Policy standardization in Nerdio Manager for MSP
IT organizations are constantly updating the way they manage physical and virtual endpoints to stay on top of the latest technology. Microsoft Intune has emerged as the clear leader in endpoint management, with organizations of all sizes shifting away from domain-joined devices and third-party MDM solutions. Even legacy MDM providers are now building integrations to coexist with Intune, signaling its dominance.
For MSPs, this transition presents both challenges and opportunities. Many have started migrating customers from traditional RMM-based device management to Intune, but enrolling a device is just the beginning. Once a device is in Intune, the ability to configure and secure it to meet business needs is limitless. The key to success, however, lies in standardization.
Why standardization matters
Configuring each customer environment from scratch is inefficient. Establishing a standard set of policies across multiple customers ensures consistency, improves security, and simplifies management. When an MSP adopts a well-defined standard, training technicians becomes easier, support is streamlined, and troubleshooting becomes more predictable. A standardized approach reduces the risk of misconfigurations and ensures that all customers benefit from best practices. As the MSP, the benefits of truly understanding those standards as an organization can lead to a reduction in endpoint management tickets as the entire team is trained and familiar with the standards.
However, many MSPs struggle with where to start. The sheer number of configuration options can be overwhelming. There are security policies to lock down devices, configurations to optimize user experience, and compliance standards to meet regulatory requirements. Without a clear framework, it’s easy to get lost in the complexity.
How Nerdio simplifies policy standardization
Nerdio provides a library of prebuilt Intune policies and free consulting services to help MSPs develop and implement standardized configurations. By leveraging Nerdio’s Policy Baselines, MSPs can define and deploy consistent policies across multiple customers without recreating the wheel every time. This approach reduces time spent on setup, minimizes human error, and ensures best practices are followed at scale.
With Policy Baselines, MSPs can create foundational policies and then build variations tailored to specific compliance frameworks, such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or CMMC. Instead of manually configuring each customer’s environment, proven policies can be applied with just a few clicks. This saves countless hours during onboarding and ongoing maintenance.
Tracking and maintaining policy compliance
Once policies are deployed, configuration drift can occur—whether due to manual changes by technicians or customers in co-managed environments. Nerdio’s Policy Baseline Status feature tracks policy drift in real-time, highlighting deviations from the intended configuration. MSPs can then choose to accept the changes, revert to the enforced standard, or document the modification for compliance purposes. This level of visibility ensures that security and operational policies remain intact.
The value of centralized policy management
A centralized approach to policy management is essential for maintaining IT hygiene across multiple customers. Nerdio enables MSPs to import, modify, and maintain policies in one place, independent of individual customer tenants. Policies are backed up daily, with version control and change tracking, allowing for easy rollbacks if needed. Unlike other vendors that require a separate staging tenant, Nerdio ensures policies are stored securely and remain accessible across all managed environments.
Enhancing security with CIS policy baselines
Nerdio has partnered with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) to provide pre-built security baselines for Windows 10 & 11 endpoints. These benchmarks, developed by global security experts, define industry best practices across critical security settings. Without Nerdio, an MSP would need to manually implement hundreds of individual policies from a 1,300-page CIS document—an impractical task at scale.
With Nerdio, CIS Level 1 security policies can be applied in minutes, ensuring that physical and virtual endpoints meet rigorous security standards. The ability to generate CIS-CAT reports provides tangible evidence of compliance, making audits and regulatory reporting easier for MSPs and their customers.
A smarter approach to policy assignments
Managing policy assignments across multiple tenants can be complex, but Nerdio simplifies the process with Group Templates. MSPs can define default security groups that are dynamically applied to each customer, ensuring consistency while allowing for customer-specific variations. These groups can be assigned based on user roles, locations, or device types, further streamlining policy enforcement.
A future-proof solution for MSPs
As IT environments continue to evolve, so should policy management strategies. Nerdio’s centralized platform not only simplifies policy deployment but also ensures that MSPs can adapt to new security threats, compliance requirements, and Microsoft Intune advancements. By embracing policy standardization, MSPs gain efficiency, enhance security, and provide a higher level of service to their customers.
With Nerdio, the shift to modern endpoint management doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By leveraging prebuilt policies, automation, and real-time compliance tracking, MSPs can standardize configurations, reduce operational overhead, and drive better business outcomes. The future of endpoint management is here—and it starts with policy standardization in Nerdio Manager for MSP.
