Microsoft Intune for SMEs: Managing Devices and Compliance Policies

For many SMEs, Microsoft Intune is the answer to one simple question: how do I make sure every laptop and phone that touches my company data is genuinely secure, without setting up each workstation by hand? In this article you'll learn exactly what Intune does, how compliance policies and Conditional Access work together, what it costs in 2026, and where Intune is - or isn't - the best choice.

What is Microsoft Intune?

Intune is Microsoft's cloud service for endpoint management: managing every device employees use to access company data. Under the bonnet, Intune does two things at once. It provides MDM (Mobile Device Management) to fully manage Windows, macOS, iOS and Android devices, and it provides MAM (Mobile Application Management) to protect data at app level only - on employees' personal phones, for example.

In doing so, Intune replaces a whole stack of older tools. Where system administrators used to combine Group Policy, WSUS, SCCM and standalone MDM solutions, management now happens from a single web portal in the browser, with no domain controller or on-premises server. For SMEs already working with Microsoft 365, that is a big leap in simplicity.

Why Intune has become relevant for SMEs

Three developments make Intune all but unavoidable for SMEs in the Netherlands in 2026. First, nobody works only at the office any more. Laptops live at home, in the car and at customer sites. Second, cyber threats have become more professional: a single laptop without a patching policy is an open door into your Microsoft 365 environment. Third, NIS2 and cyber insurers are setting ever more concrete requirements for demonstrable device management, patching and incident response.

Intune fits those demands well. Centralised management with compliance policies and Conditional Access delivers exactly the evidence auditors, insurers and customers ask for: demonstrable patching, demonstrable disk encryption, a demonstrable device inventory, and a demonstrable record of who used which device at what moment.

You'll find more context on the broader approach to endpoint management and MDM in business environments in our earlier article. Intune is the dominant Microsoft solution in that space.

The four building blocks of Intune management

In practice you work with four layers that stack on top of each other. Think of it like this:

1. Enrolment. How do devices end up in Intune? For Windows, via Autopilot or manual enrolment. For iOS and Android, via Apple Business Manager, Android Enterprise or personal enrolment. For macOS, via Apple Business Manager or manual enrolment.
2. Configuration profiles. What should be set by default? Wi-Fi profiles, VPN, email, BitLocker or FileVault, Windows Update rings, Defender settings, password requirements and restrictions on unwanted apps.
3. Compliance policies. When is a device "compliant"? Requirements such as disk encryption switched on, a minimum OS version, active antivirus, no jailbreak or root, and a password set. A compliance policy doesn't block anything itself; it flags a device.
4. Conditional Access. What may a device do or not do, given its compliance status? For example: only compliant Windows laptops can access SharePoint; non-compliant devices get webmail only, with MFA and no downloads.

This combination is the core of zero trust at the workstation level, and fits neatly into a zero trust strategy for SMEs.

Windows Autopilot: from box to workstation without IT

Autopilot solves an old pain point: every new laptop had to be installed by hand, apps and policies rolled out, the disk encrypted and the user signed in. With Autopilot, the supplier or your administrator registers the hardware hash in your Microsoft Entra ID tenant. As soon as the user switches the laptop on and connects to the internet, the device joins Entra ID and enrols automatically in Intune. From that moment on, configuration profiles, compliance policies and apps are pushed to it.

For SMEs, that means in concrete terms: you can have laptops delivered straight to a new employee's home address. They switch it on, type in their Microsoft account and are ready to go 30 to 60 minutes later. No imaging, no trip to the office, no hour on the phone with the helpdesk.

Compliance policies plus Conditional Access: where the real work happens

The biggest misconception SMEs have is that a compliance policy enforces something. It doesn't. A compliance policy only says: this device does or doesn't meet the rules. If you don't do anything with that outcome, nothing has changed.

The link that does enforce it is Conditional Access, a feature of Microsoft Entra ID. Conditional Access is a set of rules that decides, for each sign-in: may this user, from this device, in this location, with this status, access this application? A typical SME configuration:

• Only compliant Windows, macOS, iOS and Android devices can access Microsoft 365 applications.
• MFA is always required from unknown locations, even on compliant devices.
• Non-compliant devices can only access webmail, without downloads and without the Outlook app.
• Admin accounts require a compliant admin workstation as well as MFA.

Important: assign compliance policies to user groups, not device groups. Conditional Access works on user sign-ins, so that's the only way the policy matches correctly. And build in an exclusion for the break-glass account, so you don't lock yourself out through a misconfiguration.

Hassle-free BYOD with MAM

Not every employee wants their employer to fully manage their personal phone. Fair enough, because MDM on a personal device gives the organisation far-reaching control. For these scenarios, Intune offers Mobile Application Management. With App Protection Policies you protect company data inside supported apps (mainly the Microsoft 365 apps), while leaving the device itself untouched.

In practice: on a personal iPhone, Outlook only opens company email after a separate PIN, prevents copy-and-paste into consumer apps, blocks screenshots of confidential messages and requires encryption of temporary data. When the employee leaves, a selective wipe erases only the company data - not the family photos.

For SMEs without the budget to give everyone a company phone, this is a pragmatic middle ground: company data protected, personal space respected. Combine it with a password manager and MFA to lock down the basics.

What does Intune cost in 2026?

Prices are Microsoft list prices in USD; as a rough guide, treat dollars and euros as one-to-one, plus VAT. Official euro prices fluctuate, so check them when you buy.

• Intune Plan 1 standalone: around $8 per user per month on an annual contract. This is the foundation for MDM and MAM.
• Intune Plan 2 add-on: around $4 per user per month. Adds advanced endpoint security features.
• Microsoft Intune Suite: around $10 per user per month. Bundles Remote Help, Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM), Advanced Endpoint Analytics and Microsoft Tunnel. Worth it if you genuinely use two or more of these modules.
• Individual components: Remote Help at about $3.50 and Endpoint Privilege Management at about $3.00 per user per month.

For most SMEs, standalone Intune Plan 1 is rarely the cheapest route. Intune Plan 1 is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, E5, F1, F3 and the EMS E3/E5 bundles. If you have Microsoft 365 Business Premium (around $22 per user per month), you pay nothing extra for Intune functionality. For an organisation of between 5 and 300 employees, Business Premium is usually the best bundle. You can read more about that choice in our article on choosing Microsoft 365 licences for SMEs.

From 1 July 2026, Microsoft has expanded E3 with Intune Remote Help, Advanced Analytics, Intune Plan 2 and Defender for Office P1, with the price going up by $3 per user per month. For organisations already on E3, that is effectively a forced mini-upgrade of their management and security capabilities. In some cases it pays to review your licences again, especially if you aren't actively using the Suite features.

Intune versus the alternatives: when should you choose something else?

Intune isn't the only player. When does something else fit better?

• Pure Apple environment, no Microsoft 365. Jamf Pro or Iru (formerly Kandji) offer deeper Apple integration and better support for macOS-specific workflows. Mosyle and Apple Business Essentials are also worth a look for smaller Apple-only teams.
• No Microsoft 365, but cross-platform. JumpCloud offers cross-platform MDM with a strong identity layer. NinjaOne combines MDM with RMM features and is popular with MSPs.
• Already built on Google Workspace. Google Endpoint Management is often sufficient for Chromebook environments and Android-focused workflows.

The rule of thumb: if you already have Microsoft 365, Intune gives you the best return, because the licence is usually already in place and the integration with Entra ID, Defender and Purview is seamless. If you run a mixed environment, you can often still use Intune and supplement it with a specialist tool for certain platforms.

Practical pitfalls in SME implementations

In our managed IT practice we see a number of recurring pitfalls:

• Rolling out too many policies too quickly. Start with a minimal baseline and expand step by step.
• Locking administrators out with a Conditional Access rule. Always create a break-glass account with MFA but without Conditional Access.
• Attempting Autopilot without a Microsoft 365 bundle or Entra ID P1. Some Autopilot features require a specific licence.
• Not using a test group. Roll out new policies to a pilot group first, monitor for 1 to 2 weeks, and only then deploy widely.

Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Intune for SMEs

Do I need Intune if I only use Microsoft 365 Business Basic? Yes, if you actually want your devices managed. Business Basic doesn't include Intune licences. Upgrade to Business Premium (around $22 per user per month) or buy Intune Plan 1 separately. Without Intune or an alternative MDM, you have no demonstrable device management - increasingly a deal-breaker for NIS2, cyber insurers and customers.

Does Intune work well for macOS and iPhones too? Yes. Intune supports macOS, iOS and iPadOS, with Apple Business Manager for zero-touch enrolment. The functionality is less deep than Jamf Pro's, but for most SMEs with a mixed Windows/Apple fleet it is more than sufficient. For large creative agencies or Apple-only businesses, Jamf remains the stronger choice.

What is the difference between a compliance policy and a Conditional Access policy? A compliance policy defines when a device is compliant (BitLocker on, minimum OS version, antivirus active). Conditional Access decides what is allowed to happen given that status (only compliant devices can access SharePoint). Compliance policies don't block anything themselves; Conditional Access does.

How long does an Intune implementation take for an SME? For 10 to 50 workstations, a structured rollout with an IT partner usually takes 2 to 6 weeks: discovery, design, baseline policies, pilot and rollout team by team. The biggest time investment goes into defining the right policies and testing them on different device types.

Can I combine Intune with existing on-premises Group Policies? Yes, this is called co-management. In practice, it's usually better to set up new devices fully cloud-native in Intune and keep the on-premises AD/GPO only for legacy systems. Fully migrating from GPO to Intune configuration profiles is a structured project in its own right.

What if an employee loses their laptop? From the Intune console, an administrator can immediately perform a remote wipe or remote lock. For BYOD via MAM, you can do a selective wipe: only the company data in the company apps is erased, while personal data stays intact. Document this procedure in your IT onboarding and offboarding process so no time is lost in a real incident.

Conclusion

For SMEs in the Netherlands running on Microsoft 365, Microsoft Intune is all but the standard choice for device management in 2026. The combination of Autopilot for zero-touch deployment, compliance policies plus Conditional Access for zero-trust access, and MAM for BYOD covers the most important scenarios. In many cases the licence is already included in your Microsoft 365 bundle, so what you're really buying is the time and expertise to set it up properly. Start small, use a pilot group and grow towards a baseline that demonstrably stands up to an audit.

TRON Group sets up Intune environments for SMEs across the Netherlands: from a first Autopilot rollout to a full zero-trust configuration with Conditional Access, MAM for BYOD and managed monitoring. Want to know whether your current setup would survive a cyber insurer's audit or an NIS2 questionnaire? Call us on +31 85 303 5869 or request a no-obligation Intune scan. We're happy to help you think it through - no pushy sales pitch.