Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager
Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (Configuration Manager, also known as ConfigMgr or MECM), formerly System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Systems Management Server (SMS) is a systems management software product developed by Microsoft for managing large groups of computers running Windows NT, Windows Embedded, macOS (OS X), Linux or UNIX, as well as Windows Phone, Symbian, iOS and Android mobile operating systems. Configuration Manager provides remote control, patch management, software distribution, operating system deployment, network access protection and hardware and software inventory.

History
System Center Configuration Manager has evolved since Microsoft originally released it as "Systems Management Server" in 1994. Significant releases include:

 Systems Management Server 1.0, released in 1994 along with Windows NT Server 3.5.  This initial release targeted the management of MS-DOS, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, Macintosh, and OS/2 desktops on Windows NT Server, NetWare, LAN Manager, and Pathworks networks.
 Systems Management Server 1.1, released in 1995 to help customers migrate to Windows 95.
 Systems Management Server 1.2, released in 1996 with new remote-control, SNMP, inventory, and network-monitoring capabilities.
 Systems Management Server 2.0, released in 1999 to help with Y2K remediation efforts.
 Systems Management Server 2003, released in 2003 with improved stability, reliability, and software-distribution capabilities.
 System Center Configuration Manager 2007, released in 2007 with support for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
 System Center Configuration Manager 2012, released in 2012 with significant changes to application deployment capabilities.
 System Center Configuration Manager 1511, released in November 2015 to support Windows 10 and new Windows servicing options.
 System Center Configuration Manager 1602, released March 11, 2016. New features include conditional access for PCs, Office 365 Update Management, greater management of mobile devices and of Windows 10.
 System Center Configuration Manager 1606, released July 22, 2016.  New features include support for managing new Windows 10 features like Windows Information Protection and Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, improved integration with the Windows Store for Business supporting online and offline-licensed apps, and more.
 System Center Configuration Manager 1610,released in November 2016 
 System Center Configuration Manager 1702, released March 2017      
 System Center Configuration Manager 1706, released July 2017       
 System Center Configuration Manager 1710, released November 2017          
 System Center Configuration Manager 1802, released March 2018                     
 System Center Configuration Manager 1806, released July 2018            
 System Center Configuration Manager 1810, released December 2018 
 System Center Configuration Manager 1902, released March 2019   
 System Center Configuration Manager 1906, released July 2019 
 Endpoint Configuration Manager 1910, released December 2019 
 Endpoint Configuration Manager 2002, released April 2020 
 Endpoint Configuration Manager 2006, released August 2020 
Endpoint Configuration Manager 2010, released November 2020 
Endpoint Configuration Manager 2103, released May 2021 
Endpoint Configuration Manager 2107, released August 2021
Endpoint Configuration Manager 2111, released December 2021 

SMS went through three major iterations:
 The 1.x versions of the product defined the scope of control of the management server (the site) in terms of the NT domain being managed.
 With the 2.x versions, that site paradigm switched to a group of subnets to be managed together.
 With SMS 2003 the site could also be defined as one or more Active Directory sites.

The most frequently used feature is a software deployment, which provides installation and updating of Windows Apps, legacy applications, and Operating Systems across a business enterprise.

SMS 2003 saw the introduction of the Advanced Client. The Advanced Client communicates with a more scalable management infrastructure, namely the Management Point. (A Management Point (MP) can manage up to 25000 Advanced Clients.) Microsoft introduced the Advanced Client to provide a solution to the problem where a managed laptop might connect to a corporate network from multiple locations and thus should not always download content from the same place within the enterprise (though it should always receive policy from its own site). When an Advanced Client is within another location (SMS Site), it may use a local distribution point to download or run a program, which can conserve bandwidth across a WAN.

Components 
 Policy Infrastructure
 Service Window Manager
 State System
 Center Configuration Manager Scheduler (CCM Scheduler)
 Center Configuration Manager Configuration Item Software Developers Kit (CCM CI SDK)
 Desired Configuration Management Agent (DCM Agent)
 Desired Configuration Management Reporting (DCM Reporting)
 MTC
 CI Agent
 CI Store
 CI Downloader
 CI Task Manager
 CI State Store
 Content Infrastructure
 Software Distribution
 Reporting
 Software Updates
 Operating System Deployment

Requirements 
The requirements for Configuration Manager are always changing as the system becomes more and more complex. An up-to-date, detailed dive into the requirements can be found on the Microsoft Website Documentation here.

Product branding 
The Configuration Management tool from Microsoft has gone through two brand changes. Both times were to not only avoid confusion with other acronyms as well as to include it to a suite in Microsoft's systems management portfolio.  Once in 2007, from System Management Service (SMS), to System Center Configuration Manager. This was to avoid confusion with the Short Message Service (SMS) and also to add the product with other system management tools under a unified System Center brand. It was renamed again in 2020 to Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager in an effort to avoid confusion with The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), and to align the product with the cloud offering Microsoft Intune under the Microsoft Endpoint Manager suite.

See also
 Microsoft Servers 
 Microsoft Endpoint Manager
 Intune
 Microsoft System Center
 Data Protection Manager
 Operations Manager
 Virtual Machine Manager
 Configuration management
 Windows Server Update Services
 SYDI

References

External links
 

Systems Management Server
System administration
Remote administration software
Configuration management