Many organisations look to separate platforms to provide End Point Management and Security without realising they may already have an existing solution with Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Defender.
There are benefits to each individual application and they can of course be implemented separately however together the provide a enhanced platform that can significantly reduce the cost and complexity of managing the enterprise environment.
Our experience in providing businesses the ability to either deploy separately or seamlessly Integrate Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Defender provides organisations the ability to create a comprehensive unified security and data protection framework for managing users, devices (including BYOD), application deployment, data protection and threat detection across an organization.
Integrating Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra ID, and Microsoft Defender offers a comprehensive security, compliance, and identity management solution. This powerful combination helps organizations protect data, secure endpoints, manage identities, and enforce policies seamlessly. Each service plays a crucial role in managing different aspects of enterprise security and governance.
Below are the key benefits of integrating these four Microsoft services:
1. Unified Security and Compliance Management
- Comprehensive Threat Protection and Data Governance: By combining Microsoft Defender's advanced threat protection with Microsoft Purview's data governance, organizations can secure devices and applications while ensuring that sensitive data is properly classified, protected, and monitored. Microsoft Entra ID helps enforce identity-based policies to ensure only authorized users access protected data and resources. Intune ensures that only compliant devices are allowed to access this data.
- Streamlined Administration: Integration of these tools provides a single-pane-of-glass view for administrators to manage devices, apps, identity access, security threats, and data governance. This unified dashboard simplifies monitoring and management, reducing the complexity of securing a diverse IT environment.
2. Enhanced Device and Endpoint Security
- Device Management and Threat Detection: Intune manages device security, ensuring that only secure, compliant devices can access corporate resources. Microsoft Defender continuously monitors these devices for security threats, like malware or unauthorized activity, and provides real-time protection and threat remediation.
- Automated Remediation and Response: When Defender detects a threat (e.g., malware or a breach attempt), it can trigger Intune to immediately enforce security policies, such as isolating a device or wiping it if necessary. Purview ensures that data on compromised devices is protected, preventing data leaks or exposure.
- Zero Trust Access: Integrating Entra ID ensures that all devices accessing resources are verified, even if they are outside the corporate network. Devices must meet the organization’s security criteria before access is granted, enforcing a Zero Trust model.
3. Seamless Identity and Access Management
- Identity-Based Conditional Access: Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) provides identity and access management across all applications and devices. With integration to Intune, access to corporate data and resources can be restricted based on the security posture of both the user and their device. For example, a user can only access sensitive data from a compliant, secure device.
- Adaptive Security Policies: Integration allows for adaptive authentication in Entra ID. If Microsoft Defender detects suspicious activity, the user’s access can be automatically adjusted based on the risk level, such as requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) or blocking access altogether. This provides context-aware security policies that dynamically adapt to risk.
4. Data Protection and Compliance Enforcement
- Data Classification and Protection: Microsoft Purview classifies and protects data based on sensitivity, automatically applying protection such as encryption, access controls, and rights management. Intune enforces these policies on devices to ensure that only compliant and authorized devices can access sensitive data.
- Preventing Data Loss: Purview’s DLP (Data Loss Prevention) policies, integrated with Intune, can prevent unauthorized sharing or transfer of sensitive data. Microsoft Defender works to detect and block malicious behaviour aimed at stealing or exfiltrating sensitive data, ensuring a multi-layered defence against data breaches.
- Compliance Monitoring: Purview and Intune work together to ensure that data on devices is always compliant with organizational and regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). This integration makes auditing easier, as Defender provides security monitoring and Purview tracks and enforces compliance-related policies.
5. Automated Threat Detection and Response
- Proactive Threat Intelligence: Microsoft Defender provides robust threat intelligence and real-time monitoring of devices, apps, and network activity. When a threat is detected (e.g., malware, phishing), Entra ID can automatically block or challenge the login based on the user’s risk profile, while Intune can enforce security policies such as isolating the device or requiring remediation.
- Incident Response and Mitigation: In the event of a security breach, Defender provides tools to investigate and respond. Entra ID ensures that only verified users access critical systems, and Purview ensures that sensitive data is protected throughout the incident response process. This minimizes the risk of data exposure and speeds up the containment and resolution of threats.
6. Seamless Support for Remote Work and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
- Secure Access to Resources: In a remote or hybrid work environment, Entra ID and Intune provide secure, conditional access to corporate resources based on user identity and device compliance. Purview applies data protection and classification policies to secure sensitive data accessed by remote devices.
- Securing Personal Devices (BYOD): With Intune, organizations can apply policies to secure personal devices (BYOD) without infringing on employee privacy. Defender provides threat protection, while Purview ensures that any corporate data on personal devices is protected, even if the device is not entirely under the organization's control.
7. Improved Compliance and Risk Management
- Consistent Governance: Purview ensures consistent governance of sensitive data across your organization, while Defender helps identify and mitigate risks from cyber threats. Intune ensures that only compliant devices can access the data, and Entra ID governs access through identity-based policies. This provides a consistent approach to managing security and compliance across both endpoints and data.
- Regulatory Adherence: Integration simplifies compliance with regulatory standards, as all four tools help ensure that devices are secure, data is protected, and access is properly controlled. Administrators can generate reports on device and data compliance, helping with audits and regulatory adherence.
8. Comprehensive Security and Privacy Controls
- Privacy-Centric Security: Microsoft Purview ensures that personal data is handled according to legal and organizational policies, while Intune enforces privacy and security controls on devices. Defender protects users from security threats, and Entra ID ensures that only the right people have access to sensitive information based on their identity and role.
- Cross-Platform Protection: These services work seamlessly across multiple platforms and device types (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android), providing consistent security and compliance regardless of the device being used.
9. Centralized Monitoring and Reporting
- Holistic Security and Compliance Dashboard: Integration allows organizations to use a centralized dashboard for monitoring security events, compliance status, and device health across all systems. This unified view combines data from Defender (threat intelligence), Intune (device management), Purview (data governance), and Entra ID (identity management), making it easier for administrators to identify and address security and compliance issues in real-time.
- Cross-Service Reporting: Purview and Defender provide detailed reports on data access and security events, while Entra ID tracks user authentication and access logs. These reports help organizations better understand security risks, identify vulnerabilities, and optimize security policies.
10. Operational Efficiency and Automation
- Automated Policy Enforcement: Integration of these tools allows for automatic enforcement of security and compliance policies across devices, data, and users. For example, if Defender detects a device compromise, Entra ID can restrict user access, while Intune can apply remediation actions, and Purview ensures that sensitive data remains protected during the incident.
- Reduced Administrative Overhead: By integrating Intune, Purview, Defender, and Entra ID, administrative tasks are automated and streamlined, reducing the time and effort required to manage security, compliance, and devices. This enhances productivity and reduces the risk of human error in security policy enforcement.
Conclusion:
Integrating Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra ID, and Microsoft Defender offers a holistic, integrated approach to security, data governance, and compliance management. This combination provides advanced protection for devices and data, streamlined access management, and proactive threat detection, while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. The integration simplifies administration, enhances visibility, and allows for automated responses to security threats, helping organizations safeguard their digital assets while enabling productivity in a modern, hybrid work environment.
If you would like additional information on the individual or integrated platforms or would like to discuss our Managed Service capability in this space please feel free to reach out.
