What is our primary use case?
Our main use case for Microsoft Intune is for laptops in remote situations where the client is remote and not where we are locally, as well as when the end user is not at the home office. When they get a new computer, they open it up out of the box and then it connects to the internet and it will automatically set up their username to the brand new computer. It'll download apps, it'll set up security policies, it'll connect, program in the company Wi-Fi, the network settings, mapping drives. This enables automated remote setup and management of the computer.
We provide IT support through a managed service provider (MSP) model, offering both hourly work and contracted managed services.
How has it helped my organization?
Once the initial setup is complete, which involves running PowerShell commands, programming, and testing, the product becomes very user-friendly for end users, particularly for Level 1 tech support staff. After Level 3 network engineers have configured everything, it becomes easy for frontline support personnel to manage the computers effectively. This system allows a Level 1 technician to address various needs without having to remote into the end user's computer. For instance, if a user requires a new printer, the technician can simply deploy the printer driver remotely. If access to certain resources is needed, that can also be pushed out without direct interaction. Additionally, the capability to remotely apply or remove settings is crucial. If a machine is lost or confiscated, technicians can lock it down or even wipe the data remotely. In the event of an operating system failure, they can instruct the computer to reinstall the system from a distance.
In this way, once properly set up, Microsoft Intune significantly alleviates the headaches and hassles faced by Level 1 tech support staff when addressing end user issues. The system is not only designed for setting up computers but also for maintaining them and assisting in troubleshooting. Without Microsoft Intune, it would be extremely challenging, if not impossible, for a large company to send out computers to users and have them set up and ready to use right out of the box in a remote location. If a vendor needs to ship a brand new computer to a user whose previous computer has broken, the process becomes much simpler. The user doesn’t need to be on the phone for setup; the computer connects to Microsoft servers remotely and sets itself up automatically.
Our client has around 300 machines, and initially, their goal was to complete the setup of one or two machines each week. However, after implementing Intune for them, they have been able to set up and install approximately 30 machines per week. This has significantly exceeded their expectations, allowing them to accomplish far more than they initially planned.
What is most valuable?
The best feature of Microsoft Intune is that since it's working with Microsoft servers and the Microsoft operating system, it's tightly integrated. There's a lot of documentation and resources for training. It's the first step to remote managing a Windows-based laptop or machine that you want to use out of the box. Even if you use a third party, they're still built on Microsoft services.
What needs improvement?
There are some cases where features of Microsoft Intune have changed, and sometimes it's tricky to find the answer. It's such a mass amount of information that searching for the solution to why something isn't working as expected is sometimes tricky or daunting. That's where the AI searches with ChatGPT and CoPilots come in because those AIs are helping us search a vast amount of data all at once. We can type in our question and formulate it to get the steps to the problem, the answer, and then verify it or write a script. We're leveraging AI to search the vast amount of old solutions, new solutions, and potential solutions all at once.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been learning Microsoft Intune for a year and a half and have just started to use it.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't used their support. The documentation has been pretty good so far. It has allowed us to meet our clients' needs and deadlines and remotely manage, install their software, remove software, and ensure compliance.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
When it comes to the IT department, regardless of individual skill levels, setting up and using these systems requires dedication. It's not something one can merely "hack" their way through; you need to start from the basics and understand the complexities involved. This isn't necessarily Microsoft's fault; rather, it's a reflection of the intricate problems and challenges that Intune addresses.
Intune is designed to handle complex issues, and Microsoft has made it as user-friendly as possible given the many options and components involved. It interacts with various parts of the computer, including group policies, on-premises servers, hybrid systems, and cloud-based solutions like Azure. With such a wide range of capabilities, it's not something you can simply learn by watching a single YouTube video. To effectively use Intune, you need to read and study the material. In summary, it requires a highly skilled individual to properly implement and manage this technology.
The deployment model is what's called a hybrid join with Microsoft Intune. The client has an on-premise server and an off-premise Azure cloud server. Because some of their software is still local and the way they have their network set up, we have to do it as a hybrid, which is one of the more complicated ways to do it, but we've been able to get it done. That's considered a temporary solution by Microsoft. Once you get it all working, there are some changes that you make where it's no longer hybrid.
What other advice do I have?
We've just started taking a look at CoPilot in Microsoft Intune. We use a combination of ChatGPT and CoPilot to get answers and help write scripts quicker or to search for problems quicker.
I would recommend Microsoft Intune to others because it's the industry standard for doing what it does. There's not really another option.
I would rate Microsoft Intune an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner