Basic Administration of Microsoft Configuration Manager

This four-day course equips IT professionals with comprehensive skills to deploy, configure, and manage Microsoft Configuration Manager in enterprise environments. Participants will explore the full Configuration Manager lifecycle—from infrastructure setup to ongoing management—gaining experience in inventory collection, application deployment, operating system deployment, software updates, and security. The course combines technical instruction with practical exercises, enabling learners to manage devices efficiently, optimise infrastructure, and enforce secure, scalable IT operations across diverse networks. Key focus areas include configuration of sites, site systems and clients, inventory collection, application deployment, update management, operating system deployment, and administrative roles and tools.

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Describe the architecture and functionality of Microsoft Configuration Manager
• Configure sites, site systems, and client deployment settings
• Implement queries, reports, and CMPivot
• Collect and analyse hardware and software inventory
• Deploy, monitor and troubleshoot applications, software updates, and operating systems
• Configure role-based security and perform remote support functions

To successfully participate in this course, learners should have:

• A foundational understanding of networking concepts and technologies
• Experience with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• Practical skills in Windows-based PC configuration and troubleshooting
• Familiarity with Windows Server roles and services
• A basic understanding of public key infrastructure (PKI) and PowerShell syntax

Target audience

This course is designed for:

• IT professionals managing enterprise client infrastructures
• System administrators responsible for deployment and software lifecycle
• Technical support staff involved in operating system and software updates
• Engineers seeking hands-on experience with Microsoft Configuration Manager

Introduction to Microsoft Configuration Manager

• Overview of features and benefits
• Configuration Manager architecture and site system roles
• Administrative and monitoring tools

Configuration of Configuration Manager sites and clients

• Configuring boundaries, boundary groups and discovery methods
• Installing and configuring Microsoft Configuration Manager client software
• Creating device and user collections

Queries, reports, and CMPivot

• Creating and executing database queries
• Implementing and using SQL Server Reporting Services to run reports
• Issuing real-time queries using CMPivot

Inventory collection and software metering

• Configuring hardware and software inventory collection from clients
• Using Resource Explorer and inventory reports to view inventory
• Implementing software metering for usage tracking

Software deployment

• Understanding content distribution and management
• Configuring and managing distribution points
• Creating, deploying and monitoring applications
• Managing the software lifecycle, including superseding, retiring and uninstalling applications

Software updates

• Understanding the process of software update deployment
• Setting up software update points
• Creating and managing update deployments
• Automating deployment of updates using automatic deployment rules

Operating system deployment

• Understanding OS image deployment scenarios
• Creating and distributing boot and OS image packages
• Importing and managing drivers
• Creating and using task sequences for deployment
• Monitoring deployment progress

Security and remote administration

• Implementing role-based administrative security
• Using Remote Control, Remote Desktop, and Remote Assistance

Exams and assessments

There are no formal exams in this course.

Hands-on learning

This course includes:

Practical lab exercises throughout the course, using Microsoft Configuration Manager tools to configure and manage a Configuration Manager site and its clients.