Intune BYOD Solution Overview: Capabilities, Pros/Cons, and Pricing

What Is Microsoft Intune? 

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that focuses on mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM). It enables organizations to control how their devices are used, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Intune provides administrators with tools to enforce security policies, ensure compliance with corporate standards, and manage applications across both company-owned and personal devices. 

Because it is integrated into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Intune offers management for Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS devices. Organizations benefit from Intune’s ability to remotely configure device settings, deploy software updates, and enforce security protections such as multi-factor authentication or encryption. 

This extends to monitoring devices for compliance and removing company data from devices if they are lost, stolen, or if a user leaves the company. Intune’s central console simplifies IT administration and reduces overhead.

BYOD with Microsoft Intune

Microsoft Intune supports bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scenarios by enabling enrollment and management of personal devices, including phones, tablets, and PCs. Employees or students can use their own devices for work or school tasks without compromising corporate security. Devices enrolled through BYOD are marked as personally owned and managed with policies appropriate for non-corporate assets.

Enrollment begins when the user registers their device with Microsoft Entra ID and completes the process through the Intune Company Portal app. Once enrolled, Intune installs a mobile device management (MDM) certificate, which establishes a connection between the device and the Intune service. This allows administrators to apply compliance policies, configuration profiles, and enforce settings such as app restrictions, encryption, or password requirements.

Administrators can limit the number and type of devices a user can enroll, create baseline policies for personal devices, and adapt configurations based on group roles or job functions. While BYOD devices have fewer restrictions compared to corporate-owned devices, Intune still provides tools to enforce security requirements and ensure organizational data is protected.

No factory reset is required for most BYOD platforms, including Android Enterprise with a work profile or Windows devices. This allows users to keep their personal data and settings intact during the enrollment process. However, platforms like iOS/iPadOS and macOS may require a reset before enrollment, depending on the scenario.

Microsoft Intune BYOD Policies

Managing personally owned devices presents challenges, especially when it comes to enforcing operating system updates and maintaining compliance. Microsoft Intune provides several policy options to help organizations manage BYOD environments while respecting the boundaries of user ownership.

Enrollment restrictions: Admins can create enrollment restrictions to set minimum and maximum supported OS versions. These restrictions prevent devices that fall outside the specified version range from enrolling in Intune. This ensures that only devices running supported and secure versions of Android or iOS/iPadOS can be onboarded.

For Android BYOD devices, enrollment automatically creates a separate work profile. Intune policies are scoped to this work profile, isolating corporate data from the user’s personal environment. For iOS/iPadOS, the enrollment behavior depends on the method used, with options allowing for varied levels of control and data segregation.

Compliance policies: Compliance policies enforce rules after a device is enrolled. Admins can define supported OS versions, notify users when their device is out of compliance, and apply grace periods for updates. Devices that don’t meet these requirements are flagged as noncompliant, which can be viewed in reporting dashboards within the Intune admin center.

When combined with conditional access, compliance policies can block access to corporate resources until the device meets security and OS version requirements.

App protection policies: For unmanaged devices accessing corporate data through apps, app protection policies offer another layer of control. These policies can enforce minimum OS and patch levels directly at the application level. If a user tries to access a managed app on an outdated OS, the app can display a warning or block access entirely until the user updates their device.

Custom notifications: Intune also supports sending custom notifications to inform users of upcoming compliance requirements, such as required OS upgrades. Since IT teams can’t force updates on personal devices, this feature is useful for proactively guiding users to take necessary actions before losing access to work resources.

Microsoft Intune Pricing 

Microsoft Intune is available through multiple pricing tiers, allowing organizations to choose the level of endpoint management and security features they need.

Intune Plan 1

At $8.00 per user/month (billed annually), Intune Plan 1 provides core unified endpoint management capabilities. It is also included in several Microsoft bundles, such as Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F1, and F3, Enterprise Mobility + Security E3 and E5, and Business Premium plans. This plan offers MDM and MAM functionality suitable for most standard device management scenarios.

Intune Plan 2

Priced at $4.00 per user/month (billed annually), Intune Plan 2 is an add-on to Plan 1. It provides more endpoint management features. This plan is ideal for organizations that require extended control and visibility beyond what’s offered in the base plan. Plan 2 is also included in the Microsoft Intune Suite.

Intune Suite

The Microsoft Intune Suite costs $10.00 per user/month (billed annually) and includes all features from Plan 1 and Plan 2. It adds a set of tools for endpoint management and security. This option is targeted at organizations with complex IT environments and more demanding security requirements.

Each plan is based on an annual commitment. Organizations can start with Plan 1 and scale up with add-ons as their needs evolve.

Key Limitations of Microsoft Intune BYOD 

While Microsoft Intune offers capabilities for managing personal devices, organizations may encounter several challenges when using it in BYOD scenarios. These limitations were reported by users on the G2 platform:

• Complex user interface: Intune’s admin interface is split between legacy and modern portals, which can be confusing for new users. The vast number of options and nested settings can make navigation difficult.
• Steep learning curve: Initial setup and configuration are complex, particularly for organizations new to device management or managing hybrid environments. Understanding how policies interact takes time, and inadequate documentation can slow down onboarding.
• Slow policy and app synchronization: There is often a delay between when policies are assigned and when they take effect on user devices. Application deployments may also take time to reflect, particularly for non-store apps or unmanaged devices.
• Limited reporting and diagnostics: Built-in reporting is basic. For deeper insights, administrators often need to rely on external tools like Power BI or Graph API. Gathering system logs and deployment results can also be slow.
• Software deployment constraints: Deploying third-party or non-Microsoft Store applications can be difficult, especially in BYOD environments. Integration with tools like SCCM for software deployment is still limited.
• Licensing costs: Intune’s recurring subscription model can be expensive for small to mid-sized businesses, especially when higher-tier plans are required to access advanced features.
• Performance delays: The admin console can feel sluggish, and real-time device communication is not always reliable. Admins may have to wait extended periods for device status or deployment feedback.
• Limited support for non-Microsoft platforms: While Intune supports major operating systems, it is more optimized for the Microsoft ecosystem. Managing non-Windows platforms may present additional challenges or limited functionality.

These limitations can impact efficiency and user experience, especially in environments where fast deployment and ease of use are critical. Proper training, realistic expectations, and pilot testing can help mitigate many of these issues.

Related content: Read our guide to Intune alternatives (coming soon)

Venn: Ultimate Microsoft Intune Alternative

Venn’s Blue Border™ takes a different path than Intune. Instead of enrolling the entire device, Venn creates a company-controlled secure enclave on the user’s laptop, where all data is encrypted and access is managed. Work apps and data run locally inside this protected environment, isolated from any other activity on the device. IT gets the controls required for security and compliance, but only over the enclave — not the user’s personal files, settings, or activity.

This approach removes the source of BYOD friction. With Venn, there is no full-device takeover and no privacy trade-offs. Users keep their laptops the way they like them, while companies get a controlled workspace that safeguards sensitive data and meets regulatory requirements.

Key features include:

• Granular, customizable restrictions: IT teams can define restrictions for copy/paste, download, upload, screenshots, watermarks, and DLP per user.
• Secure Enclave technology: Encrypts and isolates work data on personal Mac or PC computers, both for browser-based and local applications.
• Zero trust architecture: Uses a zero trust approach to secure company data, limiting access based on validation of devices and users.
• Visual separation via Blue Border™: Visual cue that distinguishes work vs. personal sessions for users.
• Supports turnkey compliance: Using Venn helps companies maintain compliance on unmanaged Macs with a range of regulatory mandates, including HIPAA, PCI, SOC, SEC, FINRA and more.

To see a demo of Venn, click here.