Microsoft Intune and Defender Device Management in Northern Virginia
Every laptop and phone that touches company data enrolled, encrypted, patched and able to be wiped.
Microsoft Intune and Defender keep every company laptop and phone encrypted, patched and wipeable, and cut a compromised device off from your email and files on its own.
That is now the question insurers, prime contractors, auditors and clients ask, and many offices already own the tools to answer it through Microsoft 365 Business Premium without ever having switched them on. DistrictConnects deploys and manages Microsoft Intune and Defender for Business from Herndon, with on-site enrollment days and device swaps across Northern Virginia.
- 7Device platforms Intune manages, from Windows to iOS, per Microsoft
- 0Servers needed in your office; Intune runs in Microsoft's cloud
- 10+Years of hands-on engineering
What goes wrong when devices are not managed
Insurers, prime contractors and clients now ask three questions: are your laptops encrypted, can you wipe a lost one, and is every device patched? Without device management, most offices cannot answer any of them with proof.
- A lost laptop is a data breach. An unencrypted laptop left in a car or a taxi exposes every file and cached email on it.
- Former employees still have your email. Their personal phones keep syncing company mail and files after they leave, because nobody can remove it.
- Patches drift. Some machines update, some do not, and nobody knows which. Attackers look for exactly those.
- Everyone is a local admin. When a user is a local administrator, ransomware is too: it can disable protection, delete recovery copies and spread.
- A compromised device keeps its access. Without a link between threat detection and sign-in, an infected laptop still reaches email and SharePoint.
- No evidence for auditors. Without reports, a CMMC, HIPAA or insurance review becomes a week of screenshots and guesswork.
The device is now the security perimeter, because your staff work from the office, home, job sites and client offices.
How Intune and Defender work together
Intune is a cloud service that manages Android, iOS and iPadOS, Linux, macOS, tvOS, visionOS and Windows with no on-premises servers.
- Intune manages. It enrolls each device, pushes settings and apps, and decides whether the device is compliant.
- Defender protects. Defender for Business is built for businesses up to 300 users and brings EDR and automated investigation to small offices.
- Conditional Access enforces. Intune sends each device’s compliance to Entra ID, which blocks a risky device from Microsoft 365 automatically.
- You may already own both. Business Premium includes Intune, Defender for Business and Entra ID P1. Basic and Standard can add them separately.
If you already run another EDR platform, Intune works alongside it (see endpoint protection), and the rest of your tenant is covered by managed Microsoft 365.
What is included
Enrollment without imaging
New Windows PCs set up through Windows Autopilot, company iPhones, iPads and Macs through Apple Business Manager and Automated Device Enrollment, Android through Android Enterprise, and the Company Portal for anything else. A new laptop can ship straight to the employee.
Configuration baselines
BitLocker or FileVault encryption, screen lock, firewall, Wi-Fi profiles and browser settings pushed to every device, starting from Microsoft's security baselines with every deviation written down.
Compliance rules with teeth
Each device must run a supported operating system, be encrypted, keep its firewall on and stay below the risk level Defender reports. Devices that fail are marked noncompliant and blocked by Conditional Access until they are fixed.
Defender for Business on every device
Next-generation antivirus, attack surface reduction rules, endpoint detection and response and automated investigation on Windows and Mac, with Defender apps for iOS and Android. Prefer another EDR platform? See endpoint protection.
Patching and app deployment
Windows and Microsoft 365 app updates in rings, pilot group first, plus your line-of-business software deployed centrally, so every office and home laptop runs the same versions.
Personal phones, kept personal
App protection policies cover only Outlook, Teams and other work apps on employee-owned phones. Personal photos and messages stay private, and when someone leaves, only company data is removed.
No more local admin rights
Staff work as standard users. Software requests go through IT approval and are deployed centrally, and admin rights are granted for a specific task instead of permanently, so malware cannot inherit them.
Reports you can hand over
Monthly compliance, vulnerability and threat reports, plus a device inventory that shows encryption, patch level and owner for every device. That is the evidence insurers, auditors and CMMC or HIPAA reviews ask for.
How the work runs
Inventory devices and licenses
We list every laptop, desktop, phone and tablet, who owns it and which licenses your people have, then decide which devices get full enrollment and which get app protection only.
Build the policies
Encryption, supported OS, screen lock, firewall and update rings, starting from Microsoft's security baselines. Policies are written down so you can see exactly what is enforced and why.
Connect Defender
We link Intune and Defender for Business, onboard devices through an EDR policy and set the highest device risk level your business will accept.
Pilot first
A small group enrolls first, usually a mix of office staff, someone who travels and someone who uses specialist software. We fix what breaks for them before anyone else is touched.
Enroll in waves
The rest of the company enrolls in planned waves, remotely or on an on-site enrollment day, with our engineers at the office for older PCs, phones and anyone who needs help.
Enforce and review monthly
Conditional Access is switched on only after devices report compliant. Each month we review compliance, vulnerabilities and threats with you and fix any drift.
Platforms we work with
- Microsoft Intune
- Microsoft Defender
- Microsoft 365
- Dell
- Lenovo
Industries we do this for
Related guides
Service area
On-site across Northern Virginia and DC.
Prince William
- Manassas
- Haymarket
Arlington and Alexandria
- Arlington
- Alexandria
DC and Maryland
Common questions
What is the difference between Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Defender?
Intune manages devices and apps: it enrolls them, pushes settings, deploys software and checks compliance. Defender protects those devices from attacks with antivirus, attack surface reduction and endpoint detection and response. When the two are connected, Defender reports a risk level for each device, Intune uses it to decide whether the device is compliant, and Conditional Access keeps noncompliant devices away from your email and files.
Is Intune included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
Yes. Business Premium includes Intune and Microsoft Defender for Business, along with Entra ID P1 for Conditional Access, so many small businesses already own all three without using them. Offices on Business Basic or Business Standard can add Intune and Defender for Business as separate subscriptions, or move some or all users to Premium. We check what you have before recommending anything new.
Can Intune protect personal phones without controlling the whole device?
Yes. App protection policies, also called mobile application management, cover only work apps such as Outlook and Teams and the company data inside them. You can stop staff from copying work data into personal apps or saving it to personal storage. Personal photos, messages and apps stay private, and when an employee leaves, only the company data is removed from the phone.
What happens when Defender detects a threat on a laptop?
Defender classifies the device as high risk. Intune marks it noncompliant under your compliance policy, and Conditional Access blocks it from Microsoft 365 email and files. The laptop stays cut off while the threat is investigated and cleaned up in the Defender portal, wherever it is: at the office, at home or in a hotel. Once it is clean, access comes back automatically.
Do we need servers in the office to run Intune?
No. Intune is a cloud service managed from a web-based admin center, so it works for offices with no servers at all. Devices check in over the internet, which means a laptop at home or on a job site receives the same policies and updates as one sitting in the office.
Does Intune work with Macs and iPhones?
Yes. Intune manages macOS, iOS and iPadOS alongside Windows, Android and Linux. Company-owned Apple devices enroll automatically when they are registered in Apple Business Manager, so a new MacBook or iPhone configures itself when the employee signs in. Defender for Business also protects Mac, iOS and Android devices.
Why remove local administrator rights from staff?
When a user is a local administrator, any malware they run gets the same rights. It can switch off security tools, delete recovery copies, encrypt shared drives and spread to other machines. Standard user accounts block most of that. Staff still get the software they need through an IT approval process, and admin rights can be granted for a specific task when it truly requires them.
How much does Intune and Defender management cost?
It depends on the number of devices and users, the mix of Windows, Mac and mobile, whether you already have Business Premium, and how much on-site enrollment help you want. We do not publish prices. After a free assessment of your devices and licenses you get an itemized quote that separates Microsoft licensing from our work. Plans are month to month, with no long-term contract.