Introduction
The recommended way to deploy Microsoft 365 in an organization is through the config.office.com portal. This site helps IT administrators deploy, manage, monitor, and secure Microsoft 365 apps within their organizations. This blog will focus on the deployment of Microsoft 365.
What is config.office.com?
Config.office.com is a web-based portal provided by Microsoft that allows administrators to manage and configure Office settings across their organization. This tool simplifies the deployment process by providing a centralized location to configure policies, manage devices, and deploy applications. It’s an essential tool for any IT administrator looking to leverage Microsoft 365 to its fullest potential.
History of config.office.com
The config.office.com portal, also known as the Office Customization Tool for Click-to-Run, was launched in preview in October 2018. This portal was introduced to simplify the customization and deployment of Office 365 applications, providing administrators with a centralized and user-friendly interface to manage Office configurations.
Let’s get started
Sign in to the Portal: Visit config.office.com and sign in with your administrative credentials.
When you sign in, you will probably see some recommendations. The top recommendation is cloud update. It’s a tool to streamline your Microsoft 365 update management. I highly recommend looking into this and enabling it! Please read this article from the Microsoft docs:
Cloud update Microsoft 365 Apps
Let us open on the left pane Customization > Device configuration > Click on the + Create
Create a name: PMPC-M365
Choose Bitness: 32bit or 64bit
Choosing the proper Microsoft 365 Apps:
Office Suites: You have two big options for Microsoft 365. Business or Enterprise
Choose Business if you are a smaller business with a Microsoft 365 business license.
Choose enterprise if you have a Microsoft 365 enterprise license like E3, E5.
You will have a choice for Visio and Project. It may be interesting for you to always include Visio and Project in your base Microsoft 365 installation. This could potentially save you some extra work, assigning and configuring additional Visio and Project installations later. The downside of this approach is the extra disk space that will be used. A Visio install takes up to 3GB, and a Project install takes up to 2GB.
You can always opt to create an additional configuration XML that adds Visio or Project later. The same applies to extra languages called Language Packs.
In this blog, we will discuss adding extra language packs and components like Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Project further.
Update Channels and Update Rings
Keeping Microsoft 365 Apps up-to-date is essential for security and productivity. Microsoft offers three update channels tailored to different needs. Here’s a quick overview to help you choose the right one:
1. Current Channel: Fast Access to New Features
Best For: Users who need the latest features immediately.
Update Frequency: At least once a month, with no set schedule.
Support Duration: Until the next version is released, usually around one month.
2. Monthly Enterprise Channel: Predictable Updates
Best For: Users who prefer a controlled, monthly update schedule.
Update Frequency: Once a month, on the second Tuesday.
Support Duration: Two months.
3. Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Maximum Stability
Best For: Critical environments requiring extensive testing.
Update Frequency: Twice a year, in January and July.
Support Duration: Fourteen months.
Apps
Choosing Microsoft 365 apps is straightforward.
Microsoft Teams is not included due to EU and Swiss regulations, even when you do not exclude it from the XML !
More info here: New subscription structure for Microsoft 365 in Europe
Microsoft 365 Apps: Languages
Pick your language, additional languages, and proofing tools.
Installation
Choose the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN) to always get the latest up-to-date installer from the nearest Microsoft Datacenter.
Upgrade
I recommend uninstalling and auto-upgrading existing M365 installations.
Activate License
Most will use the user license version here, and I will choose to accept the license terms automatically.
Deploying the Microsoft 365 Apps
The final step is to deploy your new Office 365 configuration by adding it as a Microsoft 365 app in Intune.
Intune will now initiate your installation using the Office Deployment Toolkit (ODT), executing the following command to perform the setup:
setup.exe /configure configuration.xmlDeploy Visio and Project in a robust and flexible way:
You have the option to include Visio and Project in your base Microsoft 365 installation, which can simplify future licensing and setup tasks. However, this uses significant disk space—up to 3GB for Visio and 2GB for Project. To save space on devices without licenses, it’s better to exclude them.
When deploying Visio and Project apps, focus on reliable configurations and leverage the Office Deployment Tool to avoid hardcoding.
Using an XML from config.office.com may restrict deployment to specific channels. This could quickly lead to issues in mixed environments with varying languages and update channels.
Let me show you in effect:
When you import this .xml in your Intune portal to create an installation, it will only succeed when you have an NL language and your update channel is Current. Chances are that in a messy, more uncontrolled environment, you have different variants installed on your devices.
We can do this a lot better by leveraging the capabilities of the ODT installer. Let’s look at this .xml code:
<Configuration>
<Add Version="MatchInstalled">
<Product ID="VisioProRetail">
<Language ID="MatchInstalled" TargetProduct="O365ProPlusRetail" />
</Product>
</Add>
<Display Level="None" />
</Configuration>Many things have improved! We’ve added support for MatchInstalled to align with the language, version, and update channel already on the device. We can now even install Visio on both 64-bit and 32-bit systems!
If you want to deploy Project just change <Product ID=”VisioProRetail”> to <Product ID=”ProjectProRetail”> in the .xml.
The same approach could be used for extra language packs or Proofing tools.
<Configuration>
<Add Version="MatchInstalled">
<Product ID="LanguagePack">
<Language ID="nl-nl" />
</Product>
</Add>
<Display Level="None" />
</Configuration><Configuration>
<Add Version="MatchInstalled">
<Product ID="ProofingTools">
<Language ID="nl-nl" />
</Product>
</Add>
<Display Level="None" />
</Configuration>
Conclusion:
Efficiently deploying Microsoft 365 apps requires the right tools and strategies, and the combination of the config.office.com portal and the Office Deployment Tool (ODT) makes this process seamless. By leveraging features like MatchInstalled, administrators can align installations with existing device configurations, ensuring compatibility with languages, versions, and update channels already in use.
The flexibility to customize XML configurations empowers IT teams to optimize deployments for specific needs, whether it’s adding language packs, proofing tools, or managing Visio and Project installations smartly to save disk space on unlicensed devices. These tools provide a reliable, scalable solution for managing Microsoft 365 in even the most complex environments.
With these best practices, IT administrators can simplify workflows, minimize issues, and maintain a streamlined and professional approach to deploying Microsoft 365.