So, what exactly is Microsoft Intune? In simple terms, it’s a cloud-based service that lets you manage and secure all the devices that connect to your business network—laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It’s the control panel your IT team uses to make sure company data stays safe, no matter where your employees are working from.
The Modern Workplace Needs Modern Management
Let’s face it, the way we work has changed. Your team is likely using a mix of company-owned laptops, personal smartphones, and tablets to get their jobs done. This flexibility is great for productivity, but it throws up a huge question for any business owner: how do you protect your sensitive data when it’s spread across so many different devices?
This is the exact problem Microsoft Intune was built to solve.
Think of it as the digital gatekeeper for your company’s resources. It gives you the power to set the rules, ensuring that any device trying to access your network is secure and compliant. It’s not about watching over your team’s shoulder; it’s about building a secure bubble around your business data without getting in the way of work.
What Does Intune Actually Do?
At its core, Intune focuses on two key areas: managing the device itself and managing the apps on that device. This dual approach is what makes it so powerful.
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Mobile Device Management (MDM): This is ideal for devices your company owns. With MDM, you can fully enrol a device, enforce security policies like requiring a PIN, turn on data encryption, and even wipe it clean if it gets lost or stolen. You have complete control.
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Mobile Application Management (MAM): This is the clever bit for personal devices used for work (often called “Bring Your Own Device” or BYOD). Instead of taking control of someone’s entire phone, MAM lets you secure just the business data inside specific apps like Outlook or Teams. You protect the company without touching personal photos or messages.
To give you a better idea, here’s a quick summary of what Intune brings to the table.
Microsoft Intune at a Glance
| Core Function | What It Means for Your Business |
|---|---|
| Unified Endpoint Management | See and manage all your devices—Windows, Mac, iOS, Android—from one single online dashboard. No more juggling different tools. |
| Security Policy Enforcement | Set rules like mandatory passwords, disk encryption, and antivirus protection across your entire device fleet. |
| Application Control | You decide which apps can be installed and how they can handle company data. For example, you can block copy-pasting from Outlook into a personal app. |
| Conditional Access | Works with Microsoft Entra ID to grant access to company resources only if the device meets your security standards. It's like a bouncer for your data. |
| Remote Actions | If a device is lost or an employee leaves, you can remotely lock it, reset it, or wipe all company data without touching it physically. |
This screenshot from Microsoft shows the main Intune dashboard, giving you a bird's-eye view of all your connected devices and their security status.
As you can see, the dashboard makes it easy for IT managers to spot problems and fix them fast, whether it's one non-compliant phone or a dozen laptops needing an update.
In short, Intune gives you a firm grip on your company’s digital property. It makes sure that whether someone is using a company laptop in your Lincoln office or their personal iPhone on a train, your business data stays protected and is only seen by the right people on secure devices.
This is what allows businesses across the East Midlands to embrace flexible working with confidence. It shifts device management from a reactive, hands-on job to a proactive, automated strategy that works from anywhere.
Ready to secure your business's devices? Phone 0845 855 0000 today or Send us a message to speak with an expert.
The Core Pillars of Intune: What You Really Need to Know
To get your head around what Microsoft Intune can do for your business, it helps to break it down into its four foundational components. Think of these as the building blocks that work together to create a solid framework for managing and securing everything from company-owned laptops to personal smartphones. It’s this combination that gives you the fine-grained control needed to keep your data safe.
Mobile Device Management (MDM): The Company-Owned Fleet
First up is Mobile Device Management (MDM). This is all about full control over devices your company owns and issues. When you give a new starter a laptop or a company phone, you’ll enrol it into Intune. That’s the MDM process in action.
Once a device is enrolled, your IT team can manage it from a single, central dashboard. They can enforce essential security settings, like requiring a strong PIN, switching on full-disk encryption, and making sure the operating system is always patched and up-to-date. And if a device is ever lost or stolen? MDM gives you the power to remotely lock it or wipe it completely, stopping sensitive company data from getting into the wrong hands.
This concept map shows how Intune acts as the central command centre for both devices and the apps on them.
As you can see, it clearly separates device-level control (MDM) from application-level security (MAM), which is the key to Intune’s flexibility.
Mobile Application Management (MAM): For Personal Devices (BYOD)
Next, we have Mobile Application Management (MAM). This pillar is Intune’s answer to the "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) trend. Let's be honest, your team loves the convenience of using their own smartphones and tablets for work, but that can be a real headache for security.
MAM solves this beautifully. Instead of taking over the whole device, it focuses only on protecting the corporate data inside specific business apps like Outlook, Teams, or OneDrive. You can set rules that prevent someone from copying text from a confidential work email and pasting it into their personal WhatsApp. It’s a smart way to protect company data without ever touching an employee's personal photos, messages, or apps.
MAM essentially creates a secure, encrypted container around your business applications on a personal device. It protects what matters—your data—while respecting employee privacy and giving them the flexibility they expect.
Policy Management: The Digital Rulebook
The third pillar, Policy Management, is the engine that makes both MDM and MAM work. This is where your IT admins define the security standards and rules that all your devices and applications need to follow. It’s your central rulebook.
Inside Intune, you can build and assign different policies to different groups of users or devices. For instance, you could have:
- Compliance Policies: These set the minimum health requirements for a device. Does it have an active firewall? Is antivirus running and up-to-date? Is it on the latest OS version? If not, it's not compliant.
- Configuration Profiles: You can use these to automatically push settings out to devices, like configuring Wi-Fi networks, setting up VPN connections, or deploying software certificates without any user intervention.
- App Protection Policies: These are your MAM rules, controlling how data can be shared and used within your managed business apps.
This powerful policy engine brings consistency and automation, saving your team countless hours of manual work.
Conditional Access: The Intelligent Gatekeeper
Finally, the fourth pillar is Conditional Access. This is the smart security guard for your company’s front door. Working closely with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), Conditional Access checks every single request to access your data and decides whether to allow it based on a set of conditions you define.
It’s constantly asking questions in the background: Who is trying to connect? What device are they using? Is that device compliant with our security policies? Are they in a trusted location? Access is only granted if all the right boxes are ticked. This simple "if-then" logic is the cornerstone of a modern zero-trust security model, ensuring only the right people on secure devices can get to your sensitive information.
Ready to put these security pillars in place for your business? Call us today on 0845 855 0000 or send us a message to talk through your requirements.
How Intune Plugs Into Your Microsoft 365 and Azure World
Microsoft Intune isn’t some isolated tool that you bolt on; its real magic happens when it connects with the Microsoft services you're probably already using. Think of it less as a separate product and more as the missing piece that amplifies your existing security and management, plugging directly into Microsoft 365 and Azure. It’s this seamless connection that turns Intune from just a device manager into a central pillar of a modern, secure workplace.
The most important relationship Intune has is with Microsoft Entra ID (which you might still know as Azure AD). This partnership is the bedrock of your device security. Intune tells Entra ID whether a device is healthy and compliant with your rules, while Entra ID handles who the user is.
Together, they power Conditional Access policies, which act like a smart bouncer for your company data. A policy can check if a user is who they claim to be (thanks to Entra ID) and if their device meets your security standards (thanks to Intune) before letting them in. This simple but powerful check ensures only trusted people on secure devices can get to your sensitive information.
Protecting Data Inside Microsoft 365
This integration isn't just a backend affair; it reaches right into the apps your team uses all day, every day—Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and the rest. With Intune's Application Protection Policies, you can set granular rules for how company data is handled within these Microsoft 365 apps.
For example, you can:
- Stop data leaks cold: Block someone from copying a sensitive paragraph from a company email in Outlook and pasting it into their personal WhatsApp.
- Enforce secure app access: Make users enter a PIN or use biometrics just to open the Teams app on their personal phone, adding a quick layer of security without needing to manage their entire device.
- Isolate business files: Ensure that documents downloaded from SharePoint or OneDrive are automatically saved into a secure, encrypted container controlled by the business.
By working so closely with Microsoft 365, Intune protects your data right where people are using it. It allows your team to work freely and securely without creating frustrating barriers.
A Bridge to Modern Cloud Management
Many businesses still have a foot in the on-premises world, using established tools like System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) to manage their computers. Intune offers a practical way forward with a feature called co-management. This lets you manage your Windows 10 and 11 devices using both SCCM and Intune simultaneously.
For businesses across the East Midlands, from Lincoln to Nottingham, keeping devices secure against a backdrop of increasing cyber threats is paramount. Microsoft Intune is a popular choice, with the UK holding a significant 12% share of its global customer base. That translates to thousands of organisations just like yours relying on it to tie their Microsoft 365 and Azure environments together securely. Research from Enlyft even shows the UK is the second-largest adopter after the US, with major firms using Intune to manage huge numbers of devices.
With co-management, you can shift management tasks from your local SCCM servers to the cloud-based Intune service at a pace that suits you. You could start by moving device compliance checks or app deployments over to Intune, while leaving other workloads on SCCM for now. It’s a sensible, staged approach that gives you a smooth transition to modern, cloud-first management without causing disruption. You can explore more about how Entra ID fits into this puzzle with our guide on what is Azure Active Directory.
Ready to unify your Microsoft ecosystem? Phone 0845 855 0000 today or Send us a message to get started.
A Practical Guide to Intune Licensing and UK Costs
When you’re looking at what Microsoft Intune can do for your business, the first question is usually about the investment. The good news is, you often don’t have to buy Intune on its own. It's already bundled into many popular Microsoft 365 plans, making it a surprisingly cost-effective part of a much bigger security and productivity toolkit.
For most small and medium-sized businesses here in the UK, the smartest way to get Intune is through a Microsoft 365 subscription. This doesn't just simplify your billing; it guarantees Intune plays nicely with the tools your team relies on every day—Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, you name it.
Let's break down which plans include it and what makes the most sense.
Where Intune Lives in Microsoft 365
The secret is to look for a plan that goes beyond just the Office apps. You need one that includes advanced security and device management features, because that’s where Intune really comes into its own.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: This is the sweet spot for businesses with up to 300 employees. It’s got the full Intune feature set, packed alongside serious, enterprise-level security tools. It's a complete package.
- Microsoft 365 E3: Geared towards larger organisations, this plan includes Intune as a core piece of the puzzle for managing a fleet of devices at scale.
- Microsoft 365 E5: The top-tier option. This plan gives you everything in E3 plus advanced security, compliance, and even voice capabilities. Naturally, Intune is a fundamental part of the deal.
For many of our clients, Microsoft 365 Business Premium hits the perfect balance between features and cost. We've got a detailed breakdown of what’s included in our guide on Microsoft Business Premium licensing.
Before we move on, here’s a quick comparison of the most common plans that bundle Intune, with UK pricing to help you budget.
Microsoft 365 Plans Including Intune (UK Pricing)
| Microsoft 365 Plan | Includes Intune? | Key Features | Ideal For | Estimated Cost (GBP per user/month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Premium | Yes (Plan 1) | Full Intune, Defender for Business, Microsoft Entra ID Premium P1, Office Apps | SMBs (up to 300 users) needing comprehensive security and management. | ~ £18.10 |
| E3 | Yes (Plan 1) | Full Intune, advanced security & information protection, Office Apps | Larger organisations with complex compliance and management needs. | ~ £30.40 |
| E5 | Yes (Plan 1) | Everything in E3, plus advanced threat protection, voice, and analytics. | Enterprises needing the highest level of security, compliance, and analytics. | ~ £50.80 |
As you can see, the bundled approach, especially with Business Premium, often delivers the most bang for your buck by packaging Intune with other essential security tools.
Standalone Intune Plans for Specific Needs
While bundling is the way to go for most, sometimes you have a very specific need. Microsoft offers standalone Intune licences for these exact situations.
Think of them like optional extras for a car. Your existing Microsoft 365 plan is the engine and chassis, but you might need a specialised add-on, like an advanced navigation system, for a specific job.
The standalone options, known as Intune Plan 1 and Intune Plan 2, cater to these unique requirements:
- Intune Plan 1: This is the core Intune service that's already in the Microsoft 365 bundles we talked about. You can also buy it on its own (around £8.20 per user/month) if you have a plan that doesn't include it.
- Intune Plan 2: This is an add-on for organisations with more advanced management needs. It introduces features like Remote Help (letting IT securely connect to a user's machine to sort out problems) and deeper endpoint analytics. This costs about £4.10 per user/month on top of a plan that already has Intune Plan 1.
For any UK business, having these costs in GBP is vital for accurate planning. In almost every scenario, the all-in-one approach with Microsoft 365 Business Premium at around £18.10 per user/month provides better value and a stronger security posture right from the start.
Need help choosing the right licence for your business? Phone 0845 855 0000 today or Send us a message for a clear, no-obligation chat.
Real-World Intune Scenarios for Your Business
Okay, let's move past the technical jargon. The real question is, what does Intune actually do for a business like yours? For companies we work with across the East Midlands, Intune isn't just a tool; it's the answer to very real, everyday challenges. It takes complicated security headaches and turns them into simple, automated processes.
Let's walk through a few common situations where Intune proves its worth.
Imagine you run a growing business in Nottingham. You want to give your team the flexibility to work from anywhere, which means letting them use their personal smartphones for work emails and files—a classic Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) setup. On the surface, it’s great for morale, but without the right controls, it's a huge security gamble.
This is exactly what Intune’s Mobile Application Management (MAM) was built for. Instead of taking over an employee's entire phone (which nobody wants), you can create a secure bubble just for your business apps like Outlook and Teams. This allows you to block sensitive data from being copied into personal apps and enforce a PIN for work files, all while leaving their family photos and private messages completely alone.
Automating Setups and Saving Time
Here's another one. Picture a manufacturing firm in Scunthorpe taking on new staff. The old way of doing things meant the IT team would spend hours hunched over each new laptop, manually installing Microsoft Office, your CRM, and other essential software. It’s a slow, tedious process that's just begging for mistakes.
Intune flips this entire workflow on its head. Using a feature called Windows Autopilot, a new laptop can be shipped straight from the supplier to the new employee's home. All they have to do is unbox it, connect to their Wi-Fi, and sign in. Intune handles the rest, automatically applying your company's security settings and installing every application they need.
What used to be a full day of IT work is now a simple, 30-minute setup for the user. Every new device is secure and ready to go from the moment it's turned on, freeing up your technical team to focus on bigger things.
Responding Instantly to Security Threats
Let's think about a worst-case scenario. A salesperson based in Grimsby loses their company tablet while out on a client visit. That device holds confidential contracts, pricing information, and other sensitive data. The risk of a data breach is very real and very immediate.
With Intune, you can act instantly. From a single, central dashboard, your IT admin can immediately:
- Wipe the device: This erases all data, resetting the tablet to its factory settings and ensuring nothing can be recovered.
- Lock the device: This renders the tablet completely useless until it's found.
- Selectively wipe company data: If it was a personal device, you could remove only the business apps and files, leaving their personal stuff untouched.
This ability to take decisive action from anywhere is a core strength of Intune mobile management. It gives you the confidence of knowing your data is protected, whatever happens.
It’s no surprise that major UK organisations like the Ministry of Justice have relied on Intune to secure their devices since 2017. But it's not just for massive enterprises. In fact, data shows that 47.37% of Intune users are mid-sized companies (101-1,000 employees), making it a perfect fit for ambitious businesses right here in our region. You can find more data on Microsoft Intune's UK footprint.
Let us help you apply these solutions to your business. Phone 0845 855 0000 today or Send us a message to see how we can secure your devices.
How F1Group Helps You Master Microsoft Intune
Getting your head around what Microsoft Intune is and what it can do for your business is the easy part. The real challenge? Rolling it out successfully without causing chaos. Intune is incredibly powerful, but a single misconfigured policy can grind work to a halt or, worse, leave a gaping hole in your security. This is precisely where having an expert partner makes all the difference, and F1Group is here to make sure you get it right from the very beginning.
We're not the type to just sell you a licence and wish you luck. Since 1995, we've been in the trenches, providing hands-on IT support for businesses across the East Midlands. Our goal is to be your strategic partner, taking care of all the technical heavy lifting so you can focus on what you do best. Think of our team of vendor-certified and DBS-checked engineers as a natural extension of your own, dedicated to securing your devices and empowering your people.
Your Strategic Implementation Partner
A successful Intune rollout starts with a solid plan. We always begin by sitting down with you to properly understand your business, its goals, and its unique challenges—whether you're in Lincoln, Nottingham, or anywhere in between. From there, we design and build a secure Intune environment from scratch, ensuring it’s a perfect fit for how you operate.
Our hands-on services cover every angle:
- Custom Policy Design: We’ll craft the security and compliance policies that make sense for your team, protecting your data without getting in the way of productivity.
- Seamless Migration: If you're moving from older, on-premises systems, we’ll handle the entire migration to Intune's modern cloud management, making it a smooth transition.
- Automated Deployment: We can set up tools like Windows Autopilot to completely automate new device setups. No more manual configuration—just seamless, out-of-the-box readiness.
Partnering with an expert means you sidestep the common pitfalls and get the most out of your investment from day one. We build the secure foundation that lets your team work effectively from any device, anywhere.
Ongoing Managed Support and Security
Our job isn't done once Intune is up and running. The world of cyber threats is constantly shifting, and your security policies need to keep pace. As your managed support partner, we proactively monitor your Intune environment to keep it secure, efficient, and up to date. While F1Group offers specialised assistance, many organisations also seek broader software consulting services for comprehensive IT strategy and implementation.
With our ongoing management, you can rest easy knowing your business is protected. We take care of the day-to-day administration, from tweaking policies to resolving user issues, so you have complete peace of mind that your endpoints are defended against the latest threats. Let us worry about the tech, so you can focus on growing your business.
Secure your company and empower your team by partnering with F1Group's proven expertise.
Take the first step towards mastering Microsoft Intune. Phone 0845 855 0000 today or Send us a message to speak with one of our certified experts.
Your Microsoft Intune Questions Answered
We get a lot of questions about Microsoft Intune, so we've put together some quick-fire answers to the most common ones we hear from business owners and IT managers. This should help clear up any final thoughts and show you where it might fit into your own operations.
Does Intune Only Work with Windows?
That’s a common misconception, but no, Intune is built for the modern, multi-device world. It’s not just a Windows tool.
It fully supports and manages devices running:
- Android
- iOS and iPadOS
- macOS
- Windows 10 and 11
This means you can apply the same security rules, push out the same apps, and protect your company data no matter what device your team is using. It's a lifesaver for businesses that have a mix of Apple and Windows kit, or those running a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policy.
Isn't This Just a Cloud Version of SCCM?
Not quite. While they both manage devices, they come from different eras. Microsoft's System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) is a traditional, on-premises powerhouse. It was designed to manage servers and PCs physically plugged into your company network and offers incredibly deep control.
Intune, on the other hand, is a cloud-native service built from the ground up to manage devices over the internet. This is what makes it so perfect for remote teams and mobile staff. Think of SCCM as the expert for devices inside your office walls, while Intune is the expert for devices anywhere in the world.
Many larger organisations actually use both together in a "co-management" strategy, getting the best of both worlds as they gradually move more services to the cloud.
Do We Really Need Intune if We're Just a Small Business?
Absolutely. Cyber threats don't care how big your company is, and protecting your business and customer data is just as crucial for a team of five as it is for a team of five hundred.
For a small business, Intune is an incredibly efficient and affordable way to tick some major security boxes. You can enforce simple but vital policies like requiring a PIN to unlock a phone or ensuring all laptops have their storage encrypted. You can also securely manage company apps on personal mobiles and, crucially, wipe company data from a lost or stolen device in minutes.
The real beauty of it is that you don't need a huge IT budget or a dedicated server room to get started. Plans like Microsoft 365 Business Premium, designed for businesses with fewer than 300 staff, bundle Intune in. This gives you top-tier security tools without the enterprise-level cost or complexity, making it a smart, proactive investment in your company’s future.
Ready to secure your devices and empower your team with Microsoft Intune?
Phone 0845 855 0000 today or Send us a message to speak with one of our certified experts.