SOLVED: How to Set the MACHINE POLICY RETRIEVAL & EVALUATION CYCLE Time in System Center

If you are trying to deploy System Center Endpoint Protection (SCEP, pretty much Security Essentials), using System Center, you know that after you add a machine to the appropriate device collection that you have to wait for System Center to force an install.  The questions is, how long do you have to wait, where can you change that setting and how can you kick off the Endpoint Protection install manually on the client:

How Long Do You Have To Wait System Center To Kick Off an EndPoint Protection Install?

The default setting is one hour.

How Can You Change the Default Time to Start an Endpoint Protection Install?

1. Launch System Center Configuration Manager
2. Click ADMINISTRATION
3. Expand OVERVIEW > SITE CONFIGURATION > CLIENT SETTINGS
4. Click the DEFAULT CLIENT SETTINGS
5. Click Client Policy
6. Click Client policy polling interval
7. set the Policy Polling Interval (Minutes)

How Can You Kick Off a Manual Install Of Endpoint Protection from the Client PC?

1. Launch the Control Panel
2. Click CONFIGURATION MANAGER PROPERTIES
3. Click the ACTIONS tab
4. Click MACHINE POLICY RETRIEVAL & EVALUATION CYCLE
5. Click the RUN NOW button

The install will start almost immediately.  If you are concerned, check Task Manager for installers like MSI INSTALLER…

For more information see:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb633207.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396