Intune doesn't need to be complicated. A strong baseline is mainly: enrollment coverage, compliance rules, encryption, updates, and minimal local admin risk.
Step 1: Confirm enrollment coverage
If 30% of devices are unmanaged, your "security posture" will always be false confidence.
Step 2: Compliance policy (keep it realistic)
Start with:
- BitLocker required
- Minimum OS version
- Basic health posture checks (no jailbreak/root)
- Simple grace period for remediation
Step 3: BitLocker + recovery key escrow
- Enforce encryption
- Ensure recovery keys are stored centrally
- Define who can retrieve keys and how requests are approved
Step 4: Update rings (predictable > perfect)
A practical model:
- Pilot ring (IT + a few users)
- Broad ring (most users)
- Deadline enforcement (so devices don't drift forever)
Step 5: Local admin control
Don't leave users as admins.
- Use least privilege
- Use LAPS/EPM approaches where available
- Define an "elevate when needed" workflow
Rollout approach
- Pilot first
- Communicate clearly
- Track exceptions and reduce them over time