Deploy & updating Office 365

[LeoBoston]

Hi y'all,

So what do you guys advice for deploying and updating Office 365 for your Mac users?

Do you use the Microsoft 365 version from the App Store or do you send the Office 365 installer package?

Are there any (dis)advantages from one over the other? Can you share any other experiences?

Many thanks, Leo.

[sfiguet]

Hello,

I use the VPP Program for deploy deploying Office 365. Users find all Microsoft Office products in their SelfService Portal and install only what they need.

It's easy and your new users always installs the last version, and updates are managed by the AppStore : perfect !

[MacJunior]

I use installomator to install Office365 apps in addition to other apps with their latest updates/version

https://scriptingosx.com/2020/05/introducing-installomator/

[davidacland]

We use pkgs direct from Microsoft. We've found the VPP deployment a bit too unreliable, plus the issues updating VPP deployed App Store apps.

[damienbarrett]

We use the Mac App Store version of Office 365, primarily because updates are delivered by the App Store. Nice, easy way to keep the suite up-to-date on all Macs. I wish more of our Apps were available via the Mac App Store.

[dvasquez]

We use the VPP apps and end-users are given access to use directory credentials. I was using a script but that has gone the way to the doodoo bird. leveraging the VPP apps and also placing them in Self Service is working great for us.  I also have a script the runs every 2 weeks and checks for updates. 

[YanW]

We tried using App Store version, but take a long time to download for each. The pkg was much faster. I wish there’s a way to manually pushing the app. The longest I have waited was 2 1/2 hours to finish downloading them.

[GabeShack]

The lead on the Microsoft App for Mac team had previously recommended against the VPP versions, so we also download the main installer from macadmins.software for Business Pro.  Its a large pkg, but with our local distribution points it goes pretty quickly.

[dvasquez]

I found the mac admins software takes a while. but I also use to use a script. I found the VPP apps work ok for us. 

[GabeShack]

@dvasquez Here is the thread from @pbowden where he talks about some of the issues.  It's more about the updates causing the problems than the apps specifically having issues.

https://community.jamf.com/t5/jamf-pro/catalina-cannot-update-app-vpp/m-p/222481#M210928