How to update or patch Adobe Reader DC without local admin rights

[andechs]

We are about to deploy Adobe Reader DC in an enterprise environment where none of the users has local admin rights on their desktops.  Updating and patching typically requires that users are local administrators on their PC, but that is not allowed in this corporate environment.  If set to install updates automatically, do you know if Adobe Reader DC updates & patches will get installed on these computers?  If not, is there any other way to get these updates installed, either by using an Adobe tool or otherwise a 3rd party solution?

[AadeshSingh]

HI Norman,

If users do not have local admin rights on their desktops, updates won't get installed automatically. However users will be prompted with the update & once they will click on the prompt it will ask for the admin account details.

Even the IT Admin can forcefully push the updates across the systems.

Regards,

Aadesh

[kyle_keane]

It is absolutely ludicrous from an Enterprise standpoint that Adobe would take away the ability for IT Administrators to control Adobe Reader updates on the client side and/or its notifications and then not integrate a way to bypass the need for a an account with administrative rights to install the update. Now Enterprise environments will have 100's or even 1000's of users reporting ot requesting assistance with Adobe Reader updating. I hope that Adobe creates some sort of workaround for this for IT Admins supporting large numbers of end users otherwise they will begin looking at alternatives like web browser add-ons and other freeware.

[pwillener]

But that is what Enterprise Deployment is for; what is wrong with that?

[kyle_keane]

I'm referring to the time between the release of the update and the time it takes for IT to test the update and then prep and deploy the update package. User's will be alerted and annoyed with Adobe Reader updates up until that point. That is what is wrong with that!

[pwillener]

You should deploy the Reader app with the Updater turned off.

I will move your topic to the Enterprise Deployment forum, where the experts will be able to give you more useful advice.

[EnterpriseHelp · Accepted solution]

As Matthias notes, admins typically disable updates. See Pre-Deployment Planning — Enterprise Administration Guide.

HTH,

Ben

[Matze82]

Adobe provides perfect solutions for enterprise deployment. If you deploy software like Adobe Reader in an environment with 100's or 1000's of users without disabling the automated update feature you should think about your software deployment strategy or it is a lack of knowledge.

The provided updates may be security relavant, espacially for Flash Player. Even if there would be a way to install updates without administrative rights, how would you control that users are installing it and not skipping it forever?

So the strategy is disabling automated updates, which is supported in all Adobe products I have to work with and deploy the updates in your environment using SCCM or something.