In today’s security-conscious digital landscape, organizations must ensure that all devices accessing corporate resources meet security and compliance requirements. Microsoft Intune provides Device Compliance Policies, a powerful feature that helps IT admins enforce security standards across managed devices. This blog will explore what compliance policies are, why they are essential, and how to create and apply them in Intune for Windows devices.
What are Intune Device Compliance Policies?
A Device Compliance Policy in Intune is a set of rules that determines whether a device is compliant with your organization's security requirements. These policies assess factors like OS version, security settings, encryption status, and more. These policies help secure organizational data and resources by ensuring that only devices meeting your specified requirements can access them.
Intune compliance policies consist of two main areas:
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Compliance Policy Settings: Tenant-wide configurations that act as a built-in compliance policy for every device.
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Device Compliance Policies: Discrete sets of platform-specific rules and settings deployed to groups of users or devices.
Benefits of Using Device Compliance Policies:
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Enhanced Security: Enforce security standards such as requiring a minimum OS version, device encryption, or password protection.
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Conditional Access Integration: Integrate compliance results with Microsoft Entra Conditional Access to ensure only compliant devices can access corporate resources.
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Actions for Non-Compliance: Implement actions such as sending email alerts, remotely locking devices, or retiring non-compliant devices.
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Monitoring and Reporting: Monitor the compliance status of devices through the Intune admin center.
Steps to Create a Device Compliance Policy in Intune:
1. Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center.
2. Go to Devices > Compliance and select Create policy.
3. Select a Platform for the policy:
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Android device administrator
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Android (AOSP)
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Android Enterprise
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iOS/iPadOS
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Linux
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macOS
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Windows 10 and later
- Windows 8.1 and later
4. For Android Enterprise, select a Profile type:
- Fully managed, dedicated, and corporate-owned work profile
- Personally-owned work profile
5. Select Create to open the configuration page.
6. On the Basics tab, enter a Name and optional Description for the policy.
7. On the Compliance settings tab, configure the settings for your policy. These settings vary based on the platform you selected. For Windows devices, some key settings include:
i. Device Health: Require BitLocker, require Secure Boot to be enabled, or require code integrity.
ii. Device Properties: Set minimum and maximum OS versions or specify valid operating system builds.
iii. Configuration Manager Compliance: Require device compliance from Configuration Manager for co-managed devices.
iv. System Security: Require a password, configure password complexity, and manage password expiration.
v. Encryption: Require encryption of data storage on the device.
vi. Device Security: Configure firewall settings, require a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), and require antivirus and antispyware solutions.
vii. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: Set the maximum allowed threat level.
viii. Windows Subsystem for Linux: Specify allowed Linux distributions and versions.
8. Configure Actions for noncompliance:
i. Mark the device as non-compliant.
ii. Send email alerts to users.
iii. Remotely lock non-compliant devices.
iv. Retire devices after a period of non-compliance.
9. Assign the policy to user or device groups.
10. Review and create the policy.
11. Monitoring Compliance Status: Intune provides a device compliance dashboard to monitor the compliance status of devices. To access the dashboard:
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Go to Devices > Compliance > Monitor device compliance
Conclusion
Setting up Device Compliance Policies in Microsoft Intune helps organizations enforce security standards, ensure regulatory compliance, and protect sensitive data. By combining these policies with Conditional Access, IT admins can create a robust security framework that prevents unauthorized or non-secure devices from accessing corporate resources.
Start implementing compliance policies today to enhance security across your enterprise devices!
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