Microsoft is launching the Microsoft Intune Suite, a new unified endpoint management and security bundle designed to simplify endpoint management experiences, improve an organization’s security posture and improve the user experience.
According to a Microsoft blog written by Michael Wallent, corporate vice president, of the company’s enterprise mobility management products, the new Intune Suite is deeply integrated with Microsoft Security and Microsoft 365 to give IT and security teams the data and AI tools they need to increase automation and help them shift from reactive to proactive in addressing endpoint management challenges.
The Intune Suite is made up of several different tools and capabilities designed for IT and security professionals, including Remote Help, Endpoint Privilege Management, advanced endpoint analytics, Microsoft Tunnel for Mobile App Management, management of specialty devices, advanced app management and cloud certificate management.
The launch of the Intune Suite comes after Microsoft first announced the plans at Microsoft Ignite 2022. The company then billed the bundled suite of advanced endpoint management solutions as a cost-effective plan that will help reduce total cost of ownership. The capabilities have been in development for a while, the company adds.
Remote Help, Wallent says, is a tool designed to help helpdesk professionals. It is already available for Windows users, but it is now coming to Android and Mac endpoints in future releases. IT helpdesk teams will be able to remotely troubleshoot a user’s desktop and mobile devices based on a user’s existing company identity. The coming Android support will help manage frontline workers’ devices.
In a separate Tech Community blog on Remote Help, Microsoft says it is adding new security controls and making it more efficient for users and IT.
Endpoint Privilege Management, which is in preview this month and generally available next month, is designed to enable the controlled elevation of Windows standard users so security controls don’t get in the way of productivity, Wallent writes.
The tool is designed to ensure that the right users have the right privileges at the right time to reduce the security risk of overprivileged users and reduce the burden on helpdesk professionals by allowing more self-service for basic scenarios, such as setting up a local printer.
The Intune Suite also offers advanced endpoint analytics to give IT administrators data-drive insights to help them understand, anticipate and improve the user experience or the organization, Wallent says. Advanced capabilities include anomaly detection, custom device scopes, and enhanced device timeline.
The Microsoft Tunnel for Mobile App Management, Wallent says, is a micro-VPN that connects corporate resources from personal iOS/iPadOS and Android devices to give employees access to company resources from personal mobile devices when needed.
This is designed to allow companies to embrace bring-your-own-device policies instead of purchasing corporate devices for every employee, the company says in a Tech Community blog.
For organizations with purpose-built devices, the Intune Suite includes specialty device management to give employees the flexibility to choose the device they need to do their job without introducing vulnerabilities. Microsoft is expanding the device types that Intune can manage, such as Teams Rooms, AR/VR devices, wearable headsets and other devices.
After the launch of the Intune Suite, Microsoft will be adding advanced app management, an enterprise catalog and control for app discovery, deployment and automatic updating. In addition, Microsoft will be launching a cloud certificate management solution to issue and manage VPN and Wi-Fi certificates from Intune to devices without on-premises infrastructure.
In addition to improving security and simplifying endpoint management, Microsoft says the bundled package in the Intune Suite is cheaper than the sum of all the individual capabilities of the Intune Suite.
The Intune Suite is available as an add-on to any plan that includes Intune, which is included in most Microsoft 365 subscriptions. The individual solutions within the suite will also be available as standalone add-ons to Intune, so organizations can migrate to the Microsoft solution they prioritize based on their needs.
Microsoft is also introducing a new plan, Microsoft Intune Plan 2, that brings advanced features such as protecting and managing specialty devices for Tunnel for Mobile App Management for unenrolled devices.
