SCCM 2012 R2 - Application or Package?

[Fazza]

I'm just getting in to SCCM 2012 R2 and have a few newbie questions:

 

Should I be using Packages or Applications to deploy software?

 

Perhaps that's a bit too open ended - For Student Computer Suites which one should I be using? And what should I use for staff computers?

 

Should I be avoiding Packages altogether and just use Applications?

 

 

In my mind so far I think for Computer Suites I should be using Packages as I've set up Collections based on computer suites and that's the best way of deploying software to them but I think for Staff computers (except for things like Endpoint Protection) I should be using Applications and then giving them the choice on whether or not they want to update/upgrade to things like Office 2013 if they are not already on it?

 

Have I got this right or do you do it some other way?

 

[mrbios]

I've found it to be entirely dependent on the software package you're deploying. If it can be deployed as an Application then that appears to be the best way (I'm not saying that it definitely is, but that's how it appears to me, i may be wrong) as the package method is the old SCCM 2007 legacy way of doing things whereas applications were introduced in 2012 as the new way of doing things.

[king13p]

Hello there,

 

I'm an SCCM Admin for a school district as well, I only use Applications when possible, Really I App-V as much as possible. There are certain things you can't App-V but I would look into that more. Packages I use only for things like Registry changes and stuff like that.

 

Always try to get a MSI from the original Software Vendor, Create Transforms files with Orca, I have a tutorial on Windows-Noob about that and then deploy them Silently to Workstations.

 

Best of Luck!

[synaesthesia]

Applications for the most part. You'll find packages more useful for "batches of applications". We don't bother

[Kitkatninja]

I've found it to be entirely dependent on the software package you're deploying. If it can be deployed as an Application then that appears to be the best way (I'm not saying that it definitely is, but that's how it appears to me, i may be wrong) as the package method is the old SCCM 2007 legacy way of doing things whereas applications were introduced in 2012 as the new way of doing things.

 

Same here...