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Table of Contents

Microsoft Intune: a comprehensive guide to cloud-based device management

What is Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed to help organizations manage and secure their devices, applications, and data from a single, centralized platform. As part of the Microsoft Endpoint Manager suite, Intune offers a comprehensive set of features and functionalities to support modern device management strategies.
From enrolling and configuring devices to protecting corporate data and enforcing security policies, Intune provides IT administrators with the tools they need to efficiently manage a diverse range of endpoints, including PCs, mobile devices, and IoT devices, across various operating systems.
With its user-centric approach, seamless integration with Microsoft 365 services, and emphasis on simplicity and automation, Intune empowers organizations to adopt contemporary work practices while ensuring data security and compliance across all endpoints.

What features does Intune offer?

Microsoft Intune offers a wide range of features and benefits designed to streamline device management, enhance security, and empower organizations to embrace modern working practices.
Intune simplifies the process of enrolling devices into the management system, whether they are company-owned or personal devices used for work. IT administrators can manage device settings, configure security policies, and ensure compliance with corporate standards, regardless of operating system.
With Intune, organizations can deploy and manage applications across a diverse range of devices, including PCs, Macs, iOS, and Android devices. IT administrators can distribute apps from public app stores, deploy line-of-business (LOB) apps, and centrally manage app updates and licenses.
Intune helps organizations protect corporate data by enforcing encryption and access controls while preventing data leakage on managed devices. IT administrators can define and enforce data protection policies based on device compliance and user identity, ensuring that sensitive data remains secure at all times.
Intune provides robust endpoint security features to protect against threats and vulnerabilities. IT administrators can configure security baselines, enforce device encryption, and implement threat detection and remediation measures to safeguard corporate assets.
Intune enables organizations to implement conditional access policies based on user identity, device compliance, and risk levels. By integrating with Azure Active Directory (AAD), Intune ensures that only authorized users with compliant devices can access corporate resources, enhancing security while preserving user productivity.
Intune offers remote management capabilities that allow IT administrators to troubleshoot issues, perform remote wipes, and reset device passcodes, all from a centralized console. This ensures that IT teams can maintain control over corporate devices and respond promptly to security incidents or compliance violations.
Intune provides built-in reporting and analytics tools that enable organizations to monitor device compliance, track security incidents, and generate compliance reports. This helps organizations demonstrate adherence to regulatory requirements and industry standards, providing visibility into device status and security posture.

What is Intune used for?

Microsoft Intune is used by organizations across various industries to manage and secure their devices, applications, and data. Some key use cases for Intune include:
Intune enables organizations to manage and secure mobile devices used by employees to access corporate resources. IT administrators can enforce security policies, deploy business applications, and protect sensitive data on managed mobile devices, ensuring compliance with corporate standards and regulatory requirements.
With the rise of remote work and the prevalence of personal devices in the workplace, Intune helps organizations securely implement BYOD programs. By separating corporate and personal data on employee-owned devices, Intune enables organizations to protect sensitive data while respecting user privacy and maintaining a positive user experience.
Intune simplifies PC lifecycle management by providing centralized control over device configuration, application deployment, and software updates. IT administrators can automate routine tasks, such as provisioning new devices, retiring old devices, and migrating user settings, to streamline IT operations and reduce manual effort.
Intune empowers organizations to efficiently manage and deliver applications to users. IT administrators can deploy applications to devices based on user roles, device types, and organizational units, ensuring that users have access to the apps they need to stay productive while maintaining compliance with software licensing agreements.
Intune plays a crucial role in enhancing security and compliance across the organization. By enforcing security policies, monitoring device compliance, and responding to security incidents in real time, Intune helps organizations protect corporate assets, mitigate risks, and demonstrate adherence to regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Intune challenges & ways to mitigate

Intune was initially designed for MDM (mobile device management) capabilities and has grown to support more device types and services. If the admin does not have much experience with Intune, it will likely be difficult to deploy and manage.
Intune has an RBAC (roles based access controls) model that allows you to assign permissions to users and groups based on their organizational roles and responsibilities. RBAC in Intune is based on Azure AD and will enable you to create accustomed roles and assign them to specific users and groups. With Intune RBAC, you can control access to Intune features and data, such as device management, app management, compliance policies, and more. We recommend creating custom roles within Intune and mapping them only to the relevant Azure AD groups to provide admins with access only to what they need.
Intune has many features and can become very complex very quickly. Intune management can become challenging. Managing device configurations, policies, and updates for many devices can be time-consuming and require significant planning. It is recommended to carefully plan your production operations and try to automate as much as possible. Intune has a unified console that can simply device management and reduce complexity.
The Intune console can be very complex and daunting for new Intune admins. There are many features in the console which admins may never use and therefore appears more complicated than it initially seems. The complexity of the console can be managed through careful planning, training, and support. It’s also advisable to manage the RBAC roles effectively, so the users only see what they need to see, which makes the console much less complex.
Intune can do many things, including deploying software, configuring devices, protecting data, etc. Due to the high number of configurable settings, if you have a large environment, you will run the risk of conflicting assignments between devices and users. To mitigate this risk, we recommend controlling access to assignments by using well-structured and identifiable Azure AD Groups. Enabling you to quickly identify relevant settings that are being applied.

Benefits of using Microsoft Intune

With enterprise-grade security built into the Microsoft ecosystem, you can confidently secure devices and policies across all managed endpoints. Sensitive data is protected through advanced encryption and regular security updates.
Intune supports a Zero Trust security model through pre-emptive identity and device verification. Before access to resources is granted, each endpoint is authenticated to reduce unauthorized access and data breaches.
Intune’s centralized approach to IT management simplifies administrative tasks like deploying applications, enforcing policies, and managing device configuration.
By providing easy access to corporate resources from any device, anywhere, Intune improves productivity among users. The self-service capabilities allow users to manage their own applications and devices, minimizing downtime and reducing the burden on IT.
IT can create and enforce regulatory policies that can be applied organization-wide. Intune provides comprehensive reporting and monitoring tools to proactively identify and address compliance standards.
By eliminating the need for on-premises infrastructure and minimizing admin work for IT, Intune greatly reduces operational costs. The Intune BYOD controls remove the need for companies to invest in hardware for employees while maintaining security.

Intune enrollment and deployment

Leveraging Nerdio for Intune management

Microsoft Intune can be complex, especially for organizations with limited IT resources or expertise. For those looking for a better way to manage Intune, Nerdio offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services to simplify Intune management and ensure the successful deployment and ongoing maintenance of Intune environments.
Nerdio provides a centralized management platform that allows organizations to manage Intune alongside other cloud-based services, such as Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Microsoft 365. With Nerdio Manager for MSP, IT administrators can streamline Intune management tasks, such as policy configuration, application deployment, and device compliance monitoring from a single, user-friendly interface.
Nerdio automates and orchestrates common Intune management tasks, reducing manual effort and minimizing the risk of errors. By leveraging Nerdio’s automation capabilities, organizations can streamline device enrollment, policy enforcement, and application deployment processes, saving time and resources while ensuring consistency and reliability across their Intune environments.
Nerdio offers best practices and guidance for Intune deployment and configuration, helping organizations optimize their Intune environments for security, performance, and compliance. Nerdio’s team of experts provides personalized recommendations and assistance to ensure that organizations effectively leverage Microsoft Intune features and capabilities to meet their specific business requirements.
Nerdio provides monitoring and reporting tools to help organizations track the health, compliance, and performance of their Intune-managed devices. With Nerdio’s monitoring and reporting capabilities, IT administrators can proactively identify and address issues, monitor compliance status, and generate actionable insights to optimize Intune performance and ensure ongoing security and compliance.
Nerdio offers training and support resources to help organizations maximize the value of Intune and empower their IT teams to effectively manage and support Intune environments. From training webinars and documentation to dedicated support channels, Nerdio provides the assistance and expertise organizations need to succeed with Intune.

By partnering with Nerdio for Intune management, you can simplify Intune deployment, improve operational efficiency, and ensure the security and compliance of company devices, applications, and data. With Nerdio’s comprehensive suite of tools and services, organizations can confidently embrace Intune as a key component of their modern IT infrastructure and unlock the full potential of cloud-based device management.

To learn more about how Nerdio and Microsoft Intune work together, contact us today for a demo.

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Additional Microsoft Intune Resources

Starter Guide for Intune in Nerdio Manager for MSP

Multi-tenant Endpoint Management (Intune) with Nerdio Manager Webinar

Transitioning from GPOs to Intune

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