What Is Intune MDM? Device Management for UK Businesses

Intune MDM is mobile device management delivered through Microsoft Intune, a cloud-based service that secures and manages an organisation's devices and apps. Instead of configuring each laptop or phone by hand, or relying on on-premises servers, you set policies in the Microsoft Intune admin center and devices apply them when they check in. It supports Android, iOS and iPadOS, macOS, Linux and Windows, among others.

For a UK SME with hybrid staff, mixed devices and growing security expectations, it is often the most practical way to keep control. This guide, current as at October 2026, covers how it works and where it fits.

What is Intune MDM?

According to Microsoft's Microsoft Intune overview, Intune runs entirely in the cloud, needs no on-premises infrastructure and supports a Zero Trust approach to security. Every action in the admin centre is backed by a Microsoft Graph API call, so tasks can also be automated.

Intune relies on Microsoft Entra ID for users, groups and sign-in. You assign policies, profiles and apps to Entra groups of users, devices or both, and Intune applies them at device check-in. Device management of this kind is a core part of Microsoft 365 support for businesses with staff working away from the office.

Put simply, there are three jobs: enrol the device, set the rules, and decide who and what may connect. Intune covers all three from one console, which is why it appears so often in Microsoft 365 security plans.

MDM vs MAM: what is the difference?

Intune supports two modes, which can be used separately or together.

Many SMEs use both: MDM on company-owned devices and app protection policies on staff phones that only need access to email and Teams.

Device enrolment: Autopilot and BYOD

Windows Autopilot for company PCs

The Windows Autopilot overview describes Autopilot as a set of cloud technologies for setting up and pre-configuring new Windows devices. Devices ship with the manufacturer's Windows installation, so you do not maintain custom images for each model. Autopilot can join the device to Microsoft Entra ID, enrol it into Intune, assign it to groups based on its profile and customise the first-run experience. The user mainly connects to a network and signs in. Microsoft notes that configuring this needs a Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 subscription.

Autopilot can also reset and repurpose existing devices, which helps when staff change roles or leave.

Other enrolment routes

Microsoft lists the Company Portal and automated routes such as Apple Automated Device Enrollment and Android Enterprise for phones and tablets. These suit company-owned iPhones and Android devices, set up before they reach the user.

BYOD

Personal devices can enrol through the Company Portal if you want device-level control, or stay unenrolled with MAM policies protecting work apps. Decide which model you offer in your acceptable use policy, and explain to staff what Intune can and cannot see.

Whichever route you choose, test the experience with a pilot group before wider rollout. Check that sign-in, apps, encryption and policies all land as expected, and that the helpdesk knows how to support the first users. Our remote IT support team handles this for dispersed staff.

Compliance policies and Conditional Access

A compliance policy defines what a healthy device looks like in your business. Typical rules include a minimum operating system version, disk encryption, a screen lock and no jailbreak or root access.

Intune sends each device's compliance state to Microsoft Entra. Conditional Access then combines that state with signals about the user, the app, the location and Microsoft Defender risk to allow or block access to company resources. As Microsoft puts it, decisions rest on current device posture and not on whether the device is on the office network.

In practice, this means an out-of-date or unencrypted laptop can be blocked from company email until it is fixed. Pair it with endpoint protection, such as managed EDR, for detection and response.

Start with a small set of compliance rules, apply Conditional Access in report-only mode where possible, and review the impact before enforcing. Blocking everyone on day one is the quickest way to generate helpdesk calls and lose staff goodwill.

App deployment and updates

Intune lets you assign apps to users or devices, as required or optional installs. Required apps install without user action, and optional apps appear in the Company Portal for staff to choose.

• Deploy Microsoft 365 apps, browsers, VPN clients and line-of-business software.
• Apply app protection policies to control copy, paste and save-to locations for work data.
• Control Windows update behaviour so devices stay patched.
• Remove apps and company data when a device is retired.

Consistent patching and application control also support Cyber Essentials requirements, and are relevant to the move away from Windows 10 covered in our Windows 10 end-of-life guide.

Keep the app catalogue short. Every application you deploy is something to patch, license and support, so deploy what staff need rather than everything they might want.

Intune vs traditional Group Policy

Group Policy configures domain-joined Windows machines through on-premises Active Directory. Intune manages devices over the internet, without requiring them to sit on the office network or domain.

You do not have to start from scratch. Microsoft's Group Policy analytics imports exported GPOs and reports which settings have an Intune equivalent, are unsupported or are deprecated. It applies to Windows only, and each exported file is limited to 4 MB.

Licensing context

Per Microsoft's Intune licensing page, Intune Plan 1 is the base service. Plan 2 and the Intune Suite are add-ons for advanced capabilities. Intune is included in several Microsoft 365 bundles, with E3, E5 and E7 named as examples. Microsoft's Business Premium security documentation states that it includes Intune Plan 1 and Microsoft Entra ID P1, which provides Conditional Access. Business Premium is designed for organisations of up to 300 users.

Device-only licences exist for shared or single-use devices but do not support app protection policies, Conditional Access or user-based features. Prices vary by plan and partner agreement, so ask your licensing provider for a current quote.

Check licensing before any rollout: confirm which users hold which plan, and whether staff on lower-tier licences need an upgrade to use Conditional Access.

Benefits for SMEs

For smaller organisations, the case for Intune MDM tends to rest on practical points:

• Less hands-on setup: new laptops can arrive at a user's home and configure themselves.
• Consistent security: encryption, updates and compliance rules apply to every device.
• Safer BYOD: work data is protected on personal phones without managing the whole device.
• Lost device response: remote wipe and selective wipe reduce exposure.
• Cost clarity: you may already hold the licence within your Microsoft 365 plan, and there is no on-premises management server to maintain.

Setup choices such as compliance rules and enrolment routes shape the user experience, so it helps to have an experienced team plan them. Our managed IT support service includes device management for UK organisations of all sizes.

Smaller teams without a dedicated infrastructure engineer gain most, because policy lives in one console and does not depend on a server that someone has to keep running. Our small business IT support page explains how we work with firms of this size.

Conclusion: is Intune MDM right for your business?

Intune MDM gives you a single place to enrol, configure, secure and retire devices, with MDM for company-owned kit and MAM for personal phones. Combined with compliance policies and Conditional Access, it ties access to the health of the device. If you already hold Business Premium or an E3 or E5 plan, you may be paying for it already.

To plan an Intune rollout or review your current setup, contact NetMonkeys.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)