Installing and upgrading iManage Work Desktop for Windows

iManage Auto Updates enables you to easily migrate to iManage Work 10 clients. The iManage Auto Updates feature provides the following benefits to end-users:

NOTE:

To install the application, you do not have to be an administrator on your machine. However, your account needs to have privileges to install the software only the first time. Once iManage Work Desktop for Windows is installed with elevated privileges, any subsequent automatic updates are executed using the same elevated privileges, allowing even the users with restricted installation privileges to update the software.

  • Self-service installs: Install updates at your convenience. You do not have to rely on the IT team's schedule.

  • Real-time notification:

    • Visual indicator: Receive notifications from iManage Work if the desktop client is not installed. In fact, you can download the desktop client directly from iManage Work for installation.

    • What's new: Make an informed decision. Learn about the new features and enhancements before installing the updates.

    • Asynchronous downloads: Continue working while the iManage installer downloads in the background.

  • Access to latest features: Stay up-to-date by installing and running the latest software version.

In addition, the Auto Updates capability empowers IT administrators to easily deploy latest updates to selected users' desktops, and eventually across the entire organization. IT administrators have the option to specify the following:

  • Server location where updates are hosted. IT administrators have the choice to point users to the public location where latest updates are posted by iManage or to an alternate location, for example, an internal shared drive.

  • Update channels that define the release stage of updates, for example, Beta or Release.

  • Product(s) that should be deployed for each channel. IT administrators can use the Auto Updates feature to not only deploy iManage applications but also third-party applications (for example, compareDocs, EasyImport) that complement iManage products.

  • Google Analytics configuration. IT administrators can turn on Google Analytics and track how many users downloaded the latest software.

Depending on your requirement, you can employ the following deployment strategies for your Auto Updates rollout:

  • Enterprise: Gives you complete control over software hosting and rollout configuration (which software applications to bundle, which channels to provision, which user group gets access to early builds for testing, and so on). However, it increases the overall cost of management as all tasks (including software hosting) have to be managed by your organization.

  • Multi-Channel: Brings down a significant cost of management as iManage handles the software hosting. You still have complete control over the rollout configuration by deciding how to set up multiple channels.

  • Direct to User: Keeps your cost of management to nearly zero, as iManage handles the rollout configuration and software hosting.

The following table lists the tasks that you can manage under various deployment strategies:

Table: Deployment strategy

Task you can manage

Enterprise

Multi-Channel

Direct to User

Host installers and updates

Y

N

N

Bundle and deploy products (including partner products)

Y

Y

N

Provision channels

Y

Y

N

Deploy configuration settings using Control Center

Y

Y

N

Customize 'What’s new?'

Y

Y

N

Enable rollback

Y

Y

N

Provision users

Y

Y

N

You are free to use one or more deployment strategies for your rollout. For example, you can set up an environment based on the Direct to User option to automatically pull the latest iManage software updates for internal testing with limited users. After completing the verification, you can use the Multi-Channel or Enterprise option to deploy the fully tested software updates across the organization.

NOTE:

iManage provides two default channels (Coming Soon and Release), which all organizations can use. However, these default channels are particularly useful for organizations employing the Direct to User option as they will not be configuring the Auto Updates rollout.

Frequently asked questions

For the Direct to Users option, is there any specific step organizations need to perform to enable the iManage Auto Updates feature?

By default, iManage Auto Updates is turned off. To enable this feature, you need to do the following:

  1. Sign into iManage Control Center.

  2. Navigate to WORK CLIENTS > Web Client.

  3. Select the Features tab.

  4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the Windows check box for the Enable Work 10 Desktop for Windows Auto Updates App Baner setting.
    After this setting is enabled, users will see the Auto Updates banner in iManage Work. The banner provides a link to download iManage Work Desktop for Windows.

NOTE:

  • This setting is applicable to all options, including Direct to Users.

  • By default, the Release channel is set for all users in the organization. They can switch to the Beta channel using the Update Settings option available in the iManage Work Agent (located in the Windows system tray).

  • Users need to ensure that their machines meet the system requirements mentioned in Requirements and compatibility.

  • You may also need to enable the auto discovery of the iManage Work Server, so that your end-users can connect to the pertinent iManage Work Server. For more information, refer to the Appendix B - Enabling Auto Discovery of iManage Work Servers section in iManage Work Desktop for Windows Customization Guide.

Can I switch from the Enterprise option to Multi-Channel, and vice versa?

Yes, based on your convenience, you can switch between any options mentioned earlier in this section. As an example, to switch from the Enterprise option to Multi-Channel, you just need to change the Update Server path, thereby letting iManage handle the hosting of software updates. You can continue to control the configuration of Auto Updates rollout. For more information on changing the Update Server path, see Switching to another update server.

Can I employ the Direct to Users option for some of my users and the Enterprise option for the rest of my organization?

Yes, you can. This will enable you to set up an environment based on the Direct to User option to automatically pull the latest iManage software updates for internal testing with limited users. After completing the verification, you can use the Enterprise option to deploy the fully tested software updates across the organization. You can achieve this as follows:

  1. Identify the pilot users for testing the latest software updates hosted by iManage.

  2. Create an Active Directory group for these users.

  3. Using the Group Policy (GPO) mechanism, push the registry key to specify an update server.

  4. Let users download and run the iManageInstaller.exe file , which downloads all applications and components that support Auto Updates .

After completing these steps, the pilot users will be set up to receive the latest software updates from iManage. After they complete the software testing, use the Enterprise option to roll out the fully tested software to the entire organization as follows:

  1. Set up your own update server.

  2. Bundle and deploy the desired software applications (including partner products) by defining channels.
    If you do not want your end-users to change any channel, hide all menus related to auto updates.

  3. In your iManage Work instance, enable the banner to download iManage Work Desktop for Windows. Using this banner, end-users can download the iManageInstaller.exe file , which downloads all applications and components that support Auto Updates.

Where can I find instructions to install iManage Work Desktop for Windows using iManage Auto Updates?

See Installing iManage Work Desktop for Windows using iManage Auto Updates Banner.

What are the minimum software and hardware requirements for end-user machines?

See Requirements and compatibility.

Where can I find detailed information on how Auto Updates works and the rollout configuration it supports?

See Configuring the iManage Work Auto Updates installation.

How do I set up my own server to host software updates?

See Specifying the update server location.

How do I set up a channel with the products I want to deploy?

See Defining channels.

Can I install iManage Work Desktop for Windows using the traditional method, instead of the Auto Updates feature?

Yes, you can. The instructions are included in the following sections:

However, iManage recommends installing iManage Work Desktop for Windows using the Auto Updates features as it offers you several benefits. The key benefits are as follows:

  • For IT administrators:

    • Set up pilot groups to test the software updates before rolling out to the entire organization

    • Painlessly deploy new features and bug fixes for the selected software and/or version across the organization

    • Easily deploy the compatibility mode (Classic + Work 10 clients)

  • For end-users:

    • Automatically recover from any application crashes

    • Update the software at your own schedule

    • Learn what’s new before updating

    • Continue working while the iManage installer downloads in the background

How do I upgrade my current iManage Work client?

See the following sections:

How do I uninstall iManage Work Desktop for Windows?

See the following sections: