Intune vs SCCM – Which MDM is Better? (Pros and Cons)
Intune vs SCCM – Which MDM is Better? (Pros and Cons). All in all, Mobile device management (MDM) solutions allow organizations to efficiently manage, monitor, and secure mobile devices used by their employees. These devices are smartphones, tablets, or laptops. They play a key role in the modern workplace. Help you manage corporate data on devices by setting up accessibility policies and data security.
With that in mind, it’s crucial to choose a suitable MDM solution for your organization. Both Intune and SCCM are among the top MDM solutions for endpoint management. This article discusses Intune vs SCCM – Which MDM is Better? to help you choose the most suitable for your organization.
Features of Intune
Intune is a cloud based service focusing on mobile application management (MAM) and mobile device management (MDM). Here are some of its features:
Device Management
Intune provides you a device management and patch management approach and lets you keep track of all employee devices, whether they are ‘bring your own devices (BYOD) or organization owned. With Intune, you view all connected devices and gives inventory of all the devices that are accessing your organization’s resources.
Application Management
The mobile application management (MAM) feature safeguards your organization’s data at the application level.
Compliance and Conditional Access
Integrates with Azure AD to enable a wide range of access control scenarios. Crucial, if you want mobile devices to comply with the Intune’s organizational standards before they access network resources like SharePoint or email. Also lock down services so they’re only accessible to a specific set of mobile applications.
Security
Intune provides a wide scope of security solutions. Secure your on premises email and data so that mobile devices safely access it. Also, it secures BYOD devices, limited use shared devices, as well as corporate owned devices.
Autopilot
Autopilot feature of Intune lets your enterprise pre configure new Windows devices before they are accessible to end users. When a device enrols in Autopilot, it registers with Intune and links with the organization’s Azure Active Directory (ADD) tenant. The admin then pre configures the device policies, settings, and applications to apply to the device.
Windows Update for Business
Enables organizations to control and manage Windows updates. Use Windows updates for Business to ensure that all your devices are up to date with the newest security and software patches.
Reports and System Logs
Microsoft Intune provides comprehensive reports and system logs to offer you a detailed view of software inventories. This enables you to generate reports and retrieve data on specific types of software on your devices. The logs include specific details and also support export in HTML or CSV formats. In addition, Intune enables auditing of all customer logs.
Task Creation and Management
Intune lets you create, manage, and execute tasks remotely on the devices you manage. Additionally, configure remote tasks that force client devices to update their policies as soon as they come back online. The admin console allows you to see whether tasks are running, queued, successful, or if they have failed.
Pros of Intune
- Cloud native, eliminating the need for an on premises server.
- Integrates smoothly with Apple devices.
- Robust mobile device management.
- Autopilot enables you to provide new devices to your end users without having to build, maintain, or apply custom OS system images to the devices.
- Applies patches and applications to multiple devices simultaneously.
- Easy to use interface.
Cons of Intune
- Rather expensive with monthly fees depending on the volume of data they transmitted.
- Lacks the features to handle advanced package deployments.
- No support for server side apps.
Up next with article Intune vs SCCM – Which MDM is Better? we introduce the features of SCCM.
Features of SCCM
System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) is a mobile device management solution developed by Microsoft to help users manage applications, software updates, and operating systems throughout an organization’s devices. Initially developed for Windows centric devices, it has since advanced to provide mobile device management.
SCCM provides advanced capabilities for managing and securing mobile devices within the organization’s network. Here are some features of SCCM:
Application Management
SCCM gives the tools and resources to create, monitor, deploy, and manage applications for the devices that you manage. Use this feature to ensure that the most important software is available on every device. Send application deployments to devices, users, groups of devices, or groups of users.
Operating System Deployment
SCCM contains tools for creating OS images, which you use in operating system deployment through bootable media or PXE boot. This applies to both SCCM managed and unmanaged devices. PXE initiated deployments allow client machines to request a network deployment. The system then sends the OS image and a Windows PE boot image to a distribution point that is capable of accepting PXE boot requests.
Implement the OS when the destination computer boots. Once the target device boots, it collects from the network the OS image, task sequence, and any other resources. Since those resources aren’t on the media, you can constantly update everything without reconstructing the media.
Resource Access
SCCM offers convenient data and application remote access to organization resources via powerful tools like WIFI, VPN profiles, conditional access, and certificate profiles.
Endpoint Protection
Handles Windows Firewall security and malware detection policies in the Configuration Manager hierarchy for user devices. Ability to configure Windows Defender Firewall settings, antimalware policies, as well as Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection for specific device groups.
Device Compliance
Guarantees the highest level of device compliance with its intuitive tools that track and assess client device compliance norms.
Reporting
SCCM has sophisticated SQL Server reporting capabilities that enable you to create custom reports directly from the console.
Software Metering
SCCM built in software metering capabilities enable you to monitor and manage software using information from SCCM clients. This feature helps to optimize software licenses, identify unused or underused applications, and ensure compliance with software licensing agreements.
Power Management and Remote Control
Use SCCM to accurately control and assess the resources generated by client devices. Additionally it helps in creating, deploying, and monitoring the configuring of remote connections to machines.
Pros of SCCM
- Integrates smoothly with other Microsoft products and Windows Systems.
- Powerful set of functions that generate system wide reports from a single central console.
- Simple GUI that is easy to learn and implement.
- Removes the need to convince users to install it as it allows automatic pushes by system admins.
- Allows users to schedule software updates.
Cons of SCCM
- SCCM ships as part of a larger suite of Microsoft solutions, and may be relatively expensive for non enterprise organizations.
Main Differences Between Intune and SCCM
While both Intune and SCCM are Microsoft solutions, they have significant differences when it comes to mobile device management. Let us take a look at
Intune vs SCCM – Which MDM is Better?
Licensing
Intune is available with different licensing but to use in tune you will need to have one of the following licenses: Enterprise Mobility and Security E5, Microsoft 365 F3, Microsoft 365 F1, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Government G5, or Microsoft 365 Government G3.
On the other hand, SCCM implements a conventional volume licensing format. The number of users that you manage with SCCM does not affect the cost. SCCM is part of Microsoft Software Assurance programs and is under the following licenses: Enterprise mobility and Security E3, Intune user subscription license, Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 363 F3, or Microsoft 365 E5.
Security Approach
Both Intune and SCCM provide extensive security and compliance features for Windows endpoints. Intune has a larger set of security and compliance: device restriction, device encryption, remote wipe, and password policies. Integrate Intune with third party security solutions such as Symantec, Micro, Trend, and McAfee.
SCCM also offers extra security and compliance features such as application Whitelisting, system hardening, and malware protection.
Deployment
Intune and SCCM employ different approaches to deployment and management. Intune is a cloud native solution that needs minimal infrastructure and is easy to scale and deploy. Intune is deployed quickly and managed from any location with internet access.
SCCM is an on premises solution that requires its server as well as additional infrastructure. When compared to Intune, SCCM applies a more complex approach to deployment and management. However, SCCM offers more robust management capabilities to manage multiple locations.
Cost
Intune is a part of the Azure portal and is available as a standalone solution or as an inclusion in enterprise mobile and security packages. This makes Intune a cost effective solution as the price per user is not prohibitive.
On the other hand, SCCM uses a CAL license, meaning that the price is determined by the number of clients. A more expensive solution compared to Intune.
Integrations
Intune integrates with a large set of both Microsoft native and third party devices and applications.
Managed Google Play – admins access your organization’s Android app repository and deploy these applications to your machines.
Apple tokens and certificates – Once you add the apple tokens and certificates, your macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices can enroll in Intune.
SCCM’s main focus is Windows devices, as such, there is little support iOS. SCCM requires a windows server to run, and because of this only a few multi platform environments are supported by SCCM. Additionally, SCCM has limited support for third party application patching.
Ease of Use
Intune is relatively easy to use and requires minimal skill and resources to run. That makes Intune the best option for smaller organizations.
On the other hand, SCCM has a steep learning curve for users. Besides, it requires an advanced skillset to utilize its capabilities. This makes SCCM an excellent choice for larger companies with a huge workforce and lots of devices to manage.
Remote features
Thank you for reading this article blog Intune vs SCCM – Which MDM is Better? We shall conclude.
Intune vs SCCM – Which MDM is Better? Conclusion
Both Intune and SCCM offer robust mobile device management solutions, each with its own unique strengths and features. On one hand, Intune stands out for its cloud based nature, making it highly accessible and scalable for organizations of all sizes. It offers patch management, excels in managing modern devices and operating systems, simplifying remote work and BYOD environments. On the other hand, SCCM is a well established, on premises solution with powerful capabilities, making it suitable for large enterprises that require granular control over their IT infrastructure. It also integrates seamlessly with other System Center components, providing a unified management experience.
