Network Software Deployment

[TheTwister]

Can anyone recommend a network deployment system?

Looking for something that could deploy software to multiple computers around a network rather going to each computer to install.

[Geek-9pm]

Maybe what you are thinking about is deployment of software over a network.
If the company has the proper license, they can automate the installation of software over the local network at time when there is little activity.
To start, you can try reading some material from Microsoft.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742421.aspx
Step-by-Step Guide to Software Installation and Maintenance

Introduction

This document is part of a set of step-by-step guides that introduce the Change and Configuration Management features of the Windows® 2000 operating system. This guide presents an overview of Software Installation and Maintenance. It also explains how to use the Software Installation extension of the Group Policy Microsoft Management Console snap-in to specify policy settings for application deployment for groups of users and computers.

Yes, that is old stuff, but maybe it is what you want to know. The concepts are still normal practices today.

[camerongray]

What sort of machines are you running?  If they are all running Windows and are joined to a domain then you should be able to use group policy to install stuff.

Alternatively, I've used Puppet for this sort of thing before to deploy software (and other configuration) to 20 laptops at a club I help organise.  The machines dual boot with Windows and Ubuntu and we use Puppet to configure both.  The only downside is that it's a bit fiddly to configure but once you get it up and running it's incredibly flexible.

[DaveLembke]

I have heard of people doing this with PowerShell for windows machines: http://poshcode.org/6298

From a security standpoint though I am not sure if having PowerShell ready on all systems to accept incoming remote connections is too dangerous to have on a corporate network though.

Group Policy is probably the best method: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/816102/how-to-use-group-policy-to-remotely-install-software-in-windows-server-2008-and-in-windows-server-2003

[TheTwister]

Yeah, the machines are connected to an network and they are windows which are joined to at domain.