Every device that connects to your business network is a potential entry point for a security incident. A laptop without the latest Windows patches, a phone that still has access to company email after an employee leaves, or a personal device with no encryption enforced — each of these represents a gap that a managed environment closes by default. Microsoft Intune is the platform that makes this level of control achievable for Australian businesses of any size, without requiring a dedicated IT team to maintain it manually.

What Is Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management platform that allows businesses to manage and secure devices from a central console. It supports Windows PCs, Apple Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Android devices — giving IT administrators consistent visibility and control across every device type that connects to business resources.

Intune is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, which is the most common Microsoft 365 plan for Australian SMBs with genuine IT and security requirements. If your business is already on Business Premium, Intune is available in your subscription today — the question is whether it is configured and actively managing your environment.

Where many Australian businesses still manage devices informally — checking that a laptop has antivirus installed, relying on users to apply Windows updates, using manual processes to revoke access when a staff member leaves — Intune automates all of this through enforceable policies that apply consistently across your device fleet.

Key Features Australian SMBs Should Know About

Intune's capabilities cover the full device lifecycle, from initial setup to decommissioning:

• Automated device enrolment: When a new employee receives a laptop, Intune can provision it automatically through Windows Autopilot — delivering a fully configured, policy-compliant device without manual IT setup. Staff turn it on, sign in with their Microsoft 365 account, and the device configures itself.
• Compliance policies: Intune lets you define what a compliant device looks like — minimum operating system version, BitLocker encryption enabled, Microsoft Defender running — and block non-compliant devices from accessing company resources via Conditional Access until they meet your standards.
• App management: Deploy, update, and remove applications across your device fleet remotely. Intune supports managed app deployment for both company-owned and personal devices, with the ability to wipe company data from an app without affecting personal content on the same device.
• Remote actions: Lock a lost device, reset a forgotten PIN, or wipe a device remotely when a staff member leaves. These actions can be taken from the Intune admin centre in seconds, without physical access to the device.
• Software update management: Enforce Windows Update policies that ensure devices receive security patches within your defined timeframe — a core requirement of Australia's Essential Eight framework.

In 2024 and 2025, Microsoft extended Intune with Copilot integration, allowing administrators to query device status, troubleshoot issues, and generate compliance reports using natural language prompts. An IT administrator can ask "which devices haven't applied last month's security patches?" and receive a filtered device list without constructing a manual query — a meaningful time saving for lean IT teams managing dozens or hundreds of endpoints.

Intune and Essential Eight Compliance

Australia's Essential Eight mitigation strategies are the benchmark security framework for Australian businesses, and Microsoft Intune directly addresses several of them.

Patching applications and operating systems is one of the highest-priority Essential Eight controls. Intune's update ring policies allow administrators to define how quickly Windows security updates are deployed across managed devices — targeting the 48-hour patch deployment window that Essential Eight Maturity Level 2 requires for internet-facing services, and the two-week window for other operating systems.

Application control — restricting which applications can execute on a device — is achievable through Intune's integration with Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). Intune can deploy WDAC policies across managed Windows devices, ensuring that only approved software runs. This is one of the most technically demanding Essential Eight controls, and Intune provides the deployment mechanism that makes it operationally feasible.

Restricting administrative privileges is supported through Intune's configuration profiles, which can remove local administrator rights from standard user accounts across your Windows device fleet — preventing users from installing unauthorised software or making system-level changes.

For Australian businesses working toward a specific Essential Eight maturity level, Intune is not the only thing required — but for any business on Microsoft 365, it is a foundational part of the technical implementation.

What Australian Businesses Need to Think About Before Starting

Deploying Intune effectively requires some planning, particularly around device enrolment approach. The right method depends on whether your devices are company-owned or personally owned (BYOD), whether they are new or already in use, and what operating systems you are managing.

For company-owned Windows devices, Windows Autopilot is the recommended approach — it allows devices to be shipped directly to staff and enrol themselves automatically on first sign-in. For existing devices already in use, manual or group policy-based enrolment is more common.

Personal devices used for work (a common scenario in Australian SMBs) can be enrolled under a BYOD model using Intune's app protection policies — which control corporate data within managed apps without requiring the business to manage the whole device. This balances security with staff privacy, and avoids the friction that comes with asking employees to fully enrol personal phones into a corporate MDM system.

Data residency is also worth confirming. Microsoft Intune data for Australian tenants is processed and stored in Microsoft's Australian data centres in New South Wales and Victoria — relevant for businesses with obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 or sector-specific data handling requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Microsoft Intune included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium?

Yes. Microsoft Intune is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium at no additional cost. It is also included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 plans. If your business is on Microsoft 365 Business Standard or lower tiers, Intune is not included — but it can be purchased as a standalone add-on licence. Your Microsoft CSP can confirm exactly what your current plan covers.

How does Microsoft Intune help with Australia's Essential Eight compliance?

Intune directly supports three of the eight mitigation strategies: patching operating systems and applications (through update ring enforcement), application control (through Windows Defender Application Control deployment), and restricting administrative privileges (through configuration profiles that remove local admin rights). It does not cover all eight strategies on its own, but it is the primary delivery mechanism for the device-side controls that require enforcement across a Windows fleet.

Can Microsoft Intune manage both company-owned and personal devices?

Yes. Intune supports full device management for company-owned devices and app-level management for personal devices through mobile application management (MAM) without enrolment. In a BYOD scenario, Intune can enforce data protection policies — preventing copy/paste between corporate and personal apps, requiring a PIN to access corporate apps, and wiping corporate data remotely — without touching the personal content on the device. This makes it suitable for the mixed device environments that are common in Australian SMBs.

To find out how Microsoft Intune can benefit your business, talk to the Tyto team on 1300 070 565 or visit tyto.net.au