ConfigMgr 2012 Service Pack 1 features

Next year (Q1 2013) System Center 2012 Service Pack 1 (SP1) becomes available. This Service Pack will be released for System Center 2012 and not just for ConfigMgr only. It containes updates for compatibility with Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 and other enhancements including support for Azure VM and capabilities for Hosted Service Providers. For ConfigMgr 2012 it will be a big step forwards, because of multiple new features and functionalities!

In this blogpost I will mention these:

– Support for Windows 8 (for both ConfigMgr/SCEP client installation and Operating System deployment);
– Support for Windows To Go (Full Windows 8 installation on a certified 32GB USB-stick);
– User data & profile configuration by means of folder redirection, offline files & roaming profiles;
– New deployment types for Windows 8 applications, including standalone applications and links to the Windows Store;
– Support for Windows Server 2012 (for both ConfigMgr client installation and Operating System deployment);
– Support for SQL Server 2012 (installation of ConfigMgr database);
– ConfigMgr client installation on MAC computers, Linux and UNIX servers;
– Possibility for Windows PowerShell cmdlets (to automate ConfigMgr tasks);
– Support for cloud services, including a new Distribution Point for Windows Azure;
– A more flexible hierarchy management for Central Administration Site (CAS) and Primary Site servers;

– Support for multiple Software update points (SUPs), with automatic  redundancy (same as Management points);
– Console Extensions integration in ConfigMgr console (downloading computer policy and initiating a malware scan to be performed as soon as possible);
– Support for virtual environments that allow multiple virtual applications (App-V packages) to share file system and registry information instead of running in an isolated space;
– Email alert subscriptions are now supported for all features, not just Endpoint Protection (useful for the Application Catalog);
– Multiple application types for Software Catalog usage and deployment, Mobile Device APP stores and App-V 5.0 (!) support;
– Support for App-V 5.0 packages (release: Q1 2013);
– Windows Intune integration (finally a Mobile Device Management solution for cloud device management);
– Support for Windows Embedded devices, because of Windows Embedded Device Manager (WEDM) integration.

As you can see a lot of new features and functionalities are added in ConfigMgr 2012 SP1. I'm very enthusiastic that this already great product (compared to previous versions), will be more advanced with every release. Stay tuned for more information early next year!