What is our primary use case?
We use endpoint management, both SCCM and Intune, so it is a hybrid model that we use in order to manage applications, patching, updates, and operating system deployment with Intune. We also use Autopilot for deployment.
How has it helped my organization?
Intune has been effective in managing various mobile devices. It would be Apple Business Manager for Apple devices, the iOS tray. It's easier to manage from Intune compared to Android. I've recently heard that Android devices will no longer be managed from Intune. The MDM part is moving away.
Intune's app management feature for supporting business operations is very easy and seamless for an admin to package applications on Intune. It's also very easy to track logs on the end-user device to understand deployment or push failures. Application management works really seamlessly with Intune.
Moreover, Intune has made it very easy to package and deploy LOB apps like MSI and MSI X applications available on the Microsoft Store. This is very helpful.
Intune brings all of the endpoint and security management tools into one place. Microsoft has integrated all its cloud platforms, like Defender for Endpoint and Intune for endpoint management. We can easily manage the Defender part from the Defender portal for endpoints, and it's very easy to track vulnerabilities on the Defender portal as well.
It's just a matter of installing the Defender client on a device, and we can easily see all the scan results from that device on the portal. So it's very easy and simple, and the security information is all on the dashboard, ready to be presented to the client.
Automatic updating can be challenging for apps not available on the Microsoft Store. We need to package and download those apps, and it's not just pushing them; we need to create scripts to uninstall previous versions. That's a caveat compared to SCCM, where we can integrate third-party tools to manage third-party applications. I hope they will soon integrate something like Patch My PC. Apart from that, it's good.
We don't use the advanced endpoint analytics but, we use the basic features available on the dashboard. We have various data sources and get a lot of reports from there.
We also don't use Intune PKI as of now because we manage PKI from our on-prem environment. But we have seen that BYO CA (Bring Your Own CA) is now available on Intune. We can bring our own CA to reduce the load on the on-prem infrastructure. That's one of the features we need to test.
Overall, Intune provides a more secure and easily monitored environment, with live and native support, unlike other tools. For example, we might get data that is seven days old with other tools, but with Intune, we get data that's only eight hours old. This helps us understand what applications run on a particular machine and which operating system is installed. Intune has saved us time and provides valuable features.
What is most valuable?
The best features are application and update management. In the context of updates, it's very easy to manage device updates through Intune because they pull updates directly from the internet. We don't have to select and push updates as we do with SCCM.
For application management, we have many options for packaging applications.
The overall user experience of Microsoft Intune a ten out of ten. There are certain limitations, but I would still rate it ten out of ten compared to Jamf, Tanium, and BigFix. I find Intune far better and easier to use.
I also tested the enterprise application management feature. The way we are packaging using Windows 32 apps and LOB apps. These are pretty simple to manage.
We recently introduced Copilot on Microsoft 365 portal to help draft emails. We were highly dependent on Grammarly before, but Copilot has replaced it and saved us the licensing cost. That's one way we use Copilot.
Copilot won't protect our environment. It's just an AI tool. Defender is responsible for protecting our environment. Copilot can answer our questions quickly, without needing to browse through Google or a browser. It's integrated into almost every application. We can click on it and ask our questions.
Copilot has reduced the load of typing. We can just give it a brief instruction, like "draft an email to my manager regarding a new joiner," and it generates a draft. This saves us time and typing effort. We just need to proofread it.
We've only seen Copilot so far. We haven't tested any other AI tools in Intune yet. Copilot is very useful, and it's a Microsoft product.
What needs improvement?
The challenge we experience is with Mac management. We find Intune not capable enough to handle Mac devices, configurations, or operating system deployments. However, it's easy to manage Windows devices. Mac itself has a lot of restrictions. Linux and Mac operating system compatibility need improvement. Also, they need to work on making GPO (Group Policy Objects) compatible.
Microsoft needs to work on Autopilot and make it simpler at the end-user level.
We also face challenges managing group policy. Many group policy objects that we can manage from on-prem Active Directory can't be managed through Intune. That's something Microsoft needs to work on, and I'm sure they will.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for more than four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I would rate it a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Everyone in our organization uses this solution. But, for the project I am involved in, just 15 people use it.
We have medium to enterprise businesses as our clients.
I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are average. Sometimes I feel they don't even know about their product.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I can compare it to Tanium. When I was doing a POC in place of Intune, we needed to compare other tools as well. Tanium is a good tool, but I can't find any other tool that can replace Intune with so many features.
I like the user-friendliness of Intune's GUI and the fact that we get so many features under one roof has attracted our attention.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment of Intune depends on the environment in which it is being deployed. In our case, it was pretty simple because we didn't have much insight. However, depending on the requirements of a different environment, it can become complex.
The deployment takes a couple of months would be a good estimate. You need to plan everything and then execute, and migration is involved.
Intune works seamlessly with Microsoft Defender. With other security solutions, we see a lot of challenges. It depends on the complexity and scale of the environment. But it's really compatible with Defender and Intune integrates well with other security solutions.
Intune requires maintenance. It requires internet access because we need to manage certificates, check on the DMF file, and clean up stale devices.
What was our ROI?
It has helped admins immensely in order to manage those endpoint devices. With other tools, the device needs to be on the office network or VPN. Intune removes this dependency.
We can manage devices through the internet, and we won't miss any devices that are offline.
It has saved 60% of our time. I can't put an estimate on cost savings, but it has saved a huge cost because we don't have to manage infrastructure anymore.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's a little expensive, but it's worth having.
What other advice do I have?
Compared to other tools in the market, Intune is a good tool to go with. It's a little expensive, but it's really good because we have almost everything under the same umbrella. The features that Microsoft offers are not available in BigFix, Tanium, or Canvas. But it also depends on your budget.
I would definitely recommend it. We get promoted features, and it's easy to use. The ease of use is really attractive for admins, especially compared to other tools.
Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.