What is Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune, a cloud-based tool, part of Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility + Security Suite (EMS), performs Mobile Device Management (MDM) as well as Mobile Application Management (MAM) to protect data on mobile devices. In other words, Microsoft Intune manages devices and applications to protect data and resources from misuse or data loss. To do so, you must configure policies, isolate organizational data from personal data, control access to resources, and many more. For example, using Microsoft Intune, you can prevent sending emails outside your organization. Know that mobile devices could be laptops, smartphones, or tablets. Mastering Device and App Management with Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune supports all platforms, such as Windows, Linux, Android, macOS, iOS, etc.
You can protect and control organizational data from any mobile device, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
You can deploy applications on devices and control the access remotely
With Microsoft Intune, you can create policies and rules to manage data on the devices
You can ensure compliance with organizations' security policies for both devices and applications.
Intune-supported operating systems Intune supports devices running the following operating systems (OS):
Android
iOS/iPad
Linux
macOS
Windows
Chrome OS
What is Mobile Device Management (MDM)?
With Microsoft Intune, you can control both company-owned and personal devices. Microsoft Intune offers a feature known as enrolling devices. By enrolling, you can protect your personal and company-owned devices by creating VPN connections, setting passwords and PINs, and setting up threat protection.
At the same time, users won't prefer Microsoft Intune to control their devices completely when using their own devices. Microsoft Intune offers options to overcome this issue by providing separate access to resources using personal and official credentials. In addition, users can set up policies such as Multifactor Authentication (MFA) to securely access organization data and applications.
MDM Life Cycle
Mastering Device and App Management with Microsoft Intune
Enrolling
Your device could be a mobile, tablet, or PC, which might be working on any platform such as Windows, Linux, etc. First of all, all you have to do is that you need to enrol your devices with Microsoft Intune. Device enrolment is a vital process made by Microsoft Intune, which makes sure users and devices are in alignment with organizational policies and settings. With enrolling, admins can collect the list of devices accessing the organizational resources. It enables them to issue certificates for users to access Wi-Fi and VPN connections. It also helps to generate security compliance reports for users and devices.
Configure
In this stage, you must choose device protection policies based on the work requirements. Then, you have to configure your devices with the required features and capabilities. On the same track, configuring must take place to protect organization resources from unauthorized access. With Microsoft Intune client software, you can configure even PCs for device management capabilities.
Protect
These days, protecting devices from malicious attacks is a much-needed task. With Microsoft Intune, this can be achieved in three ways: MultiFactor Authentication (MFA), Windows Hello for business settings, and setting policies for protecting Windows. At first, MFA provides an extra layer for authentication to access resources. Secondly, Windows Hello acts as the alternative method for signing in in the form of a gesture or Windows Hello. At last, with Microsoft Intune client software, you can protect PCs through software updates, end-point protection, and Windows firewalls.
Retire
As all we know, there might be frequent situations such as a device being lost or stolen or needing replacement. At these times, you need to retire or wipe the devices entirely. If not, it will increase the chances of organizational data being misused. So, retiring or wiping out of devices must be performed as fast as possible by removing them from device management, resetting the devices, and wiping out the corporate data.
What is Mobile Application Management (MAM)?
MAM is used to protect the data of apps for both custom and store apps. With MAM, you can manage apps on both personal devices and company-owned devices. MAM helps admins for assigning apps to user groups and devices. Not only this, but they can assign apps to specific groups, too. MAM supports configuring apps with specific settings and updates. Moreover, it helps users view track reports on users' accessing applications.
How Does Microsoft Intune MAM Protect Apps?
Microsoft Intune protects apps using App protection policies. With these policies, you can control access to applications. With enrolled devices, App protection policies provide an extra layer of protection. For instance, if users sign in to their devices with their organizational credentials, they can access the organizational resources. At the same time, if they use their personal credentials to sign in to devices, they cannot access organizational resources.
Microsoft Intune provides a feature known as – Microsoft Intune Managed Apps. These apps are integrated with App SDK or Microsoft Intune App wrapping tool. Also, they are managed by Microsoft Intune app protection policies. Using the Managed Apps only, users can access organizational data. As a result, you can avoid data leaks and keep organizational data safe. Note that Managed Apps don’t interfere with personal data; instead, they deal with organizational data.
Benefits of Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune offers many benefits, from listing the devices to wiping data out of them. Let’s go through them below.
You can keep a list of mobile device assets through enrolled programs and control access to resources and data.
You can deploy and retire devices.
You can wipe out and disable lost and stolen devices.
Updates can be made on mobile devices regardless of platform.
You can configure devices based on the required security standards.
Pushing certificates to access Wi-Fi and using VPN networks and emails make sure the security considerations.
You can collect reports of devices and users' compliance.
Microsoft Intune is used to track devices from the central point.
Reasons Why You Should Use Intune for Mobile Device Management
Intune is compatible with all your employees’ devices
Presuming that your IT team needs to manually handle each and every employee's device for security reasons? With Microsoft Intune, that’s no longer necessary. Intune boast extensive compatibility across a multitude of devices, making it easier than ever for your team to manage device security. This versatile platform offers automatic enrolment (which requires Azure AD Premium), allowing your IT admin to manage devices efficiently. Additionally, bulk enrolment is made possible with Azure AD Premium and Windows Configuration Designer, providing a streamlined solution for enhanced business-wide security.
But it doesn’t stop there. Intune Laos empowers you to set up add protection policies. This feature safeguards your company data, all without needing full control over employee devices. How? Simply log into Intune, navigate to Device Compliance, select Policies and Create Policy, and then save your changes. It’s that simple.
Allow or deny user access, meaning your business has the best security management
Microsoft Intune’s advanced security management features offer optimal control, even for small businesses and startups. It empowers administrators with the ability to establish Wi-Fi profiles with pre-shaped keys and resolve certificate chains without individual deployment.
Moreover, Intune provides the flexibility to restrict access to specific apps or URLs, adding an additional layer of security.
A significant concern for many businesses is personal apps inadvertently accessing company information, including sensitive data like passwords. With Intune in your arsenal, you can put those worries to rest.
Integrated with Azure Active Directory, Intune ensures only managed apps can corporately email and other Microsoft 365 services. This app-based conditional access restricts your company data exclusively to apps your business has enrolled with Intune.
What’s more, Intune app protection policies can be applied to both company-owned and personal employee devices. This dual coverage ensures comprehensive security, keeping your business information as secure as possible. With Intune, managing access and enhancing your company’s security management is both effective and straightforward.
Easily deploy software and updates to your business devices
Microsoft Intune isn’t just for Windows. It showcases its versatility and compatibility across all major operating systems, including Mac OS X, Android, and iOS. The ability to manage devices on all these platforms through Intune’s cloud-based service makes it a valuable investment.
Intune’s real magic lies in its capacity to deploy software and updates effortlessly across your business devices. Employee can seamlessly switch between their desktop and mobile devices without compromising the company’s security. This feature is critical in today’s increasingly flexible work environment, where employees may work from multiple locations and devices.
Whether in a meeting room, at a job site, at home, or on the move, your team can stay connected and secure with Intune. Moreover, with the rise of remote working, Intune’s ability to effortlessly manage software deployment and updates is more relevant than ever. Investing in Intune means a hassle-free, secure and versatile digital workspace.
Embrace the Cloud: no on-site maintenance required
The need for onsite server maintenance can be a drain on your resources. Luckily, with Microsoft Intune, you can free up your team to focus on what truly matters to your business. Because Intune is cloud-based, Microsoft handles all the heavy lifting, such as server maintenance and upgrades. And with Microsoft’s globally scalable cloud architecture, you can rest easy knowing it’s always up-to-date.
Intune extends the functionality of Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager into the Windows Azure cloud. This means your business doesn’t need to maintain on-premise servers. This approach not only saves time but also reduces the risk of potential security vulnerabilities associated with on-site server maintenance.
Moreover, Intune has taken convenience a step further by introducing single sign-on for its Intune-managed browser application on both iOS and Android platforms. This feature allows your employees to access all necessary web applications securely, irrespective of their location or device, while remaining under Intune’s protective umbrella. The only requirement is a connection to Azure Active Directory.
Centralized control: no need for additional infrastructure
One of the main advantages of using Microsoft Intune is its centralized control feature. With Intune, you have the ability to manage all your devices, including PCs, Macs, and mobile devices, from a cloud-based platform. This eliminates the need for any additional physical infrastructure.
What does this mean for you? Savings of both time and money removes the need for hardware planning and maintenance.
As a pivotal component of the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS), Intune provides not only device management but also data protection, threat detection, and identity management services, all managed from the cloud. This integrated approach ensures a high level of security and control over your devices and data.
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