Get started with Unified Application Management (UAM) in Nerdio Manager

Managing third-party applications in Azure, AVD, and Intune-enabled environments can be complex due to compatibility issues, security considerations, and deployment challenges.

This guide walks you through identifying, deploying, and managing third-party applications in Nerdio Manager to ensure a secure and efficient setup.

Prerequisites

Before you get started, ensure you have View/Edit permissions in Nerdio Manager for the Unified Catalog at the MSP level.

Workflow overview

The UAM app deployment process consists of the following key phases:

• Phase 1: Understand Unified Application Management

• Phase 2: Identify applications for deployment

• Phase 3: Create an app deployment policy

Phase 1: Understand Unified Application Management

Unified Application Management (UAM) is a tool in Nerdio Manager that lets you manage a list of applications and automatically keep them up to date based on a deployment policy.

Consider the following details:

• Application repositories: Using an application repository ensures that the latest version of an application is automatically deployed when a deployment policy is processed for a device. Nerdio Manager provides access to multiple repositories, such as Windows Package Manager Community, Microsoft Store, iOS Store, by default. You can also create a custom repository for applications that are not available in the built-in repositories.

  For details about configuring repositories, see Unified Application Management: Configure Repositories.

• Device types:

  • Windows devices: UAM uses Windows Package Manager (also known as WinGet) to deploy and update software.

  • Other platforms: Deployments are managed with Intune Connector.

• UAM deployments: All UAM deployments are initialized using the Microsoft Intune agent. Policies are applied based on the Microsoft Intune agent refresh cycle. For details, see Intune policy refresh intervals.

  

Phase 2: Identify applications for deployment

First, identify the applications that you want to deploy to your customer accounts. Similar to Scripted Actions, applications are assigned at the MSP level, which makes them available at the customer account level.

Step 1: Find the application

Search Nerdio Manager's Unified Catalog for the application you wish to deploy.

To find the application:

1. In Nerdio Manager, at the MSP level, navigate to Applications > Unified Catalog.

Note: The Unified Catalog page may be blank if this is the first time you're configuring it.



2. Search for the application that you wish to assign to your customer account(s):

   • Use the Search field to find the application by name.

   • From the Repository drop-down list, select the relevant repository.

     Tip:

     • Nerdio Manager supports different repository types. If you are deploying to a Windows device, select the Windows Package Manager Community or your custom repository for the application.

     • Mark common applications that you use with most of your customers as favorite by selecting the Star icon next to the application name.

Step 2: Assign the application to accounts

Once you've found the application that you wish to deploy, you can now assign it to your customer account(s).

To assign the application:

1. From the Properties menu next to the application, select Assign.

   

2. On the Assignments page, from the Customer accounts drop-down list, select one of the following:

   • All to make the application available to all current and future accounts.

   • Individual customer account to make that application available only to that account.

3. Select Apply and close.

   

Repeat the steps above for additional applications that you wish to deploy.

Phase 3: Create an app deployment policy

Now that you’ve assigned the apps, you are ready to set them up for deployment and updates for a customer.

To create an app deployment policy:

1. At the account level, navigate to Applications > Deployment policies.

2. Select Add.

   

3. In the Add deployment policy dialog box, enter the following information:

   • On the General tab:

     • Name: Enter a meaningful name for the deployment policy.

     • Description: (Optional) Enter the deployment policy description.

       

   • On the Targets tab:

     • Deploy to: From the drop-down list, select Intune.

     • Included users and groups: From the drop-down list, select the device group that you want to include in the deployment policy.

     • Excluded users and groups: (Optional) From the drop-down list, select the device group that you want to exclude from the deployment policy.

       Note: If your included group is sufficiently specific, there is no need to specify an exclude group.

     

   • On the Applications tab: Select the application(s) and their corresponding version(s) you wish to install or update.

     Note: If you see PowerToys, it is configured to deploy a specific version due to a fictitious issue with newer versions. This is just an example of installing a specific version of software for illustrative purposes. Typically, you may want to select Latest so that the newest version of the software is always installed.

     

4. Select Save & close.

Once you have created the policy, Nerdio Manager and Intune handle the deployment, ensuring that outdated software is no longer a security risk for your customer's endpoints.

See also

• For related knowledge base articles, see Unified Application Management.

• For discussions and insights from other users, visit the Nerdio community.