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8
security. This same functionality, once reserved
primarily for Microsoft BitLocker Administration
and Monitoring ("MBAM"), is now also being
incorporated into ConfigMgr allowing multiple
avenues for management.
Managing Windows Devices
As end users perform their regular duties,
changes may need to be made and actions taken
against Windows in the production
environment. Leveraging cloud
integration with the ConfigMgr Cloud
Management Gateway provides
options for managing systems without
the need to rely on users to initiate
and maintain VPN connections
back to an on-premise environment.
Inventory, policy changes, application
deployments and even ConfigMgr Task Sequences
can be initiated against remote systems. As
tighter integration continues between ConfigMgr
and Intune, more options will exist to provide
management in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Admin Center. On-premise ConfigMgr clients
will not only appear alongside Co-Managed and
Intune-only systems but also allow for common
actions such as retrieving WMI inventory data,
viewing collection membership and even initiating
installation of ConfigMgr applications.
Further integration with Intune also brings
additional options not available in traditional on-
premise management, particularly in the realm
of system retirement and reset. In the event of a
lost or stolen device, a Retire (corporate only data
removal) or Wipe (full factory reset) of a device
can be initiated from the MEM Admin Center
and will initiate within seconds for any Internet
connected system. For Autopilot provisioned
systems, an Autopilot Reset can be performed to
return a machine to the initial onboarding state
while maintaining AzureAD membership and
Intune enrollment status, regional settings and Wi-
Fi connection information. The Windows Fresh
Start option also allows a clean reset of Windows
10 systems to the latest available release.
Leveraging Analytics in the
Cloud
In a cloud connected environment, enterprise IT has
the advantage of leveraging Microsoft's worldwide
telemetry data for analytics. Microsoft has provided
access to analytics data since early in the Windows 10
story as a means of efficiently engaging
in the Windows upgrade preparations
that historically involved massive
resources: specifically, validation of
applications and hardware drivers
for new the operating systems. The
original offering of Upgrade Analytics/
Windows Analytics has involved
into the new Desktop Analytics
feature which integrates directly with ConfigMgr
to facilitate Windows Feature Update deployment.
Desktop Analytics allows ConfigMgr to leverage
cloud-based analytics data to ensure application and
hardware compatibility, and to identify upgrade-
ready systems for piloting. The integration can even
auto-populate ConfigMgr collections for Windows
deployment.
"The integration can even auto-
populate ConfigMgr collections
for Windows deployment."
