Don’t Lift‑and‑Shift Your Mess: How to Convince Leadership to Adopt Intune
1. The Pain Point: 18 Months of Firefighting
Imagine the help‑desk ticket queue on a Monday morning.
48 % of tickets are “device not ready” or “OOBE failures.”
32 % are “legacy policy conflicts.”
20 % are “security‑related” (un‑encrypted drives, missing BitLocker).
All of this is caused by a legacy AD + GPO stack that has been in place for years.
If you simply lift those policies into Intune, you’ll only move the same problems to a new platform.
The answer? Modernize the operating model – not just the toolset.
2. Discovery & Assessment – Build the Evidence Pack
The first step is to collect hard, numbers‑based evidence from AD on Prem.
Show, don’t tell.
3. Intune as a Business Operating Model
Move beyond “tool swap.” Frame Intune as a four‑commitment framework that leaders can buy into:
Baseline First, Exceptions Second – Adopt Microsoft Security Baselines, keep an exception register.
Compliance Drives Access – Conditional Access ensures no compliant device → no sensitive app.
Performance is a Feature – Measure time‑to‑ready, keep it improving.
Evergreen as Default – Windows Update for Business + rollback plan.
Leadership translation: fewer surprises, faster onboarding, cleaner audits, better employee experience.
4. The Planning Blueprint – What Leadership Sees
| Element | What to Deliver | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Governance & RBAC | Scoped roles for Helpdesk, App Owners, Security | Clear ownership, reduces friction |
| Naming & Targeting | Autopilot group tags (LOC-ROLE-ENV) | Easy to segment, track |
| Baselines & Profiles | Start with MS Security Baselines + 10–20 org policies | Rapid baseline compliance |
| App Strategy | Foreground (OOBE mandatory) + Background (Company Portal) | Keeps install times low |
| Conditional Access | Encryption, OS version, Secure Boot, MDE health | Protects data, drives compliance |
| Modern Work | Universal Print, OneDrive KFM, SharePoint libraries | Unlocks productivity, reduces help-desk |
Artifacts to hand to leadership:
1‑page Reference Architecture
Exception Register
Rollout Rings Diagram
5. Intune POC – Validate Outcomes, Not Opinions
A well‑scoped POC demonstrates real business value.
Scope: 30–60 users, 3–4 personas, 2–3 hardware models, include a VIP team.
Must‑hit metrics (scorecard format)
| Metric | Target | How to Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Provisioning Time-to-Ready | ≤45 min (enrolled + core apps usable) | Automated test harness |
| Day-1 App Success | ≥90% required apps install automatically | Log-based success rate |
| Baseline Coverage | ≥95% devices compliant in 24 h | Intune compliance reports |
| User Effort | ≤5 clicks from power-on to desktop | User survey |
| Ticket Rate | Decrease week-over-week | Help-desk ticket volume |
6. Scale Plan – Choosing Your Friction
6. Scale Plan – Choosing Your Friction
| Option | Description | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| A – OU Waves | Rebuild and co-manage by OU/site | Fast, visible momentum | High change-management load; risk of legacy entanglement |
| B – Evergreen Device Refresh | New devices Autopilot-ready; re-provision older models |
Clean end state, lowest drift | Longer calendar; requires disciplined lifecycle policy |
7. Modern Work Moves – Unlocking Intune’s Full Value
The greatest win comes when device modernization dovetails with Modern Work:
Modernized Services
| Service | Modernized Replacement | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange | Exchange Online | MFA + compliant device required for Outlook/OWA; MAM for BYOD |
| Files | OneDrive + SharePoint | Silent Known Folder Move; Files-On-Demand training |
| Printing | Universal Print | Group-based publishing; eliminates driver chaos |
Leadership translation: “Your people can work anywhere, securely, with fewer help-desk rituals.”
8. Anticipating Objections – Quick Responses
Objections & Quick Replies
| Objection | Quick Reply |
|---|---|
| Cost/ROI? | Show ticket time reduction, audit savings, avoided rebuilds. Tie to fully-loaded hourly rates. |
| Legacy Apps? | Small exceptions lane, MSIX/winGet wrapping, document end-of-life dates. |
| Disruption Risk? | POC first, then phased rings, rollback plan documented. |
| Security Already Good? | Baselines + CA create enforceable guarantees. Show encryption and MDE metrics. |
| Co-management Forever? | Bridge, not home. Exit criteria and date defined. |
9. Anti‑Patterns to Avoid
| Anti-Pattern | Why it fails |
|---|---|
| Shipping every app at OOBE | Bloat, long builds |
| Baseline by committee | Endless meetings, no movement |
| Proxy/SSL inspection breaking Autopilot/MDE | Device registration fails |
| “We’ll fix AD later.” | Legacy debt never goes away; reduces risk |
10. Deliverable Checklist – What You Hand to Leadership
Key Deliverables
| Deliverable | Description |
|---|---|
| Identity Risk Snapshot | One-page, five key numbers |
| GPO → Intune Mapping Sheet | Migrate / Consolidate / Drop |
| Baseline Approval Pack | Delta notes + Exception Register |
| POC Scorecard | Metrics + outcomes |
| Rollout Plan | Rings, timeline, responsibilities |
| Modern Work Plan | EXO, OneDrive/SharePoint, Universal Print |
11. The Bottom‑Line Take‑Away
You’re not selling a new tool; you’re selling a simpler, safer operating model backed by evidence at every step.
Lead with discovery, de‑risk with a data‑driven POC, then roll out a modern work ecosystem that makes everyone’s job easier. That is how you shift leadership from “why change?” to “how fast?”.