Managing options for user-driven deployment

You’ve been tackling the management of user-driven deployments. Having an awareness of your options will allow you to make the best administrator decisions in your own setting.

Users can perform self-service installations of Microsoft 365 Apps by signing into Office 365 and then selecting Install Office. Alternatively, users can launch an Office install from within Account Properties – Apps & devices. 

At some point, you’ll need to manage and control elements of a user-driven deployment. In this step, you’ll learn about the options that are available to you. 

You’ll look at two ways to manage user-driven deployments:

• Unassign Microsoft 365 Apps license.
• Configure Office installation option via Admin Center.

Unassign Licenses from users

As an administrator, you can limit user-driven deployments by removing the user’s Microsoft 365 Apps license. Removing the license will restrict user access and prevent self-service of Microsoft 365 Apps features or subscriptions.

At this point, it’s important to mention that unassigning the Microsoft 365 Apps license doesn’t remove the entre Office 365 license. The Microsoft 365 Apps is a sub-license of the Office 365 license.

Using either the active user’s page or the licenses page, you have the option to:

• Unassign licenses for up to 20 users for a specific product (licenses page)
• Unassign product licenses for multiple users or one user (active users page).

Of course, removing the user’s Microsoft 365 Apps license will stop them running the products as well as installing them.

Configure Office installation option via Admin Center

Although there are only a few configuration options available for user-driven deployments, as an administrator you can do the following:

• Decide which update channel will be used.
• Select which Apps are available for users to install onto PC or Mac computers. This will only allow you to specify Office (all sub-components) or Skype for Business. Different settings can be configured for Windows (and mobile devices) or Mac.

What’s next?

In this step, you’ve looked at the options available to you when managing user-driven deployments. Are there any other ideas to consider?

Next, you’ll watch a video that will help you delve deeper and learn how to deploy a user-driven install.

When you’re ready select the Next button to continue.