Getting to Intune application management. Has hybrid co-management lost its appeal?

As Enterprises adopt a “Cloud First” approach for their Microsoft Endpoint Manager requirements, the appeal of using and administering Hybrid co-management of onsite Configuration Manager and web facing Intune is diminishing.

Hybrid co management as a principle was developed to ensure that Enterprises with existing investment in on-premise Configuration Manager (CM) were not faced with having to rip and replace with Intune prior to their Windows 10 migrations.  This also assisted where Intune at time of release did not have “like for like” features on security and build management that were embedded techniques and processes within the enterprise.

With the release rate of Intune feature updates for the first five months of 2021 running at just over one per working day (What's new in Microsoft Intune - Azure | Microsoft Docs), the functionality gap between Intune with Autopilot, versus Hybrid co-management is quickly reducing. 

This is where the APPtechnology “SCCM to Intune Application Packaging Service” can assist you.

Companies wanting to move from Configuration Manager management of their applications (MSI, App-V, Scripted) to Intune delivery have typically used Windows Upgrade projects as their change point from CM to Intune management.  This approach gave the benefit of Clean builds for migrated applications.  However, as most enterprises now operate on Windows 10, the drive is now towards a “lift and Shift” approach, with Intune adoption of application management without a wipe and load approach, and certainly with no user impact from the change in management technologies.

Where the technology allows, Enterprises can potentially benefit from a move to MSIX technology, although this can carry an adoption impact for users either in removal or adoption of existing applications or their functionality.  The implications of the MSIX virtual file and registry systems need to be extensively tested where there is transitional interaction between MSIX and non MSIX applications, or in the dependency and interaction mapping of multiple MSIX “bundles”.

IntuneWin gives the largest compatibility spread to reduce potential user impact, with the payloads essentially being the same for Configuration Manager and Intune deployed applications.  However there are differences in deployment methods between Configuration Manager and Intune that can impact on typical MSI behaviours, impacting users on first run rather than at application install or adoption, which need to be addressed by your application packaging supplier.

APPtechnology offers a “lift and Shift” service for your existing Configuration Manager deployed applications, designed to give you the ability to change to Intune application management without the need for a larger transformation program, and with zero user impact.  The range of the service is up to you, with the components reaching from initial Configuration Manager application review, media and documentation transfers, repackaging for Intune, Intune importing, Azure AD group creation and test or deployment management.

Contact an APPtechnology Director for an informal discussion of this service and to identify how quickly we can get you to “Cloud First” for your application management.

Further reading

Download: SCCM to Intune Application Packaging Service