ADP Live! Blog Series #6
This blog post is part of our ADP Live Blog Series, where we share what we have discussed during our ADP Live sessions. ADP Live is an internal development opportunity where one of us shares their expertise in a specific area with the team. This time, the topic was Application Distribution in Intune.
Application distribution
Application distribution refers to the process of deploying software applications to end-user devices, such as computers, smartphones, and tablets. It involves making the applications available for installation or running on the target devices, ensuring that they are properly installed, configured, and ready to be used by the end users.
Application distribution can be performed through various methods, including manual installation, using software deployment tools, or utilizing specialized application management platforms such as Microsoft Intune.
What is Intune
Intune offers organizations a centralized and scalable solution for managing devices, applications, and data in a secure and efficient manner, regardless of the platform or operating system used. It helps streamline device management, enhance data protection, and enable productivity while maintaining a strong security posture. Application Management: With Intune, administrators can distribute, manage, and update applications across devices. They can deploy both in-house and third-party applications, set app-level policies, control app access, and manage the entire app lifecycle.
Application distribution in Intune
By leveraging Intune for application deployment, organizations can streamline the distribution process, ensure consistent application availability across devices, and maintain control over software versions and updates. It simplifies the management of applications in diverse device environments and enables efficient software delivery to enhance user productivity.
Benefits of application distribution in Intune:
- Automating updates: By using Intune for application distribution, you can easily automate the update process for applications on devices within the organization. Intune can monitor available updates for installed applications and automatically distribute and install them on users’ devices. This helps keep the applications up to date with the latest features, bug fixes, and security updates without requiring any manual intervention from the users.
- No need for corporate network connectivity: One of the advantages of Intune is that it is cloud-based, which means that connecting to the corporate network is not a requirement for distributing applications to devices. This provides flexibility and enables the distribution of applications to devices that are not connected to the corporate network or used by users who are outside the office, such as remote or mobile employees.
- Support for multiple platforms: Intune supports a wide range of platforms, including Android, Mac OS, and Linux, in addition to Microsoft’s own operating systems like Windows and iOS. This means that you can distribute applications to different types of devices regardless of the operating system they run on. It provides a unified distribution experience and enables the management of applications across a variety of devices within the organization.
- Web-based solution: Intune is a web-based solution, allowing you to manage and distribute applications from a centralized web portal. This eliminates the need to install or maintain specialized software on the administrator’s device. You can easily access Intune from various platforms and devices using a web browser, providing flexibility and easy access to the distribution features.
By leveraging these benefits of application distribution in Intune, you can automate updates, distribute applications to devices regardless of corporate network connectivity, support multiple platforms, and manage everything from a user-friendly web portal. This saves time, reduces the workload for administrators, and provides a seamless application distribution process within the organization
Disadvantages of application distribution in Intune:
- Not recommended for large applications: One drawback of Intune is that it may not be the optimal solution for distributing large applications. Since Intune is a cloud-based solution, there may be limitations when it comes to the size of applications that can be efficiently distributed. Large applications may require longer download and installation times on devices, which can impact user experience and productivity.
- Limited support for older applications: Intune is a modern solution that primarily focuses on distributing and managing modern applications and cloud-based services. It can be challenging to use Intune to distribute older applications or applications that are not compatible with the cloud environment. This can be a limitation for organizations that still rely on older applications that are essential to their business.
- Limited reporting capabilities: Another drawback is that the reporting features in Intune can be limited compared to more specialized application distribution tools. Intune may offer basic reporting and monitoring features for application distribution, but it may be lacking in terms of detailed and customized reports. Obtaining in-depth insights on how applications are used, performing, and interacting with devices can be challenging.
While Intune has many advantages as an application distribution solution, it is important to be aware of these disadvantages. Evaluating the size and compatibility of applications, as well as the requirements for reporting and data analysis, is necess
How to guide
Here you have a quick step-by-step guide to deploying an app with Intune.
First of all, login in to Intune portal using your administrator credentials. Once logged in, locate the “Apps” section in the intune portal. This is where you manage and distribute applications
Apps | Overview : This image shows the overview of the Apps section in the Intune portal. This is where you manage and distribute your applications. You can see a list of available apps and their status, as well as various options to manage and configure the applications.
Windows | Windows apps: Select app type. This image shows the “Windows” tab and the “Windows apps” subcategory in the Intune portal. Here, you can choose the type of app you want to distribute to Windows devices. You can see various options and settings to select and configure the desired app. This is where you choose how to deploy your app.
Search and add app:
Add an app to the Intune portal. You can upload a custom app or choose from a list of available apps. By adding an app, you can configure distribution settings and select target audiences to deploy the app to specific devices or user groups. By searching the Microsoft Store, you can discover and choose apps to distribute to your devices via Intune. This provides you with access to a wide range of apps to meet your organizational needs.
Information about the app: Here you can find information about the app and choose how it is installed, whether it should appear in the company portal or be installed silently in the background. You can also add a logo for your selected app as it is not included automatically.
All info about the app with logo:
Verify that the app has been installed.
Conclusion:
Application distribution in Intune is a powerful solution that helps organizations streamline the process of deploying and managing applications across different devices. By leveraging Intune’s features, you can automate updates, support multiple platforms, and easily manage applications from a web-based portal. Check out Microsoft Learn for more information in the subject!
Are you looking to enhance application distribution in your organization and take advantage of Intune’s benefits? Get started with Intune today and discover how you can efficiently distribute, manage, and update applications across diverse devices. Contact our team for more information and assistance in implementing Intune in your organization. Together, we can improve productivity and ensure a seamless application distribution experience.
