You can use Microsoft® technologies for software distribution — such as Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) or Group Policy software installation — to deploy Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003. These technologies can be used with Microsoft Office deployment tools, or separately. If your organization uses these tools for deploying other applications, you may want to use them when deploying Outlook.

SMS is designed to be used by large organizations that manage a large number of client computers in an environment that changes quickly. Group Policy software installation, in contrast, is appropriate for smaller organizations that are more stable and require fewer changes to software configurations.

In order to use Group Policy, you must have already deployed the Active Directory® directory service. In contrast, SMS can deploy software to a mixture of Microsoft Windows® client computers. In addition, customized SMS packages may be available for certain Outlook features or add-ins that can help you easily deploy those items.

Related links

For more information about deploying Office applications with SMS, see Using Microsoft Systems Management Server to Deploy Office.

For more information about deploying Office applications with Group Policy, see Using Group Policy to Deploy Office.