. Dark theme is cool. Also it’s nice to remove a Community hub item you contributed. Overall, another great release.
- Escrow BitLocker recovery password to the site during a task sequence.
- Custom icon support for task sequences and packages.
- Dark theme for the console.
- Delete a contribution you made to Community hub.
- Seamless update experience for organizations on Windows 11
ConfigMgr Tech Preview [What’s New Page]
Intune [What’s New Page] [Tech Community] [Feedback] [Overview][YouTube Channel]
- Azure AD RBAC: Custom roles & administrative units for devices now available
- Example Scripts using Microsoft.Graph Module with PowerShell – Donna Ryan (@TheNotoriousDRR)
Windows [Landing Page] [Tech Community][Release Information][PowerToys][YouTube Channel]
- Windows Server
- Windows Client
- Windows 365 – [W365Community]
- New experiences in Windows 11 and Windows 365 empower new ways of working
- With Windows 365 Boot, you can log directly into your Windows 365 Cloud PC at startup and designate it as your primary Windows experience on the device.
- Windows 365 Switch enables you to move between your Windows 365 Cloud PC and the local desktop just like you do between different desktops today in the Task switcher.
- Windows 365 app gives you another way to get straight to your Windows 365 Cloud PC from the taskbar or Start menu.
- Windows 365 Offline enables work in Windows 365 even when disconnected.
- New experiences in Windows 11 and Windows 365 empower new ways of working
Security Alerts and Info [Microsoft Security Portal – Security Update Guide]
I’m only listing changes. If you want a more complete list of their tools, check out the previous month’s posts. For a full list of tools, blog posts and information about the vendors, check out the ConfigMgr Manufacturers’ page.
** Much of this information is provided directly from the vendor, so when you see “we” think of it as, “Vendor Name,” and not Recast Software.
HP [Enterprise Tools Landing Page] [Community / Blog Site] [Outlet Site]
HP MIK – Version 5.0.0 released for both MECM server add on as well as client Softpaq. It includes an update to Patch Assistant to current HPIA version.
HP CMSL – Version 1.6.5 (final testing currently) being released to support commands to create up-to-date Driver Packs, as well as ability to support HP 2022 personal systems new, faster, BIOS update process.
HP Image Assistant – Version 5.1.5 (final testing currently) being released to support Windows IoT versions (would match equivalent business releases), a new 64-bit client, and support for more debugging features.
HP Connect for MEM – Updated script engine to place downloaded CMSL and logs to more secure location on client devices. Existing logs and CMSL will be moved automatically to new location. This requires that a user create a new policy and publish it or remove/reapply existing policy.
Dell [Enterprise Tools Landing Page] [Refurbished Sale Site] [Outlet Site][Command Tools Reference]
A new Dell Thunderbolt Dock – WD22TB4 is available. Want to upgrade your old dock? See upgrade module. Admin guide covering firmware updates, DCU & DCM #MEMCM etc.
Lenovo [Enterprise Tools Landing Page][Blog Site]
Microsoft [Surface]
One more note, I do my best to provide Twitter accounts with the blog posts. I do this to provide credit where credit is due, and so you can then follow them yourselves to stay in the loop as things are coming out and ideas are being discussed on Twitter.
Podcasts / Blog Series / Video Blogs
- [Documentation Series] Beyond the Microsoft docs, a ConfigMgr overview:
- [YouTube Channel] Let’s Chat: PowerShell – Jordan Benzing (@JordanTheITguy)
- [YouTube Channel] MECM World – Yagnesh Malaviya (@YagneshMalaviya)
- [YouTube Channel] Intune Training Series [@OnPremCloudGuy and @AdamGrossTX]
- [YouTube Channel] Namaste Techies [@anoopmannur and @Hoorge]
- [YouTube Channel] MEM – tips and tricks – Mattias Melkersen – (@MMelkersen)
- [YouTube Channel] Deployment Research | ViaMonstra Office Hours
- [YouTube Channel] CloudManagement.Community
Blog Posts
Cloud Tech
- Intune reporting with Log Analytics: analyze disk size to see what’s taking up place – Damien Van Robaeys (@syst_and_deploy)
- Using PowerShell and Graph to get BSOD results (code and date ) for Intune devices– Damien Van Robaeys (@syst_and_deploy)
- Thoughts on Cloud PC experience from a macOS user perspective – Morten Pedholt (@MortenPedholt)
- Hyper-V and nested virtualization on your Cloud PC – Morten Pedholt (@MortenPedholt)
- How to Speed up Intune Enrollment with SCCM Co-Management – Brooks Peppin (@brookspeppin)
ConfigMgr
- List Of 43 SCCM Status Message Queries | Custom Query For SCCM Task Sequence Engine Status Messages -Anoop C Nair (@anoopmannur)
- Protect Devices With Windows 11 Smart App Control – Jitesh Kumar (@jitesh8092)
- Error 0x87d01106 – The software could not be found on any servers – Liam (@Systems_Liam)
Other SysAdmin Info
- Skattered Thoughts – Episode 4 – s:\katter\brain(z*2) (@skatterbrainzz)
- Microsoft will let you run Windows 11 on an M1 Mac, but they won’t support it – Michael Niehaus (@mniehaus)
- Turn on Windows 10 Tamper Protection for Microsoft Defender– Wolfgang Sommergut (@wolfgang-sommergut)
- Use PsExec and PowerShell together – Surender Kumar
Tool Updates
- WIMWitch v3.3.1 – Adds support for updated media by prompting users to confirm certain Windows 10 versions – Donna Ryan (@TheNotoriousDRR)
- The Recast team will be out in full force at MMS MOA. We will have lots of exciting goodies to hand out including buttons, stickers, and t-shirts. Plus there will be several chances to win $100 gift cards. You won’t want to miss our session, and make sure you check out Gary Blok’s, Garth Jones’ and Bryan Dam’s sessions.
- Right Click Tools versions 3.0 and 3.1 will expire soon. They are 5 years old, so it’s time to upgrade!
- We recorded all of the Right Click Tools: 5 Part Webinar sessions, so don’t worry if you missed one.
- How to Find Computers Missing Applications
- We are hiring! If you or someone you know is looking to make a huge impact at a fast-growing company, take a look at our job postings and apply today.
- Follow us on Twitter @RecastSoftware to hear the latest.
Thank you for checking out Recast’s Endpoint Management Recap – April 2022. Stay tuned for more helpful content coming your way.
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