Today, the task of keeping drivers up to date on your managed Windows devices is becoming easier! Microsoft Intune has completed integration with the Windows Update for Business deployment service, and you can now use Intune to better manage and report on drivers and firmware updates.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 103641

[How this will affect your organization:]

Previously, admins would have to determine the right drivers for each device and in many cases download them from a vendor website, repackage, and deploy. Now, with Windows driver update management policies, the experience is improved:

• Windows Update intelligence in the cloud identifies which driver updates are available for each device, so no need for you to research them now.
• The driver list is provided to Intune admins for granular control of which drivers to deploy and when they can be made available to devices.
• You can use deployment rings test and follow safe deployment practices. A specific driver update can be paused while continuing to deploy approved drivers.
• Optional drivers can now be deployed as “required” to devices when you see fit.
• Not only are recommended drivers manageable, but so are optional drivers and firmware.
• Detailed reporting in Intune shows the status for each driver for each device and summarizes the overall deployment results. Failure reports provide easy to understand alerts, descriptions of the cause of the error, and recommendations for remediating devices.
• Windows Autopatch automatically creates driver policies that allow you to roll out drivers and firmware across your deployment rings (unless you opt out of the service), with more granular controls coming later this year.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

Review the documentation below for more information. Know that this capability is enabled after you create a policy, as that is the first step to enabling it. Be aware of the licensing; this capability is available for organizations with Windows Enterprise E3 or Windows Enterprise E5.

Additional Information

• Manage Windows driver and firmware updates with Microsoft Intune
• Coming soon to Intune: Windows driver and firmware updates – Microsoft Community Hub
• Microsoft Learn Documentation: Windows Driver update management in Microsoft Intune 
• Commercial driver and firmware servicing is publicly available! – Microsoft Community Hub