Delivering a stellar employee experience—a key imperative for enterprises globally—has become a complex affair in the age of the hybrid workplace. Moreover, the complexity of managing diverse devices and applications in the IT domain is increasing, as is the complexity of managing the enterprise Microsoft landscape.
The growing complexity of the IT domain necessitates the need for the right device and application management tool
System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Microsoft Intune are two enterprise-level solutions to manage devices and applications within an organization. While both these solutions are used for device management, they differ in several ways, including the types of devices they support, deployment models, and management capabilities. Below, we discuss the scenarios where enterprise architects should prefer SCCM and instances where Intune works best.
The SCCM Approach Is Advisable for Greater Control and Regulated Industries
SCCM is an on-premises solution that provides a comprehensive set of tools to manage Windows-based devices, servers, and applications. It is ideal for organizations that require complete control over their devices, especially in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, and government agencies. SCCM provides a wide range of features, including:
Deployment and management of Windows operating systems and applications Patch management and software updates Hardware and software inventory management Endpoint protection with antivirus and antimalware capabilities Configuration management and compliance monitoring Reporting and analytics
SCCM also provides support for legacy applications and can be used to manage devices that are either not connected to the internet or behind a firewall.
Intune Helps You Take A Cloud-based Approach to Mobile Devices and Applications
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based solution that provides mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) capabilities. It is ideal for organizations that have a distributed workforce and require a solution to manage devices and applications from a central location. Intune supports a wide range of devices, including Windows, Android, and iOS, and provides the following features:
Endpoint management for mobile devices, including enrollment, configuration and policy management App management, including app deployment, updating and removal Data protection and encryption for mobile devices and applications Conditional access policies that enforce access rules based on device compliance Integration with Microsoft Endpoint Manager for unified management
Intune also provides support for modern management techniques, such as zero-touch enrollment, which allows devices to be preconfigured with settings and policies before they are shipped to the end users.
No One-size-fits-all for Your Microsoft Landscape
Both platforms have their own set of advantages. Intune is preferable for organizations with remote workers, as it is natively cloud-based. Although ConfigMgr (SCCM) can be extended into the cloud with Cloud Management Points or Internet-Based Client Management, this involves significant expenses for an Azure VM or exposing internal infrastructure to the Internet, which carries risks and is difficult to set up.
Intune, on the other hand, does not have these issues. It offers robust compliance features that integrate with Windows Defender and Conditional Access. This combination is a powerful tool and worth implementing. In addition, by combining Intune with Autopilot, devices can be shipped directly to the user and set up without IT department intervention. Intune provides better support for macOS and Linux and also offers management capabilities for iOS and Android devices.
However, ConfigMgr still has certain advantages over Intune. It provides better reporting, enables building or rebuilding devices from scratch, and is easier to troubleshoot.
We Help You Identify The Right Tool for Your Device and Application Management
In summary, enterprises should use SCCM when they require complete control over their devices and applications, especially in highly regulated industries that require on-premises management. On the other hand, Intune should be used when organizations have a distributed workforce that requires a cloud-based solution to manage devices and applications from a central location.
Ultimately, the decision to use SCCM or Intune will depend on your organization's specific requirements, such as device types, management capabilities, and deployment models.
HCLTech’s Digital Workplace offerings can help you decide and implement the best approach to manage and secure your devices, paving the way for a highly secure workplace of the future while delivering on the promise of an excellent employee experience.
