Microsoft Intune Suite: What IT Teams Should Know
Microsoft has outlined upcoming changes to how advanced capabilities within Microsoft Intune are packaged and licensed, with updates expected from July (Q3). While the detail continues to evolve, the direction is clear. More organisations will soon gain access to a broader set of endpoint management and security capabilities.
For many IT teams, this creates a different challenge. The question is no longer what Intune can do, but how effectively these capabilities are understood and operationalised. Before these changes take effect, it is worth stepping back to understand what Microsoft Intune Suite represents today and how that model is changing.
What Is the Microsoft Intune Suite?
Microsoft Intune Suite is a set of advanced endpoint management capabilities that extend Intune. Intune focuses on device management, application deployment, compliance, and configuration. The additional capabilities expand this foundation to include remote support, privilege management, endpoint analytics, application lifecycle management, and certificate-based identity.
Until now, these capabilities have typically been treated as premium additions. Organisations have accessed them through bundled offerings, individual add-ons, or higher-tier Microsoft 365 licensing. As a result, many IT teams are aware of these capabilities but have not adopted them widely, as each requires separate evaluation, cost consideration, and prioritisation.
Most teams do not implement every capability at once. They start with a specific need, such as remote support, controlling local administrator access, managing third-party applications, or improving endpoint visibility.
The suite is therefore best understood as a packaging construct. The real value lies in the individual capabilities and how they are applied.
What Is Changing?
Microsoft has announced plans to expand access to several advanced Intune capabilities from July (Q3). According to Microsoft, eligible organisations will receive advance notice through the Message Center before the changes are applied to their tenant, with capabilities provisioned based on their Microsoft 365 licensing.
The changes do not introduce new functionality. They change how existing capabilities are packaged and made available.
Microsoft has outlined that capabilities such as Remote Help, Advanced Analytics, and Intune Plan 2 will be made available within Microsoft 365 E3. Additional capabilities, including Endpoint Privilege Management, Enterprise App Management, and Cloud PKI, will align with Microsoft 365 E5.
Instead of treating Microsoft Intune Suite as a separate premium bundle, organisations will need to understand which capabilities are available within their Microsoft 365 licensing and which are relevant to their environment.
Easier access does not simplify adoption on its own. Each capability still requires planning, configuration, and ownership. The change lowers barriers to entry but increases expectations around effective use.
What Is Included in the Intune Suite?
These capabilities span several key areas of endpoint management. Each addresses a distinct operational challenge, and together they form a more complete platform.
Remote Help
Remote Help delivers secure, Intune-integrated remote support. It allows support teams to connect to devices using role-based access with full session visibility. Where remote support is handled by legacy or third-party tools, this presents an opportunity to simplify and consolidate.
Endpoint Analytics
Endpoint Analytics provides insight into device performance and user experience. It shifts the focus from compliance to performance and usability. Despite its potential, it remains underutilised in many environments.
Endpoint Privilege Management
Endpoint Privilege Management enables control over local administrator access without granting permanent elevated rights. This aligns with modern security models and reduces reliance on broad administrative access.
Cloud PKI
Cloud PKI introduces a cloud-native approach to certificate management. It removes the need for on-premises infrastructure while supporting scenarios such as Wi-Fi and VPN authentication.
Enterprise App Management
Enterprise App Management addresses third-party application lifecycle management. It introduces a more standardised approach to deployment and updates, reducing the manual effort typically required to maintain application currency.
What This Means for IT Teams
The expansion of these capabilities creates both opportunity and pressure.
The Intune platform is evolving quickly, and capability is increasing faster than most organisations’ ability to operationalise it. This creates a gap between what is available and what is actively in use.
The opportunity to consolidate tooling becomes more realistic. As more functionality becomes available within Intune, organisations can reduce reliance on separate solutions for remote support, privilege management, and application patching. However, consolidation requires a deliberate approach. Enabling features alone does not replace existing tools.
Each additional capability introduces new configuration requirements, policy considerations, and potential overlap with existing controls. Without structure, this can result in fragmented implementations that are difficult to maintain and scale.
Expectations are also shifting. IT teams are increasingly expected to manage not only devices, but also access, security posture, application lifecycle, and user experience. Access alone does not meet these expectations. Execution does.
How to Prepare
With broader access on the horizon, preparation becomes important.
Start by understanding which capabilities are already in use and where overlaps exist with current tools. Many organisations will find they are maintaining separate solutions that could be rationalised over time.
Review how policies and configurations are structured, and ensure there is clear ownership across different areas of endpoint management.
Adopt a phased approach. Starting with the most impactful capabilities allows teams to build confidence and establish a repeatable model, rather than introducing unnecessary complexity.
What's Next
Microsoft Intune Suite has traditionally described a collection of advanced capabilities layered on top of Intune. What is changing is not the capability itself, but how it is delivered and consumed.
As these capabilities become more accessible through Microsoft 365 licensing, organisations will need to shift from thinking in terms of a bundled suite to understanding and adopting individual components based on need.
That shift creates opportunity, but it also requires a more deliberate approach. Access alone does not deliver outcomes. Each capability still needs to be understood, implemented, and managed effectively.
In this series, we will break down each capability in more detail, starting with Remote Help. The focus will be on where it fits, how it compares to existing approaches, and what to consider when implementing it in practice.
Understanding what is available, and how each component fits together, is the first step.