Glossary
Microsoft Intune
Also called: Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
In one sentence
Microsoft Intune is Microsoft's cloud service for managing and securing company computers, phones and tablets — settings, apps, updates and encryption — from one place.
Before cloud device management, setting up a computer meant someone sitting at it for hours, and keeping it secure meant hoping each machine was configured correctly. Intune lets your IT team define how devices should be set up — encryption on, screen lock after a few minutes, Windows updates installed within a set window, approved apps only, EDR running — and applies it automatically to every enrolled device, wherever it is.
Intune manages Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, iPads and Android devices. For company-owned computers it can control everything. For personal phones, it can use app protection policies that secure just the work apps (like Outlook and Teams) without touching personal photos or texts — and wipe only the work data if someone leaves.
Intune also reports whether each device is “compliant” with your rules. Conditional Access can then block access from any device that isn't, which is a key piece of zero trust. It works hand in hand with Windows Autopilot for zero-touch setup. Intune Plan 1 is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Why it matters: HIPAA, cyber insurers and client security reviews all ask the same questions — are devices encrypted, patched and protected, and can you prove it? Intune answers with a report instead of a guess.
Example: a hygienist's laptop is stolen from her car. Because the practice's laptops are enrolled in Intune with BitLocker encryption, the IT team confirms the device was encrypted, sends a remote wipe and documents it. The theft is a hardware problem, not a patient-data breach.
Read our Intune guide for small businesses.
Related terms
- Windows AutopilotWindows Autopilot lets a brand-new Windows PC set itself up for your business the first time an employee signs in — no imaging or hands-on setup required.
- Conditional AccessConditional Access is the Microsoft Entra ID feature that decides, at every sign-in, whether to allow, block or require extra checks based on who is signing in, from what device, and from where.
- Microsoft Entra IDMicrosoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is Microsoft's cloud identity service — the system that holds your users' accounts and controls how they sign in to Microsoft 365 and other apps.
- BitLockerMicrosoft’s full-disk encryption built into business editions of Windows, which makes a lost or stolen PC’s data unreadable.
- EndpointAny device that connects to your network or data — laptops, desktops, phones, tablets and servers — and is used by a person or runs business software.
- Patch managementPatch management is the ongoing process of installing security updates on operating systems, applications and devices — on a schedule, with tracking, so nothing is left unprotected.