As far as your online security is concerned, there are few things worse than an unpatched windows computer. So what can you to do if your company been locked down your systems ability to get critical windows updates and your systems administrator is too busy to patch computers regularly with WSUS or Systems Center? Well, check-out a free trial of Windows Intune. It supersedes your systems administrator’s WSUS policy (provided your user account has install privileges) allowing you to install those critical and important windows updates yourself. Here’s how:
The problem: Your computer is horribly out of date on Windows Updates, but you can’t perform a Windows update because of a group policy restriction.
The solution: Get a trial of Windows Intune and install updates using the client software that comes with it.
[step 1] Get a free 30 day trial of Windows Intune. It’s easy if you’ve already got a LiveID or Hotmail account.
[step 2] Get logged into the Windows Intune management interface from any browser.
[step 4] Click Administration -> Client Software Download to download the client software to any computer you want to manage with intune. Install client software program on the computer that is locked down (NOTE: this may make your systems administrator angry, so proceed with caution and read the disclaimer!). NOTE: Here’s where those install privileges are critical…if you don’t have ’em, stop here and continue playing Facebook games.
[step 5] Once the client software is installed, you’ll be able to see the computer you’ve installed it on within the trial Windows Intune management web console as an unassigned computer.
[step 6] Within the Windows Intune management web console, click Computers and find the unassigned computer you’ve just installed the client software on (don’t see it? Well, wait a few minutes and try again). Once there, notice the list of unapproved updates link and click it to approve updates individually or all at once.
[step 7] Once you have approved updates within the Windows Intune management web console, you can go back to the physical computer and run the Client software locally. Now all approved updates can be downloaded and installed.
So there you have it. If your want to play chicken with your systems administrator, Windows Intune is your way to supersede him…at least until Microsoft patches it with another security update.