Benefits of using Microsoft Intune for your business
January 13, 2026 • By KPThink
Image made with AI for visual purposes only.
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) platform. It lets IT administrators enrol, configure, monitor, and wipe devices across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android from a single web-based console, without on-premises infrastructure. This article covers ten specific things Intune does and why each one matters for a business that manages corporate devices or supports BYOD.
What Intune manages
- Corporate-owned devices: Windows 10/11 laptops, macOS, iOS, and Android, enrolled via Autopilot, Apple DEP, or Android Enterprise
- BYOD devices: personal phones and tablets with corporate apps and data contained in a managed work profile
- Application deployment and retirement across the device fleet
- Compliance policies covering OS version, encryption, screen lock, and password complexity
- Conditional Access integration that blocks non-compliant devices from corporate resources
Ten Intune benefits explained
1. Centralized device management across platforms
Intune manages Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices from a single admin console: the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center (now part of the Intune portal). Before MDM platforms like Intune, IT teams needed separate tools for each operating system: Group Policy for Windows, Apple Remote Desktop for Macs, and mobile management apps for phones. Intune consolidates all four into one interface where you can push configuration profiles, enforce compliance, and see device status across the entire fleet.
2. Security policy enforcement
Intune lets IT define compliance policies specifying what a device must have before it can access corporate resources: minimum OS version, enabled disk encryption (BitLocker for Windows, FileVault for macOS), screen lock enabled, no jailbreak detected. Devices that don't meet the policy are marked non-compliant, which triggers Conditional Access to block their access to Exchange, SharePoint, and Teams until the issue is remediated. Security becomes a configuration and audit problem, not a manual check process.
3. Centralized app deployment and management
IT can push, update, or remove applications from managed devices without touching the device physically. For Windows, Intune supports Win32 app packages, Microsoft Store apps, and LOB (line-of-business) apps. For mobile platforms, it integrates with Apple Volume Purchase Program (VPP) and Google Play Managed for bulk app licensing and silent installation. Mobile Application Management (MAM) policies control how apps handle data. They prevent copy-paste from a work app to a personal app, or require a PIN to open corporate apps.
4. BYOD support with data separation
For employees using personal devices for work, Intune's MAM-without-enrollment (MAM-WE) mode applies policies to specific apps without the company enrolling or managing the entire device. Corporate email, Teams messages, and SharePoint files are confined to a managed work container. If an employee leaves, IT can selectively wipe corporate data from the work container without touching personal photos, messages, or apps. This makes BYOD practical from a security standpoint without requiring employees to surrender control of their personal phone to IT.
5. Native integration with Microsoft 365
Intune is part of Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure AD) and integrates directly with Microsoft 365, Defender for Endpoint, and Azure AD Conditional Access. Device compliance status feeds into Conditional Access policies, so access to Exchange Online, SharePoint, and Teams can be conditional on whether the device is enrolled and compliant. This is not an integration you configure. It's built into the same identity and policy layer. If your organisation already uses Microsoft 365, Intune connects to it natively.
6. Scales without on-premises infrastructure
Intune is a SaaS service, so there are no MDM servers to provision, patch, or maintain. Licensing is per user per month (included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, EMS E3/E5, and Microsoft 365 E3/E5). Adding 500 new employees means assigning licences in Azure AD and having users enrol their devices; it doesn't require sizing or deploying additional MDM server capacity.
7. Remote management and just-in-time support
IT administrators can perform device actions remotely from the Intune portal: restart a device, sync it to pull new policies, lock it, reset the PIN, or initiate a factory reset. For Windows devices, the Remote Help feature allows IT to take remote control of a screen for troubleshooting. This matters particularly for distributed workforces where sending someone to a user's desk is impractical. Conditional Access combined with remote wipe means a lost or stolen device can be locked and wiped before sensitive data is exposed.
8. Cost-effective compared to on-premises MDM
On-premises MDM solutions (SCCM/ConfigMgr in traditional mode) require server hardware, operating system licences, SQL Server, and IT staff time for maintenance and upgrades. Intune's per-user monthly subscription eliminates the hardware and reduces the ongoing maintenance overhead to policy management and licence administration. For organisations already paying for Microsoft 365 Business Premium or E3/E5, Intune is included, so the marginal cost of enabling it is nearly zero.
9. Self-service capabilities for end users
The Intune Company Portal app lets employees enrol their own devices, install approved apps, and reset their work PIN without contacting IT support. This reduces helpdesk ticket volume for routine device setup tasks. The Company Portal also shows employees which policies are applied to their device, making the MDM footprint visible rather than hidden. IT retains control through policy; users get autonomy for self-service within the approved set of apps and configurations.
10. Threat detection through Defender integration
Intune integrates with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, which provides endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities on managed Windows devices. Defender's risk score for a device can feed into Intune compliance. A device running a detected threat can be automatically marked non-compliant, which triggers Conditional Access to revoke its access to corporate resources until the threat is remediated. This closes the loop between security alerts and access control without requiring manual intervention.
How to configure Intune: seven setup steps
1. Set up Intune in Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Log in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center (intune.microsoft.com). Assign the appropriate licences (Microsoft 365 Business Premium, EMS E3/E5, or Microsoft 365 E3/E5) to admin and user accounts. Configure role-based access control (RBAC) to define which IT admins can manage which device groups.
2. Configure device enrollment
Enable automatic MDM enrollment for Azure AD-joined Windows 10/11 devices. Set up Windows Autopilot for zero-touch provisioning of new hardware. For mobile platforms, configure an Apple MDM Push Certificate for iOS/macOS, and set up Android Enterprise for corporate and BYOD Android devices.
3. Define compliance policies
Create compliance rules for each platform: minimum OS version, encryption required, screen lock enabled, password complexity. Set actions for non-compliant devices: send a notification email, quarantine after three days, or block immediately. Compliance status syncs to Azure AD and feeds Conditional Access policies.
4. Deploy configuration profiles
Configuration profiles push settings to devices without user interaction. Common profiles include: Wi-Fi auto-connection settings, BitLocker encryption configuration, Microsoft Defender Antivirus settings, email profile configuration, and VPN client settings. Profiles are assigned to device groups or user groups defined in Azure AD.
5. Deploy applications
Add applications to the Intune portal and assign them as required (pushed automatically) or available (user can install from Company Portal). Use Win32 app packages for complex Windows applications. Apply MAM policies to control data sharing between apps, particularly for BYOD scenarios where personal and corporate apps coexist on the same device.
6. Configure Conditional Access
In Azure AD, create Conditional Access policies that require devices to be Intune-compliant before accessing Microsoft 365 services. For example: require compliant device + MFA to access Exchange Online; block access from non-enrolled devices to SharePoint. Conditional Access policies are defined in Azure AD and evaluated at every authentication request.
7. Monitor and troubleshoot
Intune's reports section shows device compliance status, failed policy deployments, app install failures, and enrollment errors. The Troubleshoot + Support section allows IT to look up a specific user or device to see all applied policies and their current status. For Windows devices, the Intune Management Extension logs on the device provide detailed deployment history.
Not sure where your cloud setup stands?
Get a free cloud readiness assessmentSummary
Intune gives IT teams a single platform for managing the full device lifecycle: enrollment, configuration, compliance, app deployment, and retirement, across all major operating systems, with no on-premises servers required. Its integration with Microsoft 365 and Defender for Endpoint makes it a natural fit for organisations already in the Microsoft ecosystem. KPThink's Intune management plans start at $975/month and cover enrollment, policy setup, compliance monitoring, and ongoing management.