Microsoft
Microsoftmichaelmeyer25 There's a lot to unpack here, so I'll do it a little at a time. I'm curious how many Store apps you were deploying via Store for Business. Please DM me.
Did you know some of those ideas are no longer current? [Joe]: No, everything here is current and modern. Please read on.
You cannot block the MS Store on Windows 11 and use private only. MS now blocks the store entirely if you try, the effect it creates that no app will publish nor keep up to date with app store on Windows 11. [Joe]: The new Store app on Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 versions does not have a Private Store tab. That's correct. But you can link the Store for Business to Intune or ConfigMgr and deploy an app to those OSs. We didn't take away the ability to run a Store app, just the ability for the user to open a Private tab from the MS Store app and retrieve it. But again, this is about the next generation, the evolution of the Store for Business. We are evolving it into Windows Package Manager and Company Portal. Instead of a user opening a Store app, they can open Company Portal and install the apps that have been assigned to them.
There is no path to buy apps at this time for enterprises via the app store. [Joe]: Correct. We removed the ability for developers to publish apps to Store for Business that have a cost of higher than "free". This is unrelated to the deprecation of the Store for Business, but coincided with the announcement. In my answer directly above, I talk about some of this.
You can only buy single one off licenses and they cannot be deployed to the organisation. [Joe]: You can work directly with the ISV for developer to license the bits to their app, then deploy it like a LOB app. In my answer directly above, I talk about some of this.
Adding to this you cannot then download an app once purchased to then deploy vie MEM. The only way for this step to work is if the app is 'free' on the app store for business/education. [Joe]: I'm not sure what this means. Intune has always had the ability to deploy an app, even one that the customer purchases from a partner or vendor. Customers deploy VPN, security and productivity apps, wellness apps, etc...with Intune.
I did manage to buy HEVC Video Extensions via our MS Partner, however will not keep itself up to date and in VLSC you can only access version 1.0 not any recent revisions. [Joe]: When we removed HEVC from the Store for Business, which was required as we were no longer allowing any paid apps, we made it available via VLSC. I can check on the versioning of the app in VLSC as I was not aware that it was only v1. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.
WPM does not work neatly in MEM. It requires packaging and script after script after script. As such I do not see this as a viable path forward. [Joe]: Today that might be true. But we are integrating Windows Package Manager with Intune so that you will eventually be able to go Apps > Windows > Add > and then choose Windows Package Manager as the repository. That integration is not ready yet, as indicated in the FAQs above. But it will be soon.
As the MS App store doe not neatly integrate with MEM, you cannot automatically keep apps up to date. Was a nice feature in MEM/Private store configs. Will this make a comeback? [Joe]: The MS Store integrates with Intune, but Intune is an enterprise management software (or education), whereas MS Store is meant for consumers. The integration of MS Store and Intune is not meant to be an enterprise solution. Windows Package Manager will allow for deployment of apps and keeping them up-to-date, once the integration is available.
Note that Company Portal only works for apps that allow installation via user mode, there is no elevation integrated for device apps. Which most LOB Apps require. Was super hand in the private store. I liked the idea of 'optional' and had a go at rolling it out, however, does not actually work in production. [Joe]: The idea of a device app is that it's needed on the device, which would require an elevated privilege to install. Apps being pulled from Company Portal should be "optional" apps targeted to users. For device-based apps, those should be targeted to devices as required, where they will install without requiring elevation.
Hope this helps...