The landscape of endpoint management has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. What began as simple Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions has evolved into sophisticated Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platforms that address the complexities of today’s hybrid workforce.
The journey started with mobile device management focused primarily on securing smartphones and tablets. As organizations adopted BYOD policies and cloud-first strategies, the need for unified endpoint management software became apparent. This evolution led to platforms that could manage diverse device types (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS) from a single console.
Today’s endpoint management solutions go beyond traditional UEM to offer cloud-native architecture, zero-touch deployment capabilities, and comprehensive security and compliance frameworks.They also include modern authentication, conditional access, and application lifecycle management.
The market has consolidated around a few key players, with Microsoft Intune emerging as the dominant force in endpoint management software.
The shift to modern digital workplaces has created unprecedented challenges for IT teams. Traditional on-premises management tools simply can’t address the needs of today’s distributed workforce.
Organizations face a massive migration opportunity accelerated by rapid technological advancement. AI-enabled laptops and increasingly powerful, lightweight devices are expanding how employees work and drive business value. However, millions of devices still rely on legacy management systems that cannot support:
Microsoft Intune has established itself as the leading unified endpoint management solution, capturing significant market share through its comprehensive feature set and strategic positioning within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Day one for lifecycle management focuses on reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) with tools that help deploy, configure, and secure devices and applications on new or re-imaged devices. This is where Microsoft Intune excels.
Intune is a popular choice for several key reasons. Here are a few of the biggest ones.
→ Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness: Intune is often bundled with existing Microsoft 365 licenses, making it an attractive option for those already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. This bundling approach has accelerated adoption and made modern endpoint management accessible to organizations of all sizes.
→ Comprehensive Platform: As a cloud-native solution, it provides extensive capabilities like mobile device management Intune capabilities for all major platforms; Intune application management with robust app protection policies; Intune compliance policy frameworks that integrate with conditional access; and Microsoft Autopilot for zero-touch device provisioning.
→ Integration Advantages: Its deep integration with Azure AD, Microsoft 365, and Windows provides unmatched capabilities for Microsoft-centric environments.
Microsoft Intune’s widespread adoption reflects several market realities. The first is proven scalability thanks to successful deployment across organizations from small businesses to global enterprises. Next is continuous innovation; regular feature updates and enhancements are driven by a cloud delivery model. Last but certainly not least, a strong partner ecosystem has created extensive third-party integrations, and Microsoft Intune alternatives evaluation often leads back to Intune.
Understanding what UEM is in the context of Intune requires examining its comprehensive feature set that addresses the full device lifecycle.
Intune enrollment supports multiple scenarios. Below are the most common ones.
A zero-touch experience for enrolling brand-new Windows devices directly from the factory.
Allows employees to use their personal devices to securely access corporate resources and data.
For company-owned hardware, providing full control and management over the device.
Efficiently enrolls a large number of devices at once, ideal for provisioning new corporate fleets.
Adding devices to Intune uses various methods, each optimized for different organizational needs and device types.
Intune app management provides comprehensive control over the application lifecycle. This includes:
Deploy apps with Intune using modern packaging and deployment technologies that ensure reliable installation across diverse environments.
Intune device compliance policies ensure devices meet organizational security standards. This includes compliance policy creation and assignment, conditional access integration that blocks non-compliant devices, and endpoint security configurations that implement security baselines. Windows Intune policies also help enforce organizational standards.
Intune configuration profile capabilities enable standardized device configurations through administrative templates for: Group Policy-like control, custom OMA-URI settings for advanced configurations, Wi-Fi and VPN profiles for seamless connectivity, and certificate deployment for secure authentication.
Successful setup of Intune and implementation requires both careful planning and systematic execution. This section provides a simple roadmap for anyone beginning their modern endpoint management journey.
Before beginning Intune administration, IT leaders should assess their current environment by inventorying existing devices and management solutions.
They also need to define their requirements, establish security, compliance, and user experience goals, and plan a phased migration strategy for transitioning from legacy systems.
Finally, they should prepare their infrastructure to ensure that network connectivity and DNS configurations support Intune.
Intune administrator roles should be assigned based on organizational structure and security requirements. Key setup activities include:
Microsoft Autopilot represents the gold standard for device provisioning experiences. Implementation involves:
While Microsoft Intune provides robust endpoint management capabilities, it represents only one layer of the complete digital employee experience solution. Understanding this gap is crucial for organizations seeking to deliver superior employee experiences and frictionless workdays.
Endpoint management tools like Intune excel at:
These foundational capabilities ensure devices are properly configured and secured, but they don’t address the ongoing experience challenges employees face daily.
Day-One vs. Day-Two Operations
While endpoint management platforms like Intune excel at day-one activities—such as device provisioning, initial configuration, and policy deployment—they provide limited visibility into day-two operations. Day two challenges include performance optimization, user experience issues, application conflicts, and resource management problems.
Digital employee experience management addresses this gap between device management and user satisfaction. A specialized DEX platform complements Intune by providing:
A ‘complete’ digital workplace architecture requires both endpoint management (like Intune) and digital employee experience layers. This dual approach ensures that while devices are properly managed and secured, the actual employee experience is continuously monitored and optimized through specialized DEX capabilities.
Modern DEX platforms integrate directly with Intune through APIs and or UI extensions, creating seamless workflows that enhance existing management capabilities. When DEX tools detect vulnerabilities or performance issues on endpoints, they can automatically trigger Intune policy updates, initiate remediation scripts, or create deployment packages for targeted fixes.
As an example, ControlUp’s Enrich browser extension demonstrates this integration by providing real-time performance data and automated remediation capabilities directly within the Intune console, allowing IT teams to troubleshoot and resolve issues without switching between platforms.
This integration extends to ITSM and ITAM systems, ensuring that all endpoint activities are properly documented and tracked for compliance purposes. The result is a unified management experience where endpoint health data flows seamlessly between platforms.
Endpoint monitoring solutions typically focus on infrastructure metrics instead of user experience. Traditional approaches provide:
But these metrics don’t correlate with employee satisfaction or productivity. A device can be “healthy” technically while providing frustrating user experiences due to application performance issues, slow login times, or resource contention. Digital employee experience software bridges this gap through user-centric metrics and proactive issue resolution.
Looking for a deep dive? Read these:
Successful modern endpoint management requires more than just technology deployment. Organizations must adopt proven practices that ensure both technical success and positive user experiences.
→ Phased Implementation: egin with pilot groups to validate configurations and gather feedback before broad deployment. This approach allows for refinement of policies and procedures while minimizing organizational disruption.
→ Change Management: Investment in user training and communication ensures smooth adoption. Employee engagement platforms can be valuable for communicating changes and gathering feedback during transitions.
→ Testing and Validation: Comprehensive testing of Intune compliance policies, application deployments, and configuration profiles prevents production issues and ensures consistent experiences.
An endpoint security strategy should balance security requirements with user experience. This means:
Additionally, advanced DEX platforms help enhance security posture by detecting vulnerabilities in real-time, often before traditional patch management systems identify them. This proactive approach enables immediate remediation through automated workflows that can deploy patches, update configurations, and restart services while maintaining detailed audit trails. This is valuable for compliance frameworks that require rapid response to security threats and comprehensive documentation of remediation activities.
While Intune handles device management, digital experience monitoring tools are essential for ensuring optimal performance. These solutions provide:
Modern endpoint management extends beyond basic device configuration and policy enforcement. As organizations scale their digital workplaces, they require sophisticated capabilities that complement foundational platforms like Microsoft Intune.
Remote management capabilities have become essential for supporting distributed workforces. While Microsoft Intune provides basic remote actions like device wipe and lock, comprehensive remote support requires additional tools that can:
These capabilities bridge the gap between Intune’s management features and the hands-on support that end users sometimes require, especially during complex troubleshooting scenarios.
Endpoint management solutions are increasingly required to integrate with broader IT infrastructures. Modern organizations typically require:
This integration capability ensures that endpoint management operates in conjunction with other IT operations, becoming part of a comprehensive IT operations ecosystem. Microsoft Intune provides some integration capabilities, but organizations often need additional tools to create seamless workflows across their entire technology stack.
Endpoint management tools must address resource allocation and optimization, particularly in environments with hundreds or thousands of devices:
While Intune handles device configuration, understanding actual resource consumption and optimization opportunities requires deeper monitoring and analytics capabilities.
Large-scale endpoint management operations require capabilities beyond individual device management:
These capabilities become super important during major system updates, security incidents, or when addressing widespread performance issues that affect large portions of the device fleet.
Combining all of the advanced capabilities above with foundational platforms like Microsoft Intune creates a comprehensive approach to modern endpoint management. Solutions like ControlUp exemplify this approach by providing these enterprise-scale capabilities while maintaining seamless integration with existing Intune deployments.
Intune management requires continuous attention to policy refinement based on user feedback and security requirements, application lifecycle management, and compliance monitoring. Providing user support through self-service capabilities and clear documentation is also critical for long-term success.
The endpoint management landscape continues to evolve, driven by changing work patterns, emerging technologies, and shifting user expectations.
Three major trends are emerging that you need to be aware of to stay one step ahead.
Microsoft Intune continues to evolve with regular feature updates addressing enhanced Autopilot capabilities for even simpler device deployment, improved application management, advanced analytics and reporting, and deeper integration with Microsoft 365 and security tools.
While unified endpoint management platforms like Intune provide comprehensive device management capabilities, specialized solutions remain essential for complete digital workplace success.
Digital Employee Experience platforms complement endpoint management by providing the real-time visibility and proactive support capabilities that traditional management platforms cannot deliver. Additionally, certain industries require specialized management capabilities that may not be available in general-purpose UEM solutions.
Microsoft Intune represents the current state of the art in modern endpoint management, providing organizations with the tools needed to manage devices in today’s hybrid work environment. Its comprehensive feature set, cloud-native architecture, and deep Microsoft ecosystem integration make it the natural choice for organizations seeking to modernize their device management capabilities.
However, delivering exceptional digital workplace experiences requires more than foundational device management; it demands real-time visibility and proactive support capabilities that complement Intune’s strengths. The ControlUp ONE digital employee experience platform bridges this gap, providing comprehensive monitoring, intelligent troubleshooting, and automated remediation that transforms good endpoint management into exceptional experiences.
Successful digital workplace transformation requires both layers working in harmony. While Intune provides the foundation (keeping devices properly configured, secured, compliant), workers demand continuous optimization of the actual user experience. Organizations that recognize this dual requirement invest in solutions that monitor app performance, detect issues instantly, and automatically resolve common problems without manual intervention.
This proactive IT management approach and DEX monitoring elevates IT from a reactive support function into a strategic enabler of business productivity and employee satisfaction.
Adopting ControlUp with Microsoft Intune exemplifies this complete approach. The Enrich browser extension brings real-time performance data, automated remediation capabilities, and user experience insights directly into the familiar Intune interface. IT teams can troubleshoot issues, deploy fixes, and optimize performance without switching between platforms or disrupting their established workflows.
This unified experience ensures that while Intune handles core device management, ControlUp provides the ongoing visibility and proactive support that keeps employees productive and satisfied.
The future belongs to organizations that recognize endpoint management as just one component of a broader digital employee experience strategy. By implementing both foundational device management through Intune and advanced DEX through ControlUp, IT teams can finally deliver the seamless, productive experiences that employees expect and deserve. More than managing devices, it’s about enabling human potential at work.
Thinking about taking your Microsoft Intune deployment to the next level? You’ve done the hard work of modernizing your endpoint management. Now, let’s talk about how to complete the picture by adding a layer of real-time visibility and proactive IT support to ensure a superior digital employee experience every day.
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