Everything in the cloud: Microsoft ends WSUS driver synchronization
In just under a year, Microsoft will cut Driver Synchronization in WSUS. An alternative should be a cloud version in Intune, for example.
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Microsoft no longer wants to offer driver updates with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). The company has now announced that this will end on April 28, 2025. Alternatives include Windows Driver Management in Microsoft's Intune or commercial driver and firmware distribution in Windows Update for Business - both of which are paid services from Redmond.
Last December, Microsoft launched a little-noticed survey on how admins use WSUS and how the end of driver synchronization would affect them. Now Microsoft is following up with the announcement of the end of this driver distribution option. Of the survey participants, only 34 percent responded that they use this service. Most of them were already in the process of switching to other solutions, with only 8 percent having concerns about the expected effects.
Driver import and distribution in WSUS no longer possible
Microsoft also explains that the company plans to stop offering Driver Synchronization from 28 April 2025. For local on-premises environments, this means that drivers will still be available in the Microsoft update catalog, but they can no longer be imported into the WSUS. IT managers must therefore look for other ways to distribute drivers and firmware in the network.
One option is to use driver packages (device driver packages). These can be used in Windows images before, during or after deployment. An overview from Microsoft explains the use for the various deployment scenarios. However, they are all significantly less convenient and much more complicated than the simple driver import in WSUS.
Microsoft would also like to make the Windows driver update management services in Microsoft Intune and the Windows Update for Business deployment service more attractive with a guide to deploying drivers and firmware updates. These are also located in Microsoft's Azure cloud; they obviously cannot be used on-premises, i.e. standalone in the local LAN.
Last September, Microsoft announced that it would stop distributing printer drivers supplied by device manufacturers via Windows update services. These are no longer necessary, as Mopria-compliant drivers for network and USB printers have been on board since Windows 10 21H2. This makes old legacy drivers unnecessary.
(dmk)
