Configuration Manager 2609 Drops SQL Server 2016 Support and Updates CMG Infrastructure

Many organizations continue to run legacy infrastructure and permissive management settings within Configuration Manager, including outdated SQL Server versions, unsupported Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 systems, and automatic client approval policies that can allow untrusted devices into managed environments. These older configurations create security risks and make it harder for organizations to stay aligned with Microsoft’s evolving support and security requirements.

As Microsoft retires older technologies and raises platform requirements, organizations that delay modernization risk failed upgrades, unsupported deployments, and increased security exposure. Legacy cloud management gateway (CMG) configurations may also become incompatible with future Azure platform changes, while outdated authentication methods and infrastructure components can weaken an organization’s security posture.

Configuration Manager 2609 raises platform requirements

With Configuration Manager version 2609, Microsoft is focusing on security hardening and platform modernization rather than introducing major new features. This release removes support for SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 clients, updates critical database drivers and dependencies, and eliminates the need for the SQL database TRUSTWORTHY setting, which should help reduce the risk of privilege escalation. Microsoft is also warning IT admins to move away from automatically approving all clients, which is a setting that will be retired in a future release.

This update also modernizes cloud management infrastructure by moving CMG deployments toward stronger security controls. Moreover, Microsoft has automatically disabled shared-key access for CMG storage in favor of Microsoft Entra ID-based authentication and role-based access controls. CMG deployments are also automatically migrated to newer Azure virtual machine families and updated load-balancer technologies to ensure continued support as older Azure services approach the retirement deadline.

Organizations should review Azure Quotas and upgrade prerequisites

These changes are designed to help organizations maintain supportability and security over the long term while reducing reliance on legacy technologies that no longer meet Microsoft’s recommended standards.

It’s important to note that this modernization effort comes with additional planning and operational requirements. Organizations may need to upgrade database servers, replace unsupported operating systems, review Azure permissions, and verify vCPU quotas before updating CMG deployments. Some environments could also see increased Azure costs due to larger VM sizes, while security teams that still rely on removed Asset Intelligence reports will need to develop alternative reporting methods.