What Intune can manage
Intune can enrol supported Windows, Apple and mobile devices, although a small-business project may focus first on company Windows laptops. Once enrolled, devices report to the service and receive assigned policies.
Those policies can configure settings, deploy supported applications, assess compliance and work with identity controls. Available features and integrations depend on the Microsoft licences in place.
Configuration and compliance are different
A configuration policy tells a device how a setting should be applied. A compliance policy evaluates whether the device meets stated requirements, such as encryption or an acceptable operating-system condition.
Compliance results can inform access decisions when the organisation has suitable Conditional Access licensing and policies. That link should be piloted carefully because a bad rule can block legitimate users.
- Configuration: apply an agreed device setting
- Compliance: assess whether a device meets requirements
- Conditional Access: use identity and device signals to control access where licensed
Why a small business might use Intune
Manual laptop setup becomes inconsistent as a team grows. Intune can support a repeatable baseline, clearer device inventory and a more controlled onboarding or replacement process.
It is also useful for hybrid teams where devices are not regularly connected to an office network. Cloud management does not remove the need for support ownership, tested policies or secure administrator accounts.
Licensing and prerequisites
Intune is included in some Microsoft 365 plans and available separately. Entra ID, Windows edition, device ownership and existing accounts affect the best enrolment route.
Do not buy licences based only on a feature list. Confirm which users and devices require management, which security controls are needed and who will maintain the environment after initial setup.
A sensible first Intune project
Start with discovery, a small set of essential policies and one or two representative pilot devices. Confirm sign-in, application behaviour, encryption and user experience before widening deployment.
Next Layer IT can scope a practical Microsoft Intune setup around your devices, licences and current Microsoft 365 environment.
- Review licences and device readiness
- Define a small policy baseline
- Enrol representative pilot devices
- Verify policy and compliance results
- Stage wider onboarding and document responsibilities