Understanding Microsoft Intune: What You Need to Know

Microsoft Intune is a device management tool with a wide range of applications for modern businesses. First introduced in 2011 as Windows Intune, the software rebranded itself in 2016 before becoming more available via the Microsoft Azure public cloud in 2017. Microsoft describes Intune as a “cloud-based service that helps enable your workforce to be productive while keeping your corporate data protected.”

With more and more companies adopting online operations and flexible work hours, Intune provides a streamlined solution for managing devices and applications from a single console, regardless of where employees are working from. This can save time and resources, while maintaining consistency and control over the IT environment.

In addition, Intune also offers advanced security features that protect against cyberthreats like data breaches. It provides real-time monitoring and documentation of who is accessing which particular information and when, allowing organizations to quickly identify and respond to potential security risks.

As powerful as it is, setting InTune up and working out the details can be complex, especially when maintaining security compliance. That’s why it’s important to work with a professional team that is well-versed in moving your operation onto this platform. With their expertise, they can help you ensure a smooth, secure transition to Intune.

One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Intune is that it allows device management from a single console. This means that administrators can easily deploy and manage applications, configure policies, and monitor compliance across all their devices, whether they are corporate-owned or employee-owned. This centralized approach can save time and resources and help them maintain consistency and control over their IT environment.

Microsoft Intune provides robust mobile device management (MDM) capabilities. This includes support for Android, iOS, and Windows devices. It can also enforce policies such as passcode requirements, app restrictions, and device encryption to ensure security. It can even perform selective wipes of corporate data from employee-owned devices, helping organizations protect their sensitive information.

Intune offers conditional access policies that allow organizations to control who gets corporate resources based on a user’s device compliance. If one fails to meet the organization’s security requirements, the user will be denied access to data like email or SharePoint. This helps organizations maintain a high level of security. Using a device enrolled in Intune, you also can:

• Create and set password requirements, configure security settings, deploy certificates, and more.
• Use mobile threat defense services to detect and remediate threats.
• View reports that measure compliance with your security settings and practices.
• Only allow managed and compliant devices access to organization resources, apps, and data.
• Remove organization data if a device is lost or stolen.

Microsoft Intune offers seamless integration with other Microsoft services, making it possible for organizations to manage their devices, users, and applications from a single console. By leveraging the features of these services, organizations can significantly enhance their overall performance and security.

Some of the services that can be easily integrated with Microsoft Intune are as follows:

• Configuration Manager: Ideal for on-premises endpoint management and Windows Servers, it allows for deploying software updates and managing data centers. You can use Intune and Configuration Manager together in a co-management scenario or use both separately. With these options, you can take advantage of the web-based admin center and use other cloud-based features available in Intune.
• Windows Autopilot: With this service, you can provision new devices and send them directly to users from an OEM or device provider. For existing devices, you can reimage them to use Windows Autopilot and deploy the latest Windows version.
• Endpoint Analytics: Endpoint analytics provide visibility and reporting on end-user experiences, including device performance and reliability. By using Endpoint analytics, you can easily identify policies or hardware issues that slow down devices. It also provides guidance that can help you proactively improve end-user experiences and reduce help desk tickets.
• Microsoft 365: This service offers end-user productivity with Office apps such as Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and more. Using Intune, you can easily deploy Microsoft 365 apps to users and devices in your organization, even when they first sign in.

Microsoft Intune has adopted multiple updates in order to make the program more user-friendly, including single sign-on access. By accessing a single application when a worker connects through Intune on the cloud, he or she is then able to get to any of the other applications associated with the proper sign-on information.

Microsoft Intune helps organizations save money on device management thanks to a predictable, pay-per-user-per-month pricing model. This makes it easy to budget for their device management needs and avoid unexpected costs. Additionally, Intune is a cloud-based solution, which means that there are no upfront hardware or infrastructure costs.

By utilizing Microsoft Intune services, you will be able to create the most productive workforce and still be able to keep your firm, its employees, and your data and interests functional, connected, and secure.

Even better, with a well-trained and professional team like Technology Response Team (TRT), you will be better positioned to launch Microsoft Intune with Azure. TRT will work with you to address any problems, monitor any data breaches, and ensure that your company is compliant and proactive about keeping your data safe from malware and bad actors, but always readily accessible to collaborators and in-house staff.