I'm looking for tips on how to deploy applications like VLC, Zoom, Office 365, and Chrome on Windows 11 devices while keeping them up to date without interrupting users. I'd like to know how to publish these apps in the app store as well. One thing to note is that my manager isn't on board with using services like PatchMyPC since we have fewer than 100 PCs, which doesn't seem worth the cost. I'm using typical Intune app packaging, but I'm running into issues with upgrades that can be quite frustrating.
2 Answers
A lot of folks here recommend PatchMyPC, but I get it - that cost can be steep for fewer devices. We disabled the MS Store to simplify things for users, so they can only access the Company Portal. For Office 365, we rely on the standard Intune management. For the other apps like VLC and Chrome, we use some Winget scripts packed in .intunewin files. Windows Updates handle Microsoft product updates automatically, and for apps that need manual updates, we use Action1.
If you're looking for an alternative, we use PDQ Connect for all our app deployments. It's been quite effective for keeping everything up-to-date without bothering our users too much. Might be worth checking out if you want to avoid the hassle of manual updates.
Totally agree with that approach! Also, keep in mind that some apps like Zoom let you configure update settings. You could use the MSI with specific switches to enable auto-updates, which can save you a lot of hassle. For Chrome, the ADMX templates can help enable auto-updating too.