{"id":10062,"date":"2024-06-24T01:00:38","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T08:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=10062"},"modified":"2024-06-24T09:03:29","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T16:03:29","slug":"managing-windows-10-devices-with-microsoft-intune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/managing-windows-10-devices-with-microsoft-intune\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Windows 10 devices with Microsoft Intune"},"content":{"rendered":"
[Editor\u2019s note: This content was written to highlight a particular event or moment in time. Although that moment has passed, we\u2019re republishing it here so you can see what our thinking and experience was like at the time.]<\/em><\/p>\n Microsoft Digital is responsible for managing more than 264,000 Windows 10 devices that Microsoft employees around the world use daily. Historically, our management methods have been based primarily on the network and infrastructure on which these devices reside. The corporate network has been the functional foundation of Microsoft operations for more than 30 years. Our technical past was built on Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and the accompanying identity and access management principles that work well within a tightly controlled and regulated on-premises network. With this model, Microsoft Digital has been able to manage devices connected within a protected and insulated digital ecosystem.<\/p>\n However, the ways that our devices are being used have changed significantly over the past 10 years and continue to evolve. The corporate network is no longer the default security perimeter or environment for on-premises computing for many companies, and the cloud is quickly becoming the standard platform for business solutions. At Microsoft, we\u2019ve been continually embracing this new model, engaging in a digital transformation that examines our technology and reimagines it as an enabler of greater business productivity.<\/p>\n As a result, the devices that our employees use are increasingly internet focused and interconnected. Our digital transformation entails removing solutions and services from the corporate network and redeploying them in the cloud on Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and other Microsoft cloud platforms.<\/p>\n Our Windows devices have been managed by System Center Configuration Manager<\/a> and AD DS<\/a> for many years. To be our first and best customer and to support a modern device experience, we’ve started transitioning to Microsoft Endpoint Manager by enabling co-management<\/a> with Intune and Configuration Manager. Our device management team identified several aspects of the device management experience that needed to be changed to better support our devices and users. Some of the most important aspects included:<\/p>\n To facilitate a modern device experience for our users and better support our digital transformation, we\u2019ve begun the process of adopting modern device management for all Windows 10 devices at Microsoft. Modern device management focuses on an internet-first device connection, an agile, flexible management and deployment model, and a scalable, cloud-based infrastructure to support the mechanisms that drive device management.<\/p>\n Our modern device management approach begins with and on the internet. The internet offers the most universal and widely available network for our clients. Our modern management methods are built with internet connectivity as the default, which means using internet-based management tools and methods. To enable this, we used Intune and Azure AD to create a cloud-based infrastructure that supports internet-first devices and offers a universally accessible infrastructure model.<\/p>\n The move to modern management necessitates migrating from our traditional methods of device management rooted in Configuration Manager and AD DS. To enable a smooth transition, we decided to adopt a co-management model that enables side-by-side functionality of both traditional and modern infrastructure. This model was critical to ensuring a smooth transition and it enabled us to take a more gradual, phased approach to adopting modern management. Some advantages of the co-management model include:<\/p>\n We developed a phased approach to moving to modern management. This approach allowed us to adequately test and incorporate modern methods. It also enabled us to choose a transition pace that best suited our business. We outlined three primary phases:<\/p>\n In each phase, we implemented one of the primary building blocks that would lead us to a fully modern, internet-first, cloud-based device management environment that supported our digital transformation and created the optimal device experience for our employees.<\/p>\n We began by establishing the core of our modern management infrastructure. We determined how it would function and how we would support the transition to modern management from our traditional model. A significant portion of the overall effort was invested in phase one, which established the basis for our entire modern management environment going forward. Our primary tasks during phase one included:<\/p>\n Our process for device onboarding to modern management is relatively simple. As new devices are purchased and brought into the environment, they are deployed and managed by using the modern management model. This is our approach for the entire device-rollout process; it enables us to gradually onboard devices in a relatively controlled manner and avoid the extra effort required to create in-place migration paths for existing devices. We anticipate that this strategy will result in a complete transition to modern management within three years, according to our device purchase and refresh policies.<\/p>\n We\u2019re using Windows Autopilot as the vehicle for simplifying the user experience and ensuring better corporate asset management. Autopilot allows us to greatly simplify operating system deployment for our users and the Microsoft Digital employees who support the process. Autopilot provides several critical enablers to the deployment process, including:<\/p>\n These capabilities allow us to create a simplified user experience and greatly reduce the time required for Microsoft Digital support staff to configure and deploy images to devices.<\/p>\n The final phase in our transition to modern management is ongoing. With our current trajectory, we estimate that 99 percent of our devices will be managed under the fully modern model within three years. We\u2019re working within the co-management model and moving toward a fully modern-managed environment. Our next steps include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019re still on the road to modern device management, but we\u2019ve learned several lessons along the way. These learning experiences have helped us to better enable modern management now and prepare for the future at Microsoft. Some of the most important lessons include:<\/p>\n Our transition to modern device management will continue over the next few years as we onboard devices and refine our Microsoft Endpoint Manager platform and methods. Microsoft Endpoint Manager gives Microsoft Digital a platform that enables simplified and efficient management and configuration for our devices in an environment that supports and drives our digital transformation. Our planned refinements to modern management will improve the user experience, reduce the time it takes to get reliable, fully functioning devices into our users\u2019 hands, and create cost savings and greater efficiencies in device management for Microsoft Digital.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nMicrosoft Digital is transforming the way that we manage devices for Microsoft employees. We\u2019re embracing modern device management principles and practices to provide a frictionless, productive device experience for Microsoft employees and a seamless and effective management environment for the Microsoft Digital teams that manage these devices. We\u2019re using Windows 10, Microsoft Intune, Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), and a wide range of associated features to better manage our devices in an internet-first, cloud-focused environment. The move to modern management has begun our transition to Microsoft Endpoint Manager, the convergence of Intune and System Center Configuration Manager functionality and data into a unified, end-to-end management solution.<\/p>\nAddressing the need for modern management<\/h2>\n
Assessing device management at Microsoft<\/h3>\n
\n
Moving to modern device management<\/h2>\n
Establishing internet and cloud focus<\/h3>\n
Moving from traditional to modern with co-management<\/h3>\n
\n
Adopting a phased approach<\/h3>\n
\n
Phase one: Establishing the foundation for modern management<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Phase two: Simplifying device onboarding and configuration<\/h4>\n
Simplifying with Windows Autopilot<\/h5>\n
\n
Phase three: Moving from co-management to modern management<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
\n