Regardless of whether you’ve fully returned to in-person work or you’ve embraced a hybrid model — or what your mobile device policies actually are — chances are, your employees are accessing your tools and files from their personal tablets and phones. 

To your employees, these devices represent flexibility, freedom, and trust. But to cybercriminals around the world, they represent another potential entry point into your critical systems and data. And that’s a big, big problem. 

What Is Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune is a mobile device management (MDM) tool within Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) that helps organizations secure and manage their corporate devices and apps. It’s included in many Microsoft 365 license suites and can be added to other plans.

It’s not the only MDM tool on the market, but it benefits enormously from Microsoft’s $1B annual investments in advancing cybersecurity protections for individual users and businesses. 

Reasons To Consider Microsoft Intune

It’s great that Microsoft has invested so much in cybersecurity, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any responsibilities of your own. According to Microsoft’s shared responsibility model, while Microsoft is responsible for securing and preserving the functionality of its tools, end users are ultimately responsible for how they use them. 

End users are responsible for securing the following: 

• Their data
• Endpoints
• Account
• Access management

Securing Microsoft 365 takes some advanced knowledge, and unfortunately, security settings won’t look entirely the same from organization to organization. However, when it comes to properly securing your endpoints, Microsoft Intune makes that much easier. 

With Intune, organizations can manage devices and applications remotely, ensuring that security policies are consistently applied regardless of location. It allows for the deployment of apps, updates, and configurations over the air, which is especially helpful for remote workers who may not have access to the corporate network. Intune's comprehensive device management capabilities also include conditional access policies, compliance reporting, and the ability to wipe corporate data from devices. Last but not least, Intune integrates seamlessly with Azure Active Directory, providing a unified identity and device management solution that simplifies the user experience while increasing security.

3 Advantages of Using Microsoft Intune

While there are other MDM solutions out there, here’s why Intune is tough to beat: 

1. Greater Device Compatibility

Even if your workplace is BYOD, Intune can help you secure all of the following devices: 

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• iOS/iPadOS
• Android
• Chrome OS

2. More Control 

Intune and Microsoft’s Enterprise Management + Security (EMS) platform work together to enforce conditional access, so you can prevent an app or device from accessing your data unless it’s compliant with your policies. 

3. Quicker Setup

Through a simple cloud-based control center, your IT team can issue any updates and software rollouts across every user device simultaneously. Intune also has self-service features, allowing employees to download apps, join groups, and more.  Your employees can also set up their own PIN or password, or you can keep security simple with Windows Hello.

Reducing Your Risk Throughout Your Organization 

We often say at Marco that business technology can change by the month, but cybersecurity can change week to week. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, our team has dedicated the time and resources in order to demonstrate mastery in data and AI, infrastructure, digital and app innovation, and modern work SMB. However, it can be difficult for smaller IT providers — let alone internal IT teams — to cultivate that level of skill. So while we’re happy to help set you up with Intune, many small to midsize businesses might benefit from a more thorough investigation into their infrastructure, their tools, and their risks. 

We’ve recently debuted a new offer — ACE365 — that caters to small to midsize businesses that need to secure and optimize their Microsoft environment. However, if you prefer a one-time service over making a longer-term commitment, we get it! We also provide comprehensive technology assessments — so organizations can take a big step forward in terms of technology alignment or cybersecurity, and get our recommendations of what to prioritize and what can safely wait over the next five years. 

Click the link below to learn more about our cybersecurity assessment!