Unlock Zero-Cost Enterprise Security: Automate Microsoft Intune & Achieve Cyber Essentials Compliance with This Groundbreaking Tool + Video

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Introduction:

In the relentless landscape of modern endpoint management, IT admins and security professionals are burdened with repetitive, time-consuming tasks that divert focus from strategic security hardening. A new community-driven automation tool, IntuneAutomate, emerges directly from the expertise of a Microsoft MVP, promising to revolutionize how SMEs manage their Microsoft Intune environment. By leveraging low-code Power Platform solutions deployed within your own tenant, this toolset automates critical operations—from application deployment to policy bundling aligned with Cyber Essentials—maximizing existing licenses and in-house skills to elevate your security posture without additional cost.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the core functionalities of IntuneAutomate and its companion mobile app for automating endpoint management and reporting.
  • Learn how to implement key features like Windows device renaming, temporary admin uplift, and industry-specific policy bundles (PersonaPacks) to meet compliance frameworks.
  • Gain practical knowledge on deploying and configuring community tools within your Microsoft 365 tenant to enhance security and operational efficiency.

You Should Know:

1. Deployment Architecture and Security Posture

The foundational principle of IntuneAutomate is sovereignty and security. Unlike third-party SaaS tools, it is deployed entirely within your Microsoft 365 tenant, utilizing Power Apps and Power Automate. This model ensures data never leaves your controlled environment, leveraging existing Entra ID (Azure AD) permissions and conditional access policies. The deployment begins by accessing the pre-registration URL, after which you deploy the solution package via your tenant’s Power Platform admin center.

Step‑by‑step guide:

  1. Pre-register and Access: Navigate to the pre-registration link (`https://lnkd.in/eX2Z7ZnZ`) to join the waitlist and receive deployment instructions.
  2. Environment Preparation: In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, ensure you have a dedicated Power Platform environment (e.g., “Production” or create a new one like “Security-Automation”).
  3. Import Solution: As a Global or Power Platform Administrator, go to the Power Platform Admin Center (`https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com`), select your environment, and use “Import Solution” to upload the provided `IntuneAutomate.zip` package.
  4. Configure Connections: After import, configure the required connections (Microsoft Graph, Intune) using a dedicated service account with the principle of least privilege. The account should have minimum required Intune role permissions (e.g., Intune Administrator or custom roles).
  5. Share the App: Within Power Apps, share the imported “IntuneAutomate” canvas app with your security and endpoint admin teams.

2. Automating Application Assignment and Compliance Reporting

Manual application deployment and license reconciliation are prone to error. This module automates application assignment based on Azure AD groups and generates real-time reports on license usage, device compliance, and installed applications by querying the Microsoft Graph API.

Step‑by‑step guide:

  1. Configure Application Sync: Inside the IntuneAutomate app, navigate to “Application Management.” Provide the Graph API permissions (DeviceManagementApps.ReadWrite.All, Group.Read.All) via the service account.
  2. Create Assignment Logic: Use the built-in wizard to link an Intune application (e.g., “Company VPN Client”) to an Azure AD security group. The tool will automate the assignment via a behind-the-scenes Power Automate flow that calls the Graph API endpoint: `POST https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/deviceAppManagement/mobileApps/{appId}/assign`.
    3. Generate Reports: Click “Run Report” under the “Reporting” section. This triggers a flow that queries Graph endpoints like `https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/deviceManagement/managedDevices` and `https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users?$select=displayName,assignedLicenses`, formats the data, and exports it to a SharePoint list or sends it via email.

3. Enhancing Asset Management with Dynamic Device Renaming

Maintaining an accurate IT asset inventory is critical for security incident response. This feature syncs Intune device data into a centralized asset register and allows for bulk or conditional device renaming to enforce a standard naming convention (e.g., Company-Dept-User-Serial).

Step‑by‑step guide:

  1. Initiate Asset Sync: In the “Asset Management” module, trigger the initial sync. This runs a PowerShell script via a Power Automate desktop flow or an Azure Automation runbook (sample concept): 
    Connect to Graph
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes DeviceManagementManagedDevices.Read.All
Get all Intune devices
$devices = Get-MgDeviceManagementManagedDevice -All
Export or process to your asset database
$devices | Export-Csv -Path "\secure-share\Assets\intune-devices-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd).csv" -NoTypeInformation
  2. Configure Renaming Policy: Navigate to “Device Renaming.” Define the naming pattern using variables like %USERNAME%, %SERIAL%, or %DEPARTMENT%.
  3. Execute Rename Job: Select target devices (e.g., all Windows devices) and execute. The tool uses the Graph API to submit a device action: 
    Graph API call encapsulated in the tool
POST https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/deviceManagement/managedDevices/{deviceId}/setDeviceName
Content-Type: application/json
{"deviceName": "NEW-COMPUTER-NAME"}

4. Implementing Just-In-Time Administration with Temporary Admin Uplift

Permanent local administrator rights are a severe security vulnerability. This feature implements a just-in-time (JIT) administration model, granting temporary admin rights to standard users via an automated, audited workflow.

Step‑by‑step guide:

  1. Enable the Uplift Module: In the “Security” section, enable “Temporary Admin.” This creates an Azure AD group for temporary admins (e.g., Temporary-Windows-Admins).
  2. Configure Uplift Policy in Intune: The tool guides you to create a remediation policy in Intune that adds the user to the local administrators group only if they are a member of the `Temporary-Windows-Admins` group. A corresponding policy removes them after a set period.
  3. User Request Flow: A user requests elevation via the IntuneAutomate Mobile App (`https://lnkd.in/eYmPjQcP`). An approval flow in Power Automate notifies the IT helpdesk. Upon approval, the user is added to the AAD group for a defined duration (e.g., 2 hours). Intune policy refreshes the device, granting rights.
  4. Audit: All requests and approvals are logged to a Log Analytics workspace for SIEM ingestion.

5. Hardening Endpoints with Cyber Essentials-Aligned PersonaPacks

This is the flagship security feature. PersonaPacks are pre-configured bundles of Intune configuration profiles, compliance policies, and security settings tailored to specific job roles (e.g., “Finance”) and aligned with frameworks like Cyber Essentials.

Step‑by‑step guide:

  1. Select a PersonaPack: At launch, select the “Finance Industry” PersonaPack. Review the included policies: BitLocker enforcement, Microsoft Defender Antivirus rules, firewall configurations, and application allow-listing.
  2. Deploy in 3 Clicks: The tool uses Graph API to create and assign all policies in your tenant. Behind the scenes, it executes a series of `POST` requests to https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/deviceManagement/configurationPolicies` andhttps://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/deviceManagement/deviceCompliancePolicies`.
  3. Review and Customize: After deployment, review the created policies in the Microsoft Intune admin center. Customize as needed for your specific environment. For instance, you might adjust a firewall rule via a custom PowerShell script in an Intune remediation policy: 
    Example: Ensure a specific firewall rule is present
if (!(Get-NetFirewallRule -Name "BlockLegacySMB" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
New-NetFirewallRule -Name "BlockLegacySMB" -DisplayName "Block SMBv1" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 445 -Action Block
}

What Undercode Say:

  • Democratization of Security Automation: IntuneAutomate signifies a pivotal shift where complex security hardening, previously the domain of large enterprises with dedicated DevOps teams, is now accessible to SMEs through low-code, community-driven innovation.
  • Compliance-as-Code Made Simple: The PersonaPacks concept translates abstract compliance standards (Cyber Essentials) into actionable, deployable Intune configurations, dramatically reducing the time-to-compliance and the risk of misconfiguration.

The tool’s architecture, residing within the customer tenant, directly addresses primary cloud security concerns regarding data sovereignty and vendor lock-in. By building on the Power Platform, it leverages a familiar, licensable ecosystem, lowering the skill barrier for automation. However, its effectiveness is intrinsically tied to the correctness of its underlying Graph API calls and the principle of least privilege applied during setup. Improper configuration could inadvertently expose excessive permissions. The community-driven model for policy packs is both a strength and a potential risk; while it pools collective expertise, each deployment must be rigorously validated against the organization’s specific threat model and compliance requirements. This tool isn’t just about saving time—it’s about institutionalizing security best practices through automated, repeatable processes.

Prediction:

The release and evolution of IntuneAutomate foreshadow a future where endpoint management and security compliance are fully “productized” within community frameworks. We will see an ecosystem of industry-specific, compliance-focused policy bundles (for NIST, CIS, ISO 27001) shared and refined by the global IT community. This will force a consolidation in the endpoint management market, as premium features become available as open-source or low-code community solutions. Furthermore, it will accelerate the adoption of zero-trust principles in SMEs by making JIT administration and automated baseline hardening the default, not the luxury. The role of the Intune admin will consequently shift from configurator to orchestrator and auditor of these automated policy factories.

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