Understanding the Intune to MDE Connector: Process, Features, and Behavior in Hybrid Infrastructures

As organizations continue to evolve their IT infrastructures, integrating tools like Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) becomes essential for maintaining security and compliance across a wide range of devices, including those running older versions of Windows. This article outlines the process, features, and behavior of the Intune to MDE connector, especially in hybrid infrastructures with legacy systems.

Scenario Overview

When troubleshooting the automatic conversion of devices to MDE-managed endpoints, encountered a situation where devices continued to convert to MDE-managed status despite disabling the connector in Intune..

Key Features and Process of the Intune to MDE Connector

1. Automatic Device Conversion:
2. Integration with Intune:
3. Device Enrollment and Management:

Behavior in Hybrid Infrastructures

In hybrid infrastructures, especially those with a mix of modern and legacy devices, the connector's behavior is critical for maintaining security across the entire environment.

1. Legacy Systems Management:
2. Impact on Security Baseline Policies:
3. Handling MDE Auto-Onboarding:

Conclusion

The integration of Intune and MDE, especially in hybrid infrastructures, requires careful management of the connector to balance security and compliance. By selectively enabling the connector for legacy systems and configuring Intune Autopilot for modern devices, organizations can maintain a secure environment without disrupting device management processes.