I was wondering if it was at all feasible to use SCCM for Windows updates ONLY for applying latest updates during imaging a client with a pre-captured OS and for pushing out singular required updates to my clients if need be.  Otherwise I would like my users to manage their own updates.  Not sure if there is any one easy way to accomplish this.  Thanks in advance!

Well you could use SCCM to do.

To let users select the update:

You would need to make software update group containing the update you want to make available to the users and set the deployment to available and set the deadline in a very FAR future. User will use software center and will be able to install the update they want.

For the update that are mandatory

You would just make a software update group with those and set the deployment with a deadline and that way it will install as soon as the deadline is reach.

• Proposed as answer by Jason SandysMVP 17 hours 11 minutes ago
• Unproposed as answer by Jason SandysMVP 17 hours 11 minutes ago

In my experience, if you allow users to manage the installation of updates they won't do it. You must configure a sensible deadline to maintain compliance.

My users don't usually pick and choose updates, they usually just search for and install all updates available to them via Windows.  This is what I'm hoping is still possible and not to have software center littered with hundreds of updates, I usually use that for organizational software.  As far as required updates, I was hoping to force those to clients automatically.

Well you can force it to the client using the deadline if you select as soon as possible in the deployment the client will download and install it automatically the second it detect it need the patch.

In software center you have the option to select all the available update with 1 single click it`s very similar to windows update. 

1. search for and install all updates available to them via Windows.  

2. not to have software center littered with hundreds of updates,

1. that's not a great solution - all users downloading their updates from Microsoft site. It's not a great use of bandwidth. One of the main features of ConfigMgr is avoiding this.

2. Once the updates are installed they no longer appear in the Software Center - no need to wory about clutter.

My opinion is that you are not approaching this in a correct or best practice way.

Thanks for the advice.  That makes sense.  What is the best way to set that up then in the config mgr?

See here for configuring the ConfigMgr Software Updates solution

http://www.gerryhampsoncm.blogspot.ie/2013/04/sccm-2012-sp1-step-by-step-guide-part.html

See here for a possible software update strategy

http://www.gerryhampsoncm.blogspot.ie/2014/12/sccm-2012-r2-possible-software-updates.html

TY!!