We've watched Intune mature from a rough MDM into the default way business devices get managed. Every laptop enrolled, configured, patched and wipeable from one console, that's Intune doing its job invisibly.
What it actually does
Intune is Microsoft's cloud device management platform, included in most Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans. In practice it means every company device is enrolled the moment it's set up: security policies applied, the right apps installed, disk encryption enforced, updates scheduled, all without anyone touching the machine by hand. When a laptop is lost or a staff member leaves, the device can be locked or wiped remotely from the same console.
Paired with Windows Autopilot, a new laptop can ship straight from the supplier to a new starter's desk and build itself into a fully configured, compliant company device on first sign-in. For a distributed or hybrid workforce, that changes what onboarding looks like.
Where it earns its keep
The quiet win is compliance. Intune continuously checks each device against the rules you set, things like encryption on, screen lock enforced, OS patched, antivirus healthy, and can feed that state into conditional access, so a non-compliant device simply doesn't get into your company data until it's fixed. That's the difference between hoping your fleet is secure and being able to show it.
It covers Windows and macOS side by side, plus mobile devices, which matters now that most businesses run a mixed fleet. One console, one policy set, one source of truth for what every device is doing.
Where it tests you
It rewards patience: profiles and compliance policies take real design, and the feedback loop on a bad policy can be slow. A rushed rollout creates noise, prompts users didn't expect, apps that half-deploy, devices stuck in limbo. The platform is at its best when someone has thought through the policy design first and rolled it out in rings rather than all at once. Worth it.
Verdict: if your fleet isn't enrolled, you don't manage your fleet. The foundation of modern device security.
Reviewed from live fleet experience · published June 2026 · we earn a fair margin on some products we supply; reviews are not sponsored.
