Thoughts on Microsoft System Central Configuration Manager 2007

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Over the past week or so I've been learning how to implement, design, and configure SCCM 2007. Although I never played much with its predecessor, I did hear some great reviews and with the new version of SMS server (SCCM 07) I thought I would give it a try despite having no experience in such field.

I first heard about SCCM 07 last year when one of my colleagues at work mentioned something about deploying applications using an SMS server. I wanted to look more into it and really liked what I saw. After talking about it back and forth with my colleague, I then decided to try it out but I knew it wasn't for beginners.

I started out by reading reviews, followed by documentation such as white papers, etc.. and then best practices. I started looking into how I can integrate SCCM 07 into our environment and most importantly, see if we can purchase the software. After getting off the phone with a Microsoft Account Manager and having seen the demo, I asked about the price and was really shocked to hear the number that came out of his mouth!! It was really expensive and I knew that we would never get a budget approved for it. Luckily, by purchasing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Standard in a bundle with SCCM became a lot cheaper than what the initial price would of cost. After all, we have a large network with 400+ computers and users which makes our licensing very expensive.

After the purchase I had to start learning the product because now it was expected of me to set this up in our environment and train my colleagues, so the task alone is going to be complicated. I felt a little overwhelmed but never the less, I am going to set this up no matter what it takes so I began my research and testing.

Like any major software installation that integrates into the network such as ours with multiple sites, I set up SCCM in my VMware lab environment at home. Until today I've successfully manged to create and deploy computer images, deploy applications and windows/software updates all through SCCM... I have to admit that the learning curve for someone inexperienced is a little high, but I was determined to learn this software so I would sometimes spend 10 hour days working on issues that I would encounter along with all the resources I could find online and SimonD's help on these forums, which btw is greatly appreciated. I've also ordered the SCCM administrators companion MS Press book to learn the fundamentals of SCCM.

I realize that SCCM is a beast in itself and there are engineers out there who specialize in these software implementations and that I am no where near that level or do I see my self specializing in SCCM. But non the less I think it is a great product and a great learning experience for myself and others.

My recommendation would be to those that are interested in trying this out to be patient and read a lot and take your time. Don't expect to figure things out in 2 hours. This is a such a big product that sometimes missing the little things can screw you over.

My next step would be to get this beast setup in our production environment. Testing is already done on my end.

Again great product, not for beginners, but can definitely make your IT environment a lot more efficient and fun to administer if you do it right. One last thing, another great experience to add to your CV!

 

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You sound just like one of my colleagues actually! He's spent a few weeks getting SCCM to where it's usable and it seems it's not for the weak willed!

Dave