Intune, Autopilot and The Modern Workplace
To answer the question “why are Microsoft Intune and Autopilot crucial to a modern workplace?” you first need to understand specifically what is meant by the modern workplace. And, in short, it’s a concept which acknowledges the change in ways of working (particularly over the last few years) and embraces that change, often with the help of modern, digital workplace solutions to enable the way people want to work.
Microsoft has been at the forefront of this change in recent years, after coining the phrase. They’ve created a hub of digital tools to support a modern workplace, which has naturally led to the belief that creating one is solely about adopting technology – and whilst that is a crucial and necessary element, it is more than that. The modern workplace is about the people that make up a business and creating a workplace that drives communication, productivity, efficiency and setting teams up to work in an environment that drives culture and collaboration.
On the back of those key drivers, many digital solutions have emerged. Their purpose is to:
- Unify communications
- Connect teams, wherever they work
- Improve working experiences
- Promote productivity
- Simplify many workplace processes
- Optimise employer spend
Many moons ago, technology had a core purpose, which was to maximise output of teams. But in recent years, attitudes have changed to the way technology can support business and with that change has come new technologies. In workplaces today, businesses adopt technologies to empower their teams and promote collaboration and productivity.
Modern, connected technology is becoming the norm, not the exception and it’s becoming a key driver when attracting and retaining talent too.
One of the biggest changes that has impacted attitudes is the rise of remote and hybrid workforces, which have brought new challenges and opportunities to the forefront. To navigate this changing landscape (and thrive!), businesses need streamlined, efficient and secure processes. That’s where Microsoft Intune and Autopilot step in, not just as technical solutions, but as enablers of your business’ success when it comes to better onboarding and management of your IT infrastructure to promote efficiency and productivity.
How Are Intune and Autopilot Revolutionising The Modern Workplace?
We’re going to assume you’re relatively well-versed in Intune and Autopilot and have a pretty good grasp of what they do, if you don’t, you can take a look at our whitepaper here. As a really succinct recap, Intune and Autopilot are both cloud-based solutions, that work in unison to improve your device management, application deployment and data configuration. Intune allows you to create specific profiles for users or teams, thereby simplifying the device rollout process. Autopilot, on the other hand, takes device setup to a whole new level by automating the process. Users receive a pre-configured device, unbox it, log in and within minutes, the device is ready for use, all without the need for direct IT intervention.
Save Time with Streamlined Device Setup and Management
Intune and Autopilot streamline device management, ensuring that your business operates smoothly and efficiently. From configuring devices to deploying applications, these tools make it all seamless. With a few clicks, your IT team can manage and secure devices remotely, whether they are in the office or spread across the globe – this is key when it comes to adopting a more modern workplace. The point is that your teams should be able to work effectively from anywhere and not be rooted to a single place in order to perform their roles.
So, how exactly do these systems help? Well, of course they’re both cloud-based which is a pretty crucial element. But more than that, they alleviate an enormous amount of administrative pressure and time from your IT team or partner, so they can focus their efforts on supporting your teams.
Now that remote work is commonplace, businesses need to be able to deliver services and support to their teams, wherever they are. But remote work isn’t without it’s challenges. Maintaining device security and preventing data loss are a big deal – especially since, according to the UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023, 34% of businesses that identified a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months said they lost sensitive data. Which is a significant increase from the 28% of businesses that reported losing sensitive data in the 2022 survey.
Intune and Autopilot helps companies deal with these common IT challenges. With Intune, your IT team or partner can create specific profiles for users or teams to make device roll out simple and consistent. Using Intune, you can manage, configure, update and protect the devices that your organisation uses, such as computers, laptops, tablets and phones. You can do this by managing the apps that you need – all while ensuring that devices are compliant with your business’ security requirements. Once you have created your settings, determined which apps are required and which security settings must be setup, you can store them as profiles, ready for rollout by Autopilot, so there’s no need to ensure each individual device is configured one-by-one, meaning no important settings get missed.
With Autopilot, users receive a new and boxed device, directly from a supplier, or a repurposed device from their IT team or partner. They simply unbox it, login and start using it. Within minutes, Autopilot automatically installs the apps and settings. IT only needs to have minimal input. Instead of maintaining “images” and handling devices , your IT team or partner just sets them up in Microsoft Intune; they add any apps and settings and choose a setup experience.
Once employees turn on their shiny new devices, Autopilot can set them up anywhere an internet connection is available! Better still, it improves employee satisfaction by requiring only a few simple steps, making their new devices ready in just minutes. That includes all the user, device and app policies that IT preconfigure; like enabling BitLocker or MFA – so the device is secure from the start.
Intune and Autopilot enables your IT team or partner to deliver ready-to-go devices directly to users, frees up IT hours and improves employee satisfaction.
Microsoft Intune was created to address the demand that a hybrid workforce brings. With people working in a variety of locations and in and out of the office, being able to ensure cybersecurity demands are met and all your company devices are protected is essential.
Intune provides a range of features such as device management, app management and security management, which can be used to protect corporate data and manage the use of mobile devices within an organisation. It also enables your IT team or partner to manage and protect corporate data accessed by personal devices that the organisation doesn’t own, such as smartphones and tablets.
Add Peace of Mind with Enhanced Security
One of the top concerns for any business adopting a more modern workplace, is security. Thankfully, Microsoft have invested heavily into their security offering and are now leading from the front when it comes to systems and technologies that keep businesses protected. Microsoft’s cybersecurity ethos is built on the principles of Zero Trust — an essential security strategy for today’s reality. Zero Trust is a proactive, integrated approach to security across all layers of the digital estate that explicitly and continuously verifies every transaction, asserts least privilege and relies on intelligence, advanced detection and real-time response to threats.
But where do Intune and Autopilot come into this? In a world where data security is non-negotiable, Intune and Autopilot provide robust security measures and they work on that same Zero Trust framework. They protect your devices and data through conditional access policies, encryption, and automated threat detection. These measures ensure that sensitive information stays in the right hands.
Intune streamlines the process of managing device security through automatic updates and patch rollouts. These crucial tasks are handled from a centralised dashboard manged by your IT team or partner, eliminating the need for time-consuming, manual configurations on individual devices. You can ensure that all corporate devices are up to date with the latest security patches, reducing vulnerability to potential cyberattacks.
Furthermore, Intune enhances security with conditional access policies. By customising access based on user groups and enforcing strict identity verification measures, your organisation can shield itself from the increasing threat of credential theft and social attacks.
Embrace Growth with Confidence
If you’re wanting to grow and transform your business into a more modern workplace, then you’ll need to embrace innovation, which will in turn improve your security and efficiency. Microsoft Intune and Autopilot are ideal tools for helping businesses achieve their growth goals by providing a unified platform for device and app management, security and compliance. They help businesses streamline device and app deployment, enabling you to get new devices and apps into the hands of employees faster and more efficiently, leading to increased productivity and employee satisfaction, as well as reduced IT costs.
By simplifying device and app management, businesses can free up their IT resources to focus on more strategic initiatives, so it’s much easier to become more agile and scale. Not to mention the benefits of widening your talent pool – if you can support a remote workforce by enabling employees to access company resources from anywhere in the world, you can expand your reach and attract top talent from anywhere.
No Hefty Additional Costs
The beauty of these systems, it that they’re part of your Microsoft 365 Business Premium licence, so subscribers are licensed to use full Intune and Autopilot capabilities, you’ll just need to cover the cost of implementation and setup with your partner, who will ensure that profiles are created and all of your security settings are properly configured to ensure your systems are kept safe and secure and device roll-out can happen in just a few minutes. That leaves valuable resource open to focus on other value-adding tasks and supporting your wider business more efficiently.
Overall, Microsoft Intune and Autopilot are powerful tools that can help businesses of all sizes to achieve their productivity and growth goals. By providing a unified platform for device and app management, security and compliance, Intune and Autopilot can help businesses to streamline their IT operations, improve their security posture and become more agile and scalable. The modern workplace is waiting—and you can master it with Microsoft’s powerful tools.