SCCM Sync With MSfB Microsoft Store For Business

Let’s understand the process of SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr. Microsoft Store for Business gives IT decision-makers and administrators an easy way to find, acquire, manage, and distribute free and paid apps to Windows 10 devices in select markets.

Once Microsoft Store for Business (MSfB) is integrated with SCCM, store applications need not be created manually. Instead, the apps will automatically sync from MSfB to ConfigMgr. You can view these apps in the SCCM admin console and deploy them like any other.

With the Configuration Manager client, you can utilize Configuration Manager to effectively manage Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps on devices running Windows 10 or later.

Microsoft has deprecated this feature, so it will no longer be available after the November 2022 release of SCCM. For more details, see the Microsoft Store for Business Education Retirement Updates HTMD Blog (anoopcnair.com).

Index
SCCM and Microsoft Store for Business Support (NON-Co-Management Scenario)
Prerequisites
ConfigMgr Settings to Connect Microsoft Store for Business
MSfB Side Configuration for SCCM Deployment
Sync from Microsoft Store for Business with SCCM Console
Results

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Table 1

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.1 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.1

SCCM and Microsoft Store for Business Support (NON-Co-Management Scenario)

For now, nothing has changed, as the Microsoft Store for Business is still available to provide offline Store apps as needed. However, once the Microsoft Store for Business retires, some changes will be required, but the exact changes involved are still in the design and development phase.

Updated on 13th April 2023—As per Jason Sandys from Microsoft, the retirement of MSfB (Microsoft Store for Business) is still postponed indefinitely to allow for “alternate” uses of the MSfB, like offline apps. This applies to SCCM Scenarios.

Prerequisites

Review the detailed list of prerequisites for integrating MSfB with Configuration Manager.

ConfigMgr Infrastructure Admin access is required
Browser compatible with Microsoft Store for Business
The administrator account needed to integrate MSfB with SCCM
Employees need Azure AD accounts when they access the content from MSfB
Proxy configuration requirements for MSfB
Devices must be registered with Azure AD or joined to the same Azure AD tenant where you registered the MSfB for online app deployment.
Azure AD Global admin (or appropriate) access to create Applications to connect ConfigMgr site to Azure AD and MSfB

ConfigMgr Settings to Connect Microsoft Store for Business

Let’s check ConfigMgr Settings to connect to the Microsoft Store for Business.

Navigate to \Administration\Overview\Cloud Services\Azure Services
Click on the Create Configure Azure Services button from the ribbon
Enter the name of Azure Service -> MSfB Azure Service
Enter the Description -> Description of MSfB Azure services
Click Next

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.2 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.2

Click on Browse either to import an existing Azure application or to create a dedicated Azure app

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.3 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.3

Opted to create a dedicated Azure App. Click on the Create button.
Application Name: ConfigMgrService_MSfB
Home Page URL: https://ConfigMgrServiceMSfB
App ID URI: https://ConfigMgrServiceMSfB
Secret Key validity period: 1 Year

Sign in with an Azure AD admin account to create an Azure Enterprise App.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.4 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.4

Enter the User Name and Password to create the Azure AD app for MSfB.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.5 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.5

Successfully sign In and Click on the OK button to continue.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.6 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.6

Click OK to continue.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.7 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.7

Now, you can see the Azure application (Web App) name. Click on the Next button to continue.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.8 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.8

Enter the source file location for Microsoft Store for Business content
- \CMMEMCM\Sources\Package Sources\MSfB Sources

Select the language to display in the application catalog for apps you sync with MSfB. Language content will appear after an app is created using the synchronized license information.

I think it’s the software Center instead of the application catalog. I have not changed as I don’t have any non-English clients. Click on Next to continue.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.9 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.9

Click Next, Next, and Close from the Summary page

Create Azure service
• Azure Service Name: MSfB Azure Service Principle
• Azure Service Description:
Application Selection
• Server application: ConfigMgrService_MSfB
General Microsoft Store for Business Configuration
• Default language selected: en-US
• Languages selected to sync: en-US
• Location to download store application content: \CMMEMCM\Sources\Package Sources\MSfB Sources

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.10 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.10

MSfB Side Configuration for SCCM Deployment

Let’s log in to the Microsoft Store for Business.

Login to MSfB with Azure AD admin account: https://businessstore.microsoft.com/
Navigate to Manage -> Settings -> Distribute
Go to the Management Tools section

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.11 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.11

Click on + Add Management tool.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.12 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.12

Search for the Management Tool by name in the search box.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.13 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.13

Enter the search word ConfigMgr (Or enter the name of the Azure Enterprise application). Select Azure Enterprise application from the list – ConfigMgrService_MSfB.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.14 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.14

Click on the Add button.

Click on the Activate button.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.15 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.15

Now, check the status, and you will see that the management tool is activated.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.16 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.16

Sync from Microsoft Store for Business with SCCM Console

Since you have connected MSfB with SCCM, let’s try to sync the store and SCCM using the following method.

Navigate to \Administration\Overview\Cloud Services\Azure Services
Select the Azure Service that you created for MSfB
Click on Sync from Microsoft Store for Business from the ribbon menu

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.17 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.17

Results

Ensure the MSfB sync is successful with Configuration Manager from the Azure Services node of the SCCM admin console.

\Administration\Overview\Cloud Services\Azure Services
Click on MSfB associated Azure Service
Check the Last Successful Sync Time

NOTE! – Synchronize app data to Configuration Manager (synchronization occurs every 24 hours). There is no custom sync option for MSfB and SCCM.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.18 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.18

NOTE! – I will share the steps (in the next blog post) to add Online and Offline store applications to the Microsoft store for business. Once you add the apps to the private store for your organization, you can sync this with SCCM with this Sync operation.

Navigate to \Software Library\Overview\Application Management\License Information for Store Apps. As you can see below, all the synced applications are available in the License Information for Store Apps.

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr - Fig.19 — SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr – Fig.19

Resources

We are on WhatsApp. To get the latest step-by-step guides and news updates, Join our Channel. Click here –HTMD WhatsApp.

Author

Anoop C Nair is Microsoft MVP! He is a Device Management Admin with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His primary focus is Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. He writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc.

7 thoughts on “SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr”

Mark Dininio

January 12, 2021 at 10:26 pm

Thanks so much for this amazing guide. Worked like a charm. Well done! Bookmarked!
Amar Prasad

April 23, 2022 at 4:00 pm

Such a wonderful and easily to understand guide you have provided …. Awesome Bookmarked!
Rajat K

March 18, 2023 at 2:55 am

How does it affect after Store for Business is decommissioned in first quarter for 2023?
Abel

March 31, 2023 at 6:55 pm

I am seeing that this feature is going to be deprecated. I need to be able to deploy apps from the store and don’t have this setup yet. What would be the newest way to be able to deploy apps from the MS store with MECM?
Em Ess

April 8, 2024 at 8:05 am

Hi Anoop, I was wondering, would you have a guide on cleaning up SCCM, Azure and MSfB now that integration between MSfB to ConfigMgr is no longer supported? I’m unsure what loose ends can go.

Thanks 🙂
Manuaj

June 14, 2024 at 10:50 am

Hi Anoop,
While setting up the MS store in SCCM (latest version), I am not able to find any option with MS store for business under azure service. Can you please help me how to enable it if possible.
- Anoop C Nair
  
  June 14, 2024 at 10:54 am
  
  As we mentioned in the 3rd paragraph of the post – This feature is getting deprecated by Microsoft. So this feature won’t be available after the 2022 Nov release of SCCM. More Details https://www.anoopcnair.com/microsoft-store-for-business-education/

SCCM Sync with MSfB Microsoft Store for Business | ConfigMgr

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