Microsoft Intune has become a critical aspect of modern device management, empowering organisations to optimise their IT infrastructure and streamline device onboarding.
Our comprehensive guide will delve into the intricacies of Microsoft Intune enrolment, demystifying the process and providing actionable insights to help you achieve seamless device management.
What is InTune?
Intune is a cloud-based service delivered by Microsoft, designed to simplify the management of mobile devices and applications within an organisation. It provides administrators with a centralised platform to manage and secure devices, applications, and data across various operating systems, including Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS.
Intune empowers IT administrators to proactively manage devices, ensuring that organisational policies and security requirements are adhered to while enabling users to access the applications and data they need. It also integrates with other Microsoft services, such as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and Microsoft 365, to provide a comprehensive and cohesive device management experience.
How does Intune work?
At its core, Intune enables IT administrators to enrol devices, deploy applications, configure security policies, and monitor device compliance in real-time. By leveraging the power of the cloud, Intune ensures that devices remain up-to-date with the latest security patches and software updates, while also providing flexibility and scalability to support the evolving needs of your organisation.
Intune utilises a Mobile Device Management (MDM) approach to manage and secure devices. MDM allows IT administrators to remotely manage devices by communicating with them through a management channel. This channel enables the administrator to send commands, such as enforcing security policies or wiping a device, and receive information about the device’s status, such as its compliance with organisational policies.
What is device enrolment?
Device enrolment is the process of registering a device with Microsoft Intune, allowing it to be managed and monitored by the service. Enrolment establishes a secure connection between the device and Intune, enabling IT admins to send commands, such as enforcing security policies or deploying apps, to the device.
Enrolment is a critical aspect of device management, as it establishes the foundation for managing and securing devices with Intune. There are various enrolment methods available in Intune, depending on the device’s operating system and the organisation’s requirements.
These methods include bulk enrolment, user-driven enrolment, and automated enrolment through Azure Active Directory. Regardless of the enrolment method chosen, the end result is the same: enroled devices can be managed and monitored through the Intune console, allowing IT administrators to ensure that devices are compliant with organisational policies and that data remains secure.
How does Intune manage and monitor devices?
The Intune console provides a centralised platform, enabling admins to efficiently manage and monitor devices across multiple operating systems and platforms.
Intune provides robust device management capabilities, allowing IT administrators to enroll, configure, and monitor devices across multiple operating systems. Key features include:
Device enrolment: Intune supports various enrolment methods, such as bulk enrolment, user-driven enrolment, and automated enrolment through Azure A.
Device configuration: Administrators can create and deploy device configuration profiles to enforce security policies, such as password requirements and device encryption. Configuration profiles can be assigned to specific users or groups.
Device compliance: Intune allows administrators to define compliance policies, which set the rules and conditions that devices must meet to be considered compliant. Devices that do not meet these conditions can be automatically remediated or blocked from accessing organisational resources.
Reporting and analytics: Intune offers detailed reporting on device status, compliance, and usage, allowing admins to gain insights into their device management strategy and make informed decisions. This includes information on device health, application usage, and security incidents, providing a comprehensive view of the organisation’s device landscape.
Intune’s application management capabilities enable organisations to deploy, manage, and secure apps on enroled devices. Key features include:
Application deployment: Admins can deploy apps from various sources to enroled devices. Custom apps can also be deployed, allowing organisations to tailor their app offerings to meet specific business requirements.
Application management: Intune offers granular control over app usage, allowing admins to configure settings, such as data sharing and access permissions, on a per-app basis. In addition, Intune supports both MDM and MAM scenarios, providing flexibility in managing apps on both enroled and non-enroled devices.
Application protection: Intune’s app protection policies enable organisations to protect sensitive data within apps, regardless of whether the device is enroled in Intune. These policies can enforce data encryption, restrict data sharing between apps, and require multi-factor authentication for app access.
Intune provides robust data protection capabilities, ensuring that organisational data remains secure on enroled devices. Key features include:
Conditional access: Intune integrates with Azure AD to enable conditional access policies Microsoft Intune offers numerous benefits for organizations seeking to optimize their device management strategy., which can restrict access to organisational resources based on factors such as device compliance and user roles.
Data loss prevention: Intune supports DLP capabilities, allowing admins to control the flow of sensitive data between apps and devices.
Remote actions: Intune allows admins to perform remote actions on enroled devices, such as remotely locking a device, resetting its passcode, or wiping it clean of all data. This ensures that devices remain secure, even in the event of loss or theft.
How does Intune secure emails and data?
Intune offers robust security capabilities to ensure data remain secure on enroled devices. One of the key features of Intune’s data protection offerings is its integration with Azure AD, which enables conditional access policies to be applied to devices and users. This ensures that only compliant devices and trusted users can access sensitive data.
The platform also provides application protection policies to secure data within apps. These policies can enforce data encryption, restrict data sharing between apps, and require MFA, so data remains secure even on personal devices. Intune’s application protection policies provide flexibility in securing data across a variety of device scenarios.
Is Intune cloud-managed?
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-managed service, meaning it is hosted, managed, and maintained by Microsoft in the cloud. This offers several benefits for organisations seeking to optimise their device management strategy, such as:
Reduced infrastructure and maintenance costs: As a cloud-based service, Intune eliminates the need for organisations to deploy and maintain on-premises infrastructure for device management. This can result in significant cost savings and reduced complexity for IT teams.
Scalability and flexibility: Intune’s cloud-based architecture allows organisations to scale their device management strategy as their needs evolve, without the need for additional infrastructure or resources. This provides flexibility in managing devices and adapting to the changing needs of the organisation.
Continuous updates and enhancements: As a cloud-managed service, Intune is continuously updated with new features and enhancements, ensuring that organisations have access to the latest device management capabilities.
Global availability: Intune is available from any location, allowing organisations with a global footprint to manage their devices from a single console, regardless of the location of their devices.
What Microsoft subscriptions is Intune available with?
Microsoft Intune is available in many subscription offerings, and in fact may already be part of your subscription plan.
The service is included in:
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Microsoft 365 E3
- Microsoft 365 E5
- Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS)
- Microsoft 365 Education A1 (Intune for Education)
- Microsoft 365 Education A3 (Intune for Education)
- Microsoft 365 Education A5 (Intune for Education)
Microsoft also offers Intune as a stand-alone subscription.
Deploy Intune and enrol your devices with help from the experts
Deploying Microsoft Intune offers numerous benefits for organizations seeking to optimize their device management strategy, including enhanced security, streamlined device management, and greater scalability.
As a Certified Microsoft Partner, Steadfast Solutions can deploy this service for your business, enrol your devices, and fully manage the platform for maximum effectiveness, ensuring data security and access controls are met across the board. Talk to them today and ensure your people are working from secure devices, always.
