What is unified endpoint management (UEM)?
This guide defines UEM, covering its features, evolution from MDM, and challenges of managing physical and virtual endpoints.
On-demand webinar
Introduction
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) is a modern IT strategy and software platform that allows organizations to manage, secure, and monitor all their endpoints from a single, centralized console.
This unified approach goes beyond just mobile devices (phones and tablets) to include traditional endpoints like desktops and laptops (Windows, macOS, Linux) and, increasingly, virtual desktops (like Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365) and IoT devices. Its primary importance is simplifying IT administration, strengthening security, and enabling a secure, productive "work-from-anywhere" hybrid workforce.
How did UEM evolve from MDM and EMM?
The concept of UEM is the result of a natural evolution in IT, as the types of devices we use for work have expanded. To understand UEM, it helps to know what came before it: Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM).
| MDM (Mobile Device Management) |
EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) |
UEM (Unified Endpoint Management) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Device-Centric: Controlling the device hardware and settings (e.g., passcodes, remote wipe). |
App & Content-Centric: Includes all of MDM, plus management of applications and data (MAM, MCM). |
Unified Platform: Consolidates EMM and traditional client management into a single console. |
| Managed Assets |
Mobile Devices:
|
Mobile Ecosystem:
|
All Endpoints:
|
What was mobile device management (MDM)?
Mobile Device Management (MDM) was the foundational, device-centric technology. It focused on controlling and securing the mobile device hardware itself. This included tasks like enforcing device passcodes, configuring Wi-Fi settings, and giving IT the ability to remotely wipe a lost or stolen phone.
What did enterprise mobility management (EMM) add?
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) was the next logical step. It included all of MDM's capabilities but added a focus on applications and content. EMM introduced concepts like Mobile Application Management (MAM) to manage and secure corporate apps, and Mobile Content Management (MCM) to control access to work files, without IT having to take full control of the entire device.
Why is UEM the current standard?
UEM is the current standard because it consolidated EMM with traditional client management tools (like SCCM) that were used for desktops and laptops. The key shift was creating a single platform to manage both mobile (iOS, Android) and traditional (Windows, macOS) endpoints. This broke down IT silos and solved "tool sprawl," allowing administrators to apply consistent policies to all devices from one place.
How does a UEM platform work?
UEM platforms are the "command center" for your entire device fleet, operating on a client-server model. This architecture is built on a few core components that work together to manage and secure your endpoints.
What is the core architecture of UEM?
At its center, a UEM solution has a cloud-based management console (a well-known example is Microsoft Intune). This is the single web portal where your IT administrators define security policies, deploy applications, and view reports on device health. This console communicates with either a small software agent installed on the device or, more commonly, the native management APIs built directly into the device's operating system (like those in Windows 11, iOS, and Android).
How do devices enroll in UEM?
A device must be "enrolled" to be managed. For corporate-owned devices, this is often a "zero-touch" automated process; a new laptop can be shipped directly to an employee, and upon its first boot, services like Windows Autopilot or Apple Business Manager automatically register it with your UEM. For personal devices, (a "Bring Your Own Device" or BYOD model), the user typically initiates enrollment through a company portal app to gain access to work resources.
What is the role of identity in UEM?
Modern UEM is deeply integrated with cloud Identity Providers (IdP), such as Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). This connection is critical for a Zero Trust security model. The UEM platform constantly assesses the device's health—is it patched? is it encrypted? is it jailbroken?—and reports this "compliance status" to the IdP. This enables Conditional Access, which enforces rules like, "Only allow healthy, compliant devices to access corporate email". This link between device compliance and identity is a foundational component of a modern data security strategy, ensuring that access is granted only to trusted users on trusted endpoint devices. When paired with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, a UEM platform like Intune can provide comprehensive protection by combining device compliance management with advanced threat detection and response capabilities.
What are the key features of a UEM solution?
A modern UEM platform moves beyond simple device settings to give you control over the entire endpoint lifecycle. When evaluating solutions, there are several core functions you should expect.
What core functions should you expect from a UEM platform?
- Device Lifecycle Management: Manages the entire device journey, from "zero-touch" enrollment and provisioning for new employees to remotely retiring and wiping devices when an employee leaves.
- Security & Compliance Policy: Enforces your security baselines across all devices. This includes requiring device-level encryption (BitLocker on Windows, FileVault on macOS), setting strong passcode policies, and disabling high-risk features (like USB drives or cameras) based on user roles.
- Application Management (MAM): Deploys, updates, and secures applications. This allows you to automatically install required software (like Microsoft 365), create a "self-service" company portal for optional apps, and prevent unapproved applications from being installed.
- OS Patching and Updates: Automates the deployment of critical operating system patches and updates. This is a fundamental security function to protect all your endpoints from known vulnerabilities.
- Data Protection: Gives you the tools to respond if a device is lost or stolen. This includes a "remote lock" command, a "full wipe" to reset a corporate-owned device to factory settings, and a "selective wipe" to remove only the secure corporate data from a BYOD device, leaving the user's personal data untouched.
What is the challenge of managing physical and virtual endpoints together?
The promise of UEM is a single platform for all endpoints, but a new challenge has emerged in modern enterprises. Today's IT environment is a hybrid of two fundamentally different types of endpoints: physical and virtual.
A true UEM platform provides a 'single pane of glass' to manage every type of endpoint in your organization. As this diagram shows, this scope has expanded from traditional devices to include a critical new category: virtual endpoints.
This unified approach means a single console is responsible for managing:
- Physical Endpoints: These are the tangible devices your IT team manages, such as laptops (Windows, macOS), desktops, and mobile devices (iOS, Android).
- Virtual Endpoints: These are cloud-based desktops, such as Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Windows 365 Cloud PCs. These "devices" run in a data center, not on the user's desk. Enterprises that rely on Windows 365 can benefit from using dedicated Windows 365 management tools designed to streamline provisioning, optimize performance, and enforce consistent security policies across their Cloud PCs.
- Other Endpoints: This also includes servers, IoT, and ruggedized devices that must be secured and monitored.
Why do traditional UEM tools struggle with virtual endpoints?
This is the critical gap. A UEM platform like Intune is excellent at managing the OS policy inside the virtual machine—for example, it can apply security baselines, deploy apps, and enforce updates just like on a physical laptop. IT teams can also use Microsoft Intune to manage Windows 365 Cloud PCs, applying security baselines, deploying applications, and enforcing compliance policies in the same way they do for physical devices.
However, Intune was not built to manage the underlying cloud infrastructure that runs that virtual desktop. It cannot manage the complex, VDI-specific tasks like:
- Provisioning new virtual desktops from a master image.
- Dynamically scaling session hosts (turning VMs on and off) to control costs.
- Managing user profiles and session performance.
What management gap does this create for IT?
This gap breaks the "unified" promise. It forces your IT team to use two separate, complex platforms: one endpoint management tool (like Intune) for all physical devices and a separate set of tools (like the Azure portal and custom scripts) to manage your virtual desktop infrastructure. This creates inefficiency, inconsistent policies, and runaway cloud costs from unoptimized virtual machines.
What are the common operational challenges of managing at scale with Intune?
This two-platform problem is amplified when managing a large enterprise fleet with Microsoft Intune. While Intune is a powerful UEM, IT teams often face several operational hurdles when deploying it at scale.
How do compliance "blind spots" create security risks?
Intune can report a device as "compliant" even if third-party (non-Microsoft) software like web browsers or PDF readers is dangerously out of date. This creates a false sense of security and a significant cybersecurity gap, as unpatched third-party apps are a primary attack vector for malware.
What problems do policy conflicts cause?
In hybrid environments, many organizations are migrating from legacy on-premises Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to modern Intune policies. These two policy sets can clash, leading to unpredictable behavior, user downtime, and long, frustrating troubleshooting sessions.
Why is it difficult to meet long-term audit requirements?
Native Intune compliance data is often retained for a limited period (e.g., 30 days). When auditors ask for a 90- or 180-day report to prove that all devices have been compliant, IT teams are often forced to manually export and stitch together data.
What is "tool sprawl" in endpoint management?
To fill these gaps, organizations are often forced to buy, manage, and integrate more third-party tools. You might have one tool for third-party patching, another for advanced reporting, and a third for remote support, which adds significant cost and complexity.
How does misconfiguration create risk?
In a large environment, a simple policy error—like a misconfigured compliance rule—can accidentally lock thousands of users out of corporate resources. Native tools may lack a simple "one-click restore" or version control for policies, turning a small mistake into a major incident.
How are software license costs impacted?
Most organizations waste a significant portion of their IT budget on "shelfware"—expensive software licenses that are installed but never used. Without detailed software metering to track real-time usage, it's nearly impossible to find and reclaim these unused licenses.
Why do organizations remain dependent on traditional tools like SCCM?
Intune is designed for endpoints (physical and virtual), but many enterprises still rely on on-premises servers. Many enterprises continue to rely on Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM) to manage on-premises servers and legacy Windows devices, often alongside modern cloud-based tools like Intune. This often forces them to continue using traditional on-premises tools like SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) for server management, creating a costly and complex co-management scenario that slows a full cloud migration.
Know the TCO
This step-by-step wizard tool gives you the total cost of ownership for AVD in your organization.
How does Nerdio unify and enhance Microsoft endpoint management?
Solving these challenges requires a platform that bridges the gaps in the Microsoft ecosystem. Nerdio provides a unified management platform that enhances Intune for physical endpoints and adds the sophisticated VDI management that Intune lacks.
How does Nerdio solve compliance, audit, and policy challenges?
Nerdio extends Intune's capabilities to give IT teams a true, holistic view of their environment. It factually provides:
- True Compliance: Integrates third-party patch status into a single compliance view.
- Long-Term Reporting: Provides historical compliance and audit reporting to meet long-term requirements.
- Policy Safety Net: Adds version control and one-click restore for Intune policies to mitigate misconfiguration risks.
- Conflict Detection: Proactively detects GPO and Intune policy conflicts before they cause user downtime.
How does Nerdio reduce tool sprawl and optimize costs?
By centralizing key functions, a unified platform like Nerdio allows organizations to consolidate their IT stack. It integrates functions like third-party patching and advanced reporting, eliminating the need for multiple, fragmented tools. It also provides detailed software metering, allowing you to identify and reclaim unused, expensive software licenses to optimize your budget.
How does Nerdio create a single platform for physical and virtual endpoints?
This is the key takeaway: Nerdio provides one interface to manage both your Intune-enrolled physical devices and your Azure Virtual Desktop/Windows 365 virtual desktop infrastructure. It automates the complex, VDI-specific tasks (like advanced auto-scaling, image management, and performance monitoring) that Intune doesn't cover. This approach helps enterprises reduce dependence on legacy tools like SCCM and truly bridges the gap, delivering on the promise of a single, unified endpoint management experience.
Optimize and save
See how you can optimize processes, improve security, increase reliability, and save up to 70% on Microsoft Azure costs.
Frequently asked questions
Related resources
On-demand webinar
Managing Endpoints with Microsoft and Nerdio vs. Traditional MSP Tools
White paper
Endpoint management made easy for MSPs
About the author
