How to Deploy Windows Updates with WSUS and Intune

Modern organizations rely on regular patching to maintain security, performance, and compliance. Combining the power of WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) with Intune, organizations can achieve a flexible, scalable, and efficient patch management strategy across both on-prem and remote endpoints.

This article outlines how to deploy Windows updates using WSUS and Intune, with clear guidance on configuration, automation, monitoring, and best practices.

WSUS vs Intune: Know Your Tools

WSUS (Windows Server Update Services)

• Ideal for on-prem, domain-joined environments.
• Provides granular control over updates.
• Allows staging and approval before deployment.
• Supports bandwidth optimization via local caching.

Intune (Cloud-Based Management)

• Designed for modern device management.
• Best for remote, hybrid, or mobile workforces.
• Allows policy-based management via Windows Update for Business (WUfB).
• Supports update rings, deferral policies, and monitoring dashboards.

When to Use Each

Step-by-Step Deployment Strategy

1. Define Strategy & Scope

Before touching servers or portals, define your deployment strategy:

• Inventory your devices: List OS versions, domain‑joined vs cloud‑joined vs hybrid, geographic locations, bandwidth constraints, critical systems, remote users.
• Define categorization: Establish device groups (Pilot / Test / Broad / Production) for phased deployment.
• Decide on update types: Quality updates, Feature updates, Driver updates, Microsoft product updates. Which ones are needed where?
• Define maintenance windows and active hours: When can you tolerate reboots or downtime?
• Set RPO/RTO objectives for feature and quality updates: how quickly must vulnerabilities be patched, how much downtime is acceptable.

2. Deep Setup of WSUS

WSUS remains useful especially for on‑prem domain‑joined devices. The following are advanced configurations to ensure WSUS performs well and works in concert with Intune.

• Server sizing & performance
  • Use adequate CPU, RAM, and especially disk I/O for storing updates.
  • If many clients, use SQL Server backend instead of Windows Internal Database for better scalability.
  • Clean up old or superseded updates periodically to reduce storage and improve metadata response times.
• Products, Classifications, Languages
  • Limit Products / Classifications to only what you manage (e.g., Windows OS, .NET, etc.).
  • Avoid unnecessary languages to reduce download size.
• Upstream / Downstream / Hierarchical Topology
  • If you have multiple sites, consider placing downstream WSUS servers per site that sync from a central upstream server. Saves WAN bandwidth and improves client responsiveness.
• Synchronization schedule
  • Set synchronization frequency (daily / twice daily) to ensure updates are fresh.
  • Off‑hours sync to avoid bandwidth congestion.
• Approvals / Auto‑approval rules
  • Use manual approval for test/pilot updates.
  • Use auto‑approval rules for non‑critical quality updates after testing.
  • For security updates, possibly auto‑approve for some device categories.
• SSL / HTTPS & Authentication
  • If clients reach WSUS over less trusted networks (VPN, remote), enable SSL on WSUS IIS site.
  • Possibly restrict which machines can access WSUS using firewall or network controls.
• Client configuration via Group Policy
  • Set group policy to direct clients to point to WSUS servers (intranet update service).
  • Configure detection frequency, deadline configuration, other client settings.

3. Deep Setup of Intune / Windows Update for Business (WUfB)

Intune provides cloud‑policies and “update rings” for devices managed via MDM. Going deeper into settings and customization:

• Create Update Rings with Granular Controls
  • Define rings: for example: Pilot (for IT / early adopters), Broad (wider user base), Production.
  • For each ring, configure:
    • Quality update deferral (days) – how long to postpone quality patches after they’re first available.
    • Feature update deferral (days) – same idea for feature / version upgrades.
    • Microsoft product updates inclusion or exclusion.
    • Driver update settings (allow or block drivers if driver compatibility is a concern).
    • Option for “Upgrade Windows 10 devices to latest Windows 11 release” – only when you are ready.
• User Experience / Deadline Settings
  • Active Hours: define times when restarts are suppressed.
  • Restart behavior / grace period: how much time users have before the system forces a restart.
  • Whether devices notify before downloading, installing, or just restart silently.
  • Whether feature updates are automatically installed or require manual triggers.
• Pause / Exclude / Rollback
  • Ability to pause rings (stop update rollout temporarily) when an issue emerges.
  • Exclude specific devices (or groups) from feature updates if they have known compatibility issues.
  • Feature update uninstall periods: how long devices should be allowed to roll back after a feature update.

4. Hybrid Approach: WSUS + Intune / Co‑management

If you have mixed environments (some devices always LAN / domain, others remote, etc.), hybrid/co‑management helps ensure consistent policies.

• Use WSUS to host content and approvals for domain‑joined / on‑prem systems.
• Use Intune for policy management (update rings) for cloud / remote devices.
• In co‑managed scenarios, direct specific workloads (like Windows Update policies) to Intune, while leaving content distribution or on‑prem approval in WSUS.
• Use Group Policy or Local Configuration so that WSUS clients can continue to use WSUS, while Intune controls “when / how” via WUfB settings if applicable.

5. Implementation & Rollout

• Pilot phase: choose a small set of representative devices (across different models / locations) to test.
• Monitoring during pilot: collect metrics: update installation success rate, reboot failures, application compatibility issues, downtime.
• Feedback loops: have process to accept rollback if issues arise.
• Staged rollout: once pilot is stable, expand to broader rings, respecting geographical, departmental, or functional grouping.

6. Monitoring, Reporting & Troubleshooting

• Monitoring WSUS Health: sync status, database size, client scan time, approvals, content download errors.
• Monitoring Intune compliance: ring assignment status, number of devices overdue, failed installs, feature update adoption.
• Client‑side logs: Windows Update logs, event viewer, MDM logs, policy diagnostic logs.
• Alerting: set up alerts for failures or for large numbers of devices failing updates.
• Testing restoration or rollback: ensure feature updates can be uninstalled (within allowed uninstall period) if needed.

7. Maintenance & Best Practices

• Regular WSUS cleanup: decline superseded updates, remove unused updates, reindex DB.
• Review update ring settings periodically (after major Windows releases) since new features/patch behaviors may change.
• Maintain documentation: policies, rings, testing outcomes, known issues per ring.
• Communicate with end users: schedule, expected downtime or restarts, what to expect.
• Ensure backups (system state, WSUS database, etc.) so you can recover the WSUS server if needed.

Hidden Tips & Gotchas

• Be cautious about driver updates: sometimes hardware drivers cause more issues than OS patches; consider delaying driver updates in rings until thoroughly tested.
• Feature updates are large and may take time; prepare for bandwidth and server load where many devices will seek the update.
• Deadlines combined with user inactivity can lead to unexpected restarts; ensure active hours and grace periods are well configured.
• Remote devices may have patch failures due to network or VPN issues; ensure paths are reliable.
• Version compatibility: some older Windows versions may not support certain Intune/WUfB features or deferral options.

More Detailed Example: A Sample Update Ring Strategy

Suppose you have 1000 devices across three locations (HQ, branch, remote workers). Here’s an example rollout plan:

Tips for a Smooth Hybrid Setup

• Sync WSUS regularly and declutter expired updates.
• Use Delivery Optimization in Intune to reduce bandwidth usage.
• Clearly define which updates each system controls to avoid overlap.
• Document update policies and deployment schedules.
• Notify users about restart windows to minimize disruptions.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Conclusion

Deploying Windows updates using WSUS and Intune together gives IT teams flexibility and control. Whether managing legacy on-prem infrastructure or modern cloud-connected devices, this hybrid approach ensures your environment stays patched, compliant, and secure.

By leveraging update rings, automation, and careful policy design, organizations can reduce patching headaches and increase system reliability across the board.