Administering and Deploying System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

You must have the following security permissions to install the Configuration Manager client by using client push: To configure the Client Push Installation account: Modify and Readpermission for the Site object.
To use client push to install the client to collections, devices and queries: Modify Resource and Read permission for the Collection object.

Note: By default, members of the Power Users group have no more user rights or permissions than a standard user account. The Power Users group in previous versions of Windows was designed to give users specific administrator rights and permissions to perform common system tasks. In this version of Windows, standard user accounts inherently have the ability to perform most common configuration tasks, such as changing time zones.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682177.aspx
Introduction to Collections in Configuration
Manager Collections in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager represent logical groupings of resources, such as users and devices. You can use collections tohelp you perform many tasks, such as managing applications, deploying compliance settings, or installing software updates. You can also use collections to manage groups of client settings.

Query Rule
Query rules dynamically update the membership of a collection based on a query that Configuration Manager runs on a schedule. For example, you can create a collection of users who are a member of the Human Resources organizational unit in Active Directory Domain Services. Unlike direct rule collections, thiscollection membership automatically updates when you add or remove new users to the Human Resources organizational unit. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682073.aspx Prerequisites for Compliance Settings in Configuration Manager

To run queriesrelated to compliance settings: Read permission for the Query object. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712688.aspx Planning for Client Settings in Configuration Manager
Use client settings in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager to configure userand device settings for the hierarchy. Client settings include configuration options such as the hardware inventory and schedule, and the polling schedule for client policy.

All Configuration Manager clients in the hierarchy use the Default ClientSettings that are automatically created when you install Configuration Manager. However, you can modify the default client settings and you can create custom client settings to override the default client settings for specific users or devices.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682139.aspx
Introduction to Compliance Settings in
Configuration Manager

Compliance is evaluated by defining a configuration baseline that contains the configuration items that you want to evaluate and settings and rulesthat describe the level of compliance you must have.

Custom reports are intended for advanced users who are comfortable creating their own reports by using Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services and SQL Server Business IntelligenceDevelopment Studio.
Configuring a Report Server for E-Mail Delivery Reporting Services includes an e-mail delivery extension so that you can distribute reports through e-mail.
Depending on how you define the e-mail subscription, a delivery might consist ofa notification, link, attachment, or embedded report.

Need to upgrade to Exchange Server 2010 and configure an Exchange connector.

How to Extend Hardware Inventory in Configuration Manager System Center 2012 Configuration Manager hardware inventory reads information about devices by using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). WMI is the Microsoft implementation of web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM), which is an industry standard for accessing management information in an enterprise environment.

In previous versions of Configuration Manager, you could extend hardware inventory by modifying the file sms_def.mof onthe site server.

In System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, you no longer edit the sms_def.mof file as you did in Configuration Manager 2007. Instead, you can enable and disable WMI classes, and add new classes to collect by hardware inventory by using client settings. Configuration Manager provides the following methods to extend hardware inventory: Enable or disable existing inventory classes - You can enable or disable the default inventory classes used by Configuration Manager or you can create custom client settings that allow you to collect different hardware inventory classes from specified collections of clients.

Add a new inventory class - You can add a new inventory class from the WMI namespace of another device.
Import and export hardware inventory classes - You can import and export Managed Object Format (MOF) files that contain inventory classes from the Configuration Manager console. Create NOIDMIF Files
- Use NOIDMIF files to collect information about client devices that cannot be inventoried by Configuration
Manager.
Create IDMIF Files - Use IDMIF files to collect information about assets in your organization that are not associated with a Configuration Manager client, for example, projectors, photocopiers and networkprinters.

Note:

References:
How to Extend Hardware Inventory in Configuration Manager (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712290.aspx)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx
Backup and Recovery in Configuration Manager
Enterprise solutions such as System Center 2012 Configuration Manager must prepare for both backup and recovery operationsto avoid loss of critical data. For Configuration Manager sites, this preparation ensures that sites and hierarchies are recovered with the least data loss and in the quickest possible time.

Back up a Configuration Manager Site System Center 2012 Configuration Manager provides a backup maintenance task that runs on a schedule and backs up the site database, specific registry keys, and specific folders and files.

Backup Maintenance Task
You can automate backup for Configuration Manager sites by schedulingthe predefined Backup Site Server maintenance task. You can back up a central administration site and primary site, but there is no backup support for secondary sites or site system servers.

To enable the site backup maintenance task

It is common sense, that you just add another client setting and deploy it to the collection. Why? All settings can be separately deleted and especially named. Easier to handle.

The reporting services point site system role must be installed before software updates reports can be displayed.

References:
Prerequisites for Asset Intelligence in Configuration Manager (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712306.aspx)