The foundation of next-generation endpoint management is data, and visibility at depth across your entire device estate is key. This encompasses corporate and personal, physical and virtual endpoints. From hardware and software to device performance and usage, more information facilitates more actionable reporting, device targeting, and troubleshooting.
Since sharing that Microsoft Intune is enhancing device hardware inventory for Windows devices, we’ve heard lots of excitement and quite a few questions. There is even more exciting news to share this year (hint, hint), so subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already. This capability will expand in the near and far term, so below we’re offering a glimpse of the features to come and a vision for the future.
Solving hardware inventory issues
As we expand the service, robust inventory capabilities will help answer questions vital to understanding your environment, targeting devices, making business decisions, and maintaining data security. Here are a few examples:
- Do your devices have TPM 2.0?
- Are your devices ready to update from Windows 10 to Windows 11?
- Are device batteries nearing end-of-life and can you schedule service to maintain productivity?
The enhanced device inventory capabilities for Windows devices will provide key information to help IT pros answer these questions more efficiently.
Admins will create a device inventory profile, choosing the Windows devices/groups they want to view and then the properties to collect.
Resource explorer displays information collected by the profile.
The impact of enhanced device inventory
Enhanced device inventory will be of benefit in many common scenarios. Consider this example: the security team determines that the organization should be passwordless for optimal security. With device inventory:
- The IT team will be able to identify devices that don’t support biometric sign-ins and need to be upgraded or replaced.
- Devices can report on inventory without running third-party applications, which will improve overall performance.
- Administrators can centralize data across IT and security teams without learning new software or leaving Intune.
- Budgets will accommodate licensing costs of dedicated solutions without expanding because device inventory is included in Intune.
- At a later stage, device inventory information will be available to Microsoft Copilot for Security, enhancing insights, targeting, troubleshooting, and automations.
FAQs
When will device inventory be available in my tenant?
We are testing and finalizing this feature, targeting a release this calendar year. We’ll share more information in upcoming blogs, and you can track the release of this capability on the Microsoft 365 roadmap.
What attributes will be available?
Dozens of individual attributes will be available for inventory in these broader information categories:
- Network adapter and MAC address
- Battery and health
- BIOS
- Disk
- BitLocker
- CPU
- System
- TPM
- Video
Can this data be used to create dynamic groups?
The ability to create dynamic groups with inventory data is under active investigation and development.
How is Intune device inventory distinct from Microsoft Defender for Endpoint device inventory?
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint device inventory was developed to help secure endpoints by giving security professionals information about devices that may be at risk. Intune device inventory is intended to help IT pros with overall management of devices such as deciding which devices are ready for an upgrade or should have a particular payload targeted to them. Both inventories give helpful information about your devices.
Will this data be available for export via API?
This data will not be available to export via API upon initial release, but it will be available to export as a CSV file from the UX. We will continue investigating additional ways to offer exportation and visualization of this data.
Will this include applications or items in the device registry?
Upon release, the inventory will include device attributes. We are exploring adding applications and registry information to device inventory after the initial release.
Will this data be available for all devices?
The inventory will be available for Windows devices upon release. Follow this blog and our roadmap for announcements about inventory for other devices in the near future.
What’s next?
To learn more, join us for Tech Community Live: Intune edition on October 1, where we'll be answering your questions about device inventory and more. RSVP to save your spot by visiting https://aka.ms/TCL/Intune. In the coming months, we’ll post an additional blog with more information including a deep dive from our engineers, release dates, and an updated FAQ.
We want to hear from you. What questions do you have? What are your most-wanted inventory items? We’ll be monitoring the comments, so add yours below.
Be sure to subscribe to the Microsoft Intune Blog and follow us on LinkedIn or @MSIntune on X to be notified of updates as the release draws nearer.
Want to stay on the pulse of what's new and coming for Intune? Follow me on LinkedIn and X.
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