Microsoft Intune

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Microsoft Intune

Microsoft Intune serves as a comprehensive solution for orchestrating device, user, and compliance management in strict adherence to NIST 800-171r2 and CMMC 2.0 standards. This document delineates a structured approach to leveraging Intune for managing users, groups, devices, compliance statuses, configuration profiles, and policies with precision and efficacy.

Accessing Microsoft Intune

Login Procedure:

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager Admin Center at https://endpoint.microsoft.com.
  2. Authenticate using your organization-issued credentials and complete any multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements.

Upon successful login, the dashboard serves as the central hub, providing an analytical overview of metrics such as device compliance rates, user activity logs, and application deployment statuses.

Managing Users, Groups, and Devices

Users:

  1. Access the Users module by selecting Users > All Users in the navigation pane.
  2. Examine detailed user data, including:
    • Licensing assignments and email configurations.
    • Device affiliations and role-based access controls (RBAC).

Groups:

  1. Navigate to Groups > All Groups to display organizational group structures.
  2. Select a group to:
    • Review membership composition and adjust settings.
    • Add or remove members as needed to align with policy requirements.

Devices:

  1. Access Devices > All Devices to visualize the inventory of managed endpoints.
  2. Drill down into individual devices to:
    • Analyze hardware details (e.g., OS version, device model).
    • Assess compliance adherence.
    • Verify applied configuration profiles and policy assignments.

Compliance Management

Viewing Compliance Status:

  1. Navigate to Devices > Compliance Policies and select Device Compliance.
  2. Evaluate:
    • Aggregated compliance data and trend analysis.
    • Non-compliance cases categorized by policy violations.
  3. Select a specific device to obtain granular insights into its compliance profile and rectify issues promptly.

Configuration Profiles and Policies

Configuration Profiles:

  1. Access Devices > Configuration Profiles to review deployed profiles.
  2. Select a profile to inspect:
    • Applied settings, including network (Wi-Fi/VPN) configurations and security baselines.
    • The list of assigned user groups or devices.

Policies:

  1. Navigate to Devices > Compliance Policies and choose a policy.
  2. Examine:
    • Conditions for compliance and enforcement thresholds.
    • The scope of users and devices affected.

Reviewing Endpoint Security Settings via Intune

Accessing Endpoint Security Settings:

  1. Navigate to Endpoint Security > Manage in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager Admin Center.
  2. Select a configured list item (e.g., Antivirus, Disk encryption, Firewall, etc.).
  3. Review applied settings, including:
    • Antivirus configurations.
    • Firewall and network protection settings.
    • Disk encryption (BitLocker) policies.

Evaluating Device Security Compliance:

  1. Navigate to Endpoint Security > All Devices to view security compliance data for managed devices.
  2. Select a specific device to:
    • Verify its security baseline adherence.
    • Check the status of applied security policies.
    • Identify vulnerabilities and potential misconfigurations.

Generating and Interpreting Reports

Steps to Generate Reports:

  1. Open the Reports module in the navigation panel.
  2. Select from pre-configured report templates, including:
    • Compliance status summaries.
    • Device inventory statistics.
    • Security baseline assessments.
  3. Customize parameters and export reports for audit or operational review purposes.

Viewing and Exporting Inventories

Device Inventory:

  1. Navigate to Devices > All Devices to view the complete inventory of managed endpoints.
  2. Use filters to sort devices by attributes such as compliance status, operating system, or ownership (corporate vs. personal).
  3. Select individual devices to review detailed hardware and software configurations.

Application Inventory:

  1. Go to Apps > Monitor > Discovered Apps to view applications installed on managed devices.
  2. Review details such as application name, version, and install count.

Exporting Inventory Reports:

  1. In the Reports module, select Device Inventory or App Inventory from the available templates.
  2. Customize filters and parameters as needed to generate a tailored inventory report.
  3. Click Export to download the report in formats such as CSV or Excel for further analysis or audit documentation.

Best Practices for CMMC 2.0 Compliance in Intune

  • Ensure full enrollment of devices and appropriate group assignments to enforce policy coverage.
  • Periodically revise compliance policies to remain aligned with evolving NIST 800-171r2 requirements.
  • Monitor compliance dashboards regularly to address deviations proactively.
  • Implement robust RBAC configurations to minimize the risk of privilege misuse.
  • Conduct systematic audits of configuration profiles to validate security posture.

Conclusion

This document provides a detailed framework for utilizing Microsoft Intune to manage users, devices, and compliance policies in adherence to stringent NIST 800-171r2 and CMMC 2.0 standards. Adopting the recommended practices outlined here will support continuous compliance and fortify organizational security measures.