Intune manages your devices. But who oversees the processes around them?

Microsoft Intune helps organisations manage laptops, mobile devices, configurations, and security policies from a central location. This gives you strong visibility into the device itself. In practice, the process rarely ends at Intune.

A device belongs to an employee, function, and department. Upon onboarding, it must be available and correctly configured. During use, changes or compliance issues may arise. Upon offboarding, the device must be collected, processed, and possibly reactivated.

There are often multiple systems, departments, and employees involved.

Intune signals, but what happens next?

Suppose Intune detects that a laptop no longer complies with the desired policy. Technically, the status is clear, but the organisational process follows.

Who takes action? Should the user be notified? Is a service desk alert required? When should escalation occur? And who ultimately verifies that the issue has actually been resolved?

The same applies to the device lifecycle. HR can register when an employee starts or leaves, and Intune can manage the device, but between those moments, there are various steps and responsibilities.

That's where manual work often emerges. Employees check statuses, send emails, create tickets, or keep track of open actions in lists.

From device management to process orchestration

Linking more systems together does not automatically solve the problem. A successful data transfer between two systems ultimately does not mean the entire process has been completed.

That's the difference between integration and orchestration:
Integration connects systems. Orchestration provides control.

Service Automation Suite can be used as an orchestration and control layer around Intune. Intune remains responsible for device management. Service Automation Suite ensures alignment with the processes and systems around it.

For example, consider a process where a new device is required. Starting from a change in HR, a process can be initiated to determine what's needed, the correct actions are executed, and progress is monitored. If a deviation occurs, targeted action can be taken.

The same principle applies when a device is non-compliant, replaced, lost, or offboarded.

Less manual control

The benefit lies not just in automation. It's primarily about reducing the amount of manual coordination required to ensure processes run smoothly.

That raises several interesting questions for organisations using Intune:

• How many manual actions occur around Intune?
• Who monitors processes that affect multiple systems?
• What happens when a step is not executed properly?
• Is it clear which devices still belong to departing employees?
• How dependent are these processes on the knowledge of individual administrators?

An organisation can have Intune technically set up exceptionally well and still lose significant time managing what happens around it.

Managing Intune and keeping the process chain under control

Effective device management therefore requires more than just control over the device. The processes surrounding issuance, usage, changes, compliance, replacement, and offboarding must also be manageable.

Service Automation Suite does not replace Intune. Instead, it adds orchestration control over the processes in which Intune is one of the components.

With a Service Automation Suite Assessment we map out these processes and dependencies. This reveals where manual work arises, where risks exist, and where orchestration can contribute to better visibility and reduced operational overhead.

Curious how much manual work occurs around your Intune environment?

Get in touch with us for a Service Automation Suite Assessment or the presentation 'From Integration to Orchestration'.

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