Catalog Update notifications but specific to our published APPS/UPDATES

[steadybird]

Hi All,

I subscribed to the PMPC catalogue update emails recently. They appear to simply be a link to the PMPC catalogue list. Which is fine enough for the full comprehensive list.

Is there any way that I could get an emailed report showing only the available updates as per our pre-existing published APPS/UPDATES? We are using the desktop publisher and Intune.

[Andrew Jimenez (Patch My PC)]

Hello,

You can configure emails under the "Alerts" tab in the Publisher. You can have the Publisher send alerts via SMTP, Teams, or Slack. See this article for more information: https://patchmypc.com/kb/how-publishing-alerts-work-patch/

[steadybird]

Hi Andrew,

I am not referring to the Desktop Publisher's sync "Patch my PC Report" publishing report emails.
I am referring to the emails sent by PMPC themselves on a daily basis for catalogue updates.

They contain zero information except to say updates have occurred and link back to the website for the catalogue. These are daily emails and seem to contain no real useful information and become nothing but email white noise.

When we do open the catalogue, I am forced to apply filters on a per application basis or doom scroll the list eyeballing it for anything relevant.

A sample of the email below. Though they all seem fairly identical and not really useful.
Uhm seems I can't attach images. So imgur link it is! https://imgur.com/a/B95il2p

I had hoped the email would be a little more informative. Ideally specifically relating to our environments configured APPS/UPDATES.

[Andrew Jimenez (Patch My PC)]

Ahh, understood.
We recently redid the email and plan on implementing improvements in the future. In the past we did provide more info in that email, however that email and the daily catalog release post took multiple hours to create, and caused SEO and website performance issues.

Even after we make improvements to the daily email, we likely would not be able to customize it for your specific environment, all customers that subscribe get that same email. If you want info on updates to your specific apps/updates, the notifications from the Publisher will be a much better way to get that information.

[steadybird]

The problem I face with using the Publisher's emails is that they are sent after the fact of a sync being performed, and not before hand.
We do not perform automated daily syncs the way many of your clients do so.

We typically have a single large all updates sync following month end. Or on demand to address specific CVE's we become aware of using selective sync throughout the month.

If, in that first week of the month, I become aware of new updates Ill perform additional syncs as this is our Ring1 week. So, I have the opportunity to do multiple rounds before it hits ring2.

But unless I am manually checking your website for new update notices, I am largely unaware.

I imagine it may be possible for a feature to be added to the Publisher for it to regularly check the catalogue and email the updates being available instead of this load being on your website? Instead of a full sync being performed it just downloads the catalogue, scans Intune and reports back that there's opportunities available.

[Andrew Jimenez (Patch My PC)]

Understood, that's an interesting idea for the Publisher to send notifications without actually syncing. We're looking at ways to keep the email and release notes automated and provide more information as well, so stay tuned for more info there in the coming weeks.