Editor's note 9.25.2024: This post has been updated to define deprecation and provide clarity on how this impacts WSUS. As part of our vision for simplified Windows management from the cloud, Micr...
Updated Sep 24, 2024
Version 2.0
Blog Post
"Why would you ever want MS managing drivers and firmware for non-MS products?"
Afaik firmware and drivers are validated and uploaded by OEMs / ISVs.
AUM does see drivers but cannot install them at the moment. No Firmware yet.
Nir_Froimovici and his team brought Firmware and Driver Updates through WuFB / Intune + regular WU for Windows Clients. So far this works very well even for unmanaged devices.
This free offering is uncomparable with the loads of outdated and low quality drivers and chaos we had before in the catalog when enabling drivers categories in WSUS.
At times I would wish that more ISV would join this method. Especially looking at Realtek for Sound and (USB)Network.
not to mention the sometimes environment saving feature of being able to defer updates until you know the safety of updates.
This is an important point and something AUM can do more efficiently than WSUS and GPOs. Leave alone Autopatch / WuFB /WU with intenonally zero control but waves.
AUM supports easy creation and aasignment for wave based update deployment.
Changes, using dynamic group aasignment, are immediate, which is a welcomed luxury, as some other mentioned the "not today, look again tomorrow mentality of Azure or Intune, at times.
For manual patching also very easy N-1 update deployments. e. g. Install all updates before release date specified as dd/mm/yyyy.
And in both cases very easy to handle update exclusions at scale. The UX and comfort here to avoid pushing unwanted updates, or too early, is extremely improved.
The necessity to import updates is thankfully gone, now that this has become more complicated in WSUS.
hosting updates that maybe otherwise would get downloaded 100s or even 1000s of times
Delivery Optimization saves a huge amount, not only for Windows Updates but a range of other Microsoft products.
Shutdown the Internet servers that WSUS uses.
AUM uses the same catalog and WU Services as Windows Clients / Servers would be natively using. I am not aware WSUS would connect to anything else.
Does it?
cheapscotsman1320 you said better AV transparency for critical servers through Arc. If this suits your needs AUM is also for free for Windows Server/Linux On-premises protected by Defender Plan 2.
It's a bit of a haggle, if you have a use for Defender P2 features in a limited scope and also using AUM this is "saving" you a third.
I get many are not satisfied with the 5$ per VM/Server pricetag.
Not being a fanboy here, if one bothers to read the Azure Update Manager GA announcement comments.
I am positive that there will be noteable improvements to AUM.