Microsoft's Intune Beefs Up Cloud, Mobile Integration -- Redmondmag.com

Microsoft's Intune Beefs Up Cloud, Mobile Integration

By Chris Paoli
06/13/2012

While it's been fairly quiet on the news front at TechEd (currently being held in Orlando, Fla.), Microsoft did give a small nugget to the audience by announcing that a new version of its Intune service is now ready for download.

For those that don't know, Intune helps to control device access and security of a network for those running fewer than 500 Windows machines.

So what's new in version three? Let's break it down into easy-to-digest bullet points:

Support for mobile devices running Windows Phone 7, Android and iOS.
Integration with Windows Azure Active Directory -- this will ease the issue of setting universal policies for different computer and mobile devices running multiple OSes.
Devices can be automatically recognized when accessing the Microsoft Exchange Server.

An added bonus for Intune users is the ability to automatically upgrade to Windows 7 Enterprise, no matter what other version of Windows 7 you're running. And once Windows 8 is released, you'll be granted access to upgrade at no additional charge.

For those unsure or want to give Intune a spin before committing, a free 30-day trial can be downloaded here.

And for those currently deploying Intune, how is it stacking up to your expectations? Does it ease the battle for tighter security and control or is it a huge waste of money? Let me know at [email protected].

About the Author

Chris Paoli (@ChrisPaoli5) is the associate editor for Converge360.

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