Intune is Microsoft's device management platform — and it's included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Here's what it actually does for small businesses, and whether the complexity is worth it.
What Intune is (in plain terms)
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) platform. In practical terms, it lets you manage and secure the devices your employees use for work — Windows laptops, Macs, iPhones, Android phones, and iPads — from a central admin console.
"Manage" means things like: enforce screen lock requirements, ensure devices are encrypted, push software and updates, configure Wi-Fi and email settings automatically, and wipe a device remotely if it's lost or stolen. You get visibility into every enrolled device's health and compliance status in one place.
Intune is included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium at no additional cost. If you're paying for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, you already have access to it.
The problems Intune solves for small businesses
Unmanaged devices. Most small businesses have employees using a mix of company-owned and personal devices, with no central visibility or control. If a laptop is lost or an employee is terminated, you can't remotely wipe company data from a device you don't manage.
Inconsistent security settings. Without device management, every device is configured by whoever set it up. One machine has BitLocker encryption. Another doesn't. One is running an outdated version of Windows. There's no way to enforce a consistent security baseline across the organization.
Slow device provisioning. Setting up a new employee's device manually — installing software, configuring email, setting up security settings — takes hours. With Intune and Windows Autopilot, a new device can be shipped directly to an employee and self-configure automatically, without IT touching it.
Personal devices accessing company data. Employees use personal phones for company email and Teams. Intune App Protection Policies let you protect company data on personal devices — requiring a PIN, blocking copy-paste to personal apps, and wiping company data only when someone leaves — without requiring full MDM enrollment of the personal device.
What Intune actually requires to set up
Intune setup has more than a few steps, and doing it well requires planning. The key decisions: which devices will be fully enrolled (company-managed) vs. app-only managed (personal devices), what compliance policies you'll enforce, how you'll handle the enrollment process for existing devices, and how Intune integrates with your Conditional Access policies.
For a small business with 10–50 employees, a basic Intune deployment — Windows device enrollment with security baselines, app protection policies for personal phones, compliance policies feeding into Conditional Access — typically takes 1–2 days of configuration work plus time for device enrollment.
The enrollment process for existing devices varies. Windows devices can be enrolled through a policy, through the Company Portal app, or via Autopilot for new devices. Mac enrollment requires the Company Portal app and a management profile. iOS and Android enrollment is through the Intune Company Portal or through Apple/Android enrollment programs.
Should your small business use Intune
For most businesses using Microsoft 365 Business Premium, yes — the security and management benefits are worth the setup investment. The specific question is how much to manage.
If you have company-owned Windows devices: full Intune enrollment with security baselines, compliance policies, and Autopilot for new devices is worthwhile. The baseline security improvements — guaranteed BitLocker encryption, enforced Windows updates, managed antivirus settings — are significant.
If your employees primarily use personal devices: Intune App Protection Policies (MAM without MDM) give you meaningful data protection without requiring full device enrollment. Employees keep full control of their personal device; you protect company data on it.
If you're a 3-person business with no IT budget: Intune may be more than you need right now. Focus on MFA, Conditional Access, and email security first. Device management can come later as you grow.
Intragreat designs and deploys Intune environments for small businesses as part of our Microsoft 365 security and device management services. We scope the deployment to your actual situation — not a one-size-fits-all template.