Preparing for SCCM’s Annual Release Cadence in 2026: An Upgrade Strategy Guide for IT Admins

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Introduction

Microsoft is moving System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) to an annual release cadence starting from September 2026, which will significantly affect patching and upgrade planning for IT admins.

What Does Annual Release Mean for Patching and Upgrade Planning?

With the new annual release cycle, SCCM updates will be released twice a year. This means that organizations must plan their patching and upgrades more strategically to minimize disruptions.

Impact on Organizations Managing Bare Metal and Servers with SCCM

Organizations still dependent on SCCM for managing bare metal and servers will have to evaluate the impact of these changes on their infrastructure and plan accordingly.

Evaluating SCCM vs Intune for Different Workloads

With the upcoming changes, it’s essential to consider moving some workloads from SCCM to Microsoft Intune. This will help distribute the load and make your environment more agile.

Planning Your Upgrade and Co-Management Strategy

  • Review current SCCM workloads
  • Identify which can move to Intune
  • Plan a phased co-management transition
  • Align the upgrade schedule with the new annual release cadence
Key Takeaway: Apply the steps and concepts in this post to strengthen your Microsoft IT environment. Ready to go deeper? Explore our hands-on training below.

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Written by Mohammed Akhter

Founder of ITP Training. 50,000+ students trained across 30+ countries in Microsoft endpoint and cloud security. Learn more →