keeping Adobe Creative Cloud apps updated

[TheCrusher4Real]

To install Creative Cloud at my company, end users are directed to the Adobe Creative Cloud website (https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/desktop-app.html).

Every two weeks I get a report from our Security team listing device vulnerabilities. There's frequently a fair number of devices that need one or more Creative Cloud apps updated.

I started emailing users individually, reminding them to update their Creative Cloud apps. Wondering if there's a better way, because emailing users and following up when they don't respond is too manual and too time-consuming. Curious how other admins approach this.

[wakco · Accepted solution]

Two options:

• First, if your Jamf Pro instance is Jamf Cloud, then all the Adobe Creative Cloud apps are available as Jamf App Installers, allowing you to manage the install and update of the apps with Jamf.
• Second, so long as Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop is installed, then so is RemoteUpdateManager, a simple run once a day/week/month policy can be used to execute /usr/local/bin/RemoteUpdateManager to have the installed Adobe apps self update, helping to keep Security away.

Note: as with any update tools, open apps will not update, however Jamf App Installers includes reminder notifications to get users to quit when an update is available (or force quit the app), making it the better option of the two, as RemoteUpdateManager will simply fail to update any app that is open.

[TheCrusher4Real]

Our instance of Jamf Pro is Jamf Cloud. I’ll need to do some testing, but my inclination is to use the Jamf App Catalog.

Some questions:

1. If I’m understanding correctly, if I start using the Jamf App Catalog for installing/updating Creative Cloud, I’ll also get the Remote Update Manager (RUM).
2. I won’t HAVE to use RUM, correct? Sounds like I can decide whether to let the Jamf App Catalog handle updates and I can tailor the notification messages to my liking; OR I can use RUM to handle the updates. Does that sound right?
3. What happens to the devices that already have Creative Cloud installed? Assuming I have the Jamf App Catalog entry for Creative Cloud targeted correctly, will those devices with CC already installed (the ones that didn’t install via the App Catalog) update?

[mvu]

Adobe RUM is a separate method from Jamf App Catalog. If you want to use RUM, you'd need to set up a policy and run a script.

It's up to you if you'd like to use RUM or Jamf App Catalog, or both... For good measure, test both. Adobe can be very problematic with updates, so let's see what approach works best for you.

[wakco]

1. Yes, as long as Creative Cloud Desktop is installed.
2. Yes, you won’t, and yes, for example, I have a policy running RUM once a week, as well as all the CC apps being installed and updated by Jamf App Catalog/Installers.
3. yes they will update, Jamf App Catalog/Installers will recognise existing installs and continue updating them.

[mvu]

More info on RUM:

https://helpx.adobe.com/enterprise/using/using-remote-update-manager.html

[PaulHazelden]

It depends on how tough you want to be too.
I am in education, so probably a different set up to business.
All of the lab machines use RemoteUpdateManager, during out of hours times.
Staff Laptops I have a Self Service script that runs and finds any updates required, then asks the User to OK installing them. They do this themselves, and as it is normally them wanting updates I find they do use this.
I have the option of running RUM on the Laptops if I need to. I can also force the script to run. I generally do not do this because staff could be teaching from their laptop.

You could use a scripted approach and run the script at a set time each week. That way you will catch most users, leaving you with a few to email. If the script has a way for them to deferr then they can pick a better time to do it.

[AJPinto]

Looks like others beat me to the punch, just use RUM. Once you install RUM, you just need to run the "RemoteUpdateManager" command, without any switches it will update all adobe products. I have a policy that does this that runs once a month, and it works fine as a set it and forget it thing.

[SMR1]

@AJPinto  What is the command you run?

[PaulHazelden]

/usr/local/bin/RemoteUpdateManager

Is the one I use

[mvu]

Does that do any action? Here is what I use. Could ignore the sudo in mine, but just left it.

[wakco]

If you read the web page you posted, the command by itself without any options will automatically do both of those actions.

[mvu]

Talk about overthinking ...

[sbrammer]

I have a similar issue. I would love to keep our Adobe products updated across our fleet; however, we are a mixed environment (some are Named User installs, and our labs are Shared Device). So, if I started to use Mac Apps -> Jamf Installers to keep it up to date for our Shared Devices, would that affect the license type? i would like to keep the Shared Devices up to date more often than our Named Users. Currently to update them, i either create a new package using Adobe Admin Console or go into the CC app and run the updater. 

[PaulHazelden]

You will need to test this, it is not something I am using in production...
Build a package from Adobe, in your case it will be 2 packages. Apply the different licenses to each, and only have Creative cloud desktop app in the build, no other apps.
Upload to Jamf and deploy to the Macs. Then use the Jamf Apps to install the Apps you want on the device. They will pull the license from the CCDA version you installed.
Now Jamf will keep the Apps up to date, and CCDA will keep itself up to date.

I have other issues that prevent me from working this way, which is why I do not use it in production. I did test it a while back and it worked. The Jamf versions are the bare minimum versions, the same as if you simply built a basic package in Adobe console. This doesn't work for me as I have to add in extras that need to be added at build in Adobe, e.g, The Language packs for Premiere.. This is why I use Remote update Manager for the majority of the macs, and a script for the laptops that staff use. Staff complain the most about versions, and keeping them up to date, but they also never have the laptop on for long enough for RUM to work. So I give them access to a script in Self Service, they can do it at their own time.