Microsoft InTune and AutoPilot Vs Windows Virtual Desktop
by TUCU Managed IT Services in Toronto
As more of us adopt remote work solutions for small business, it's a great time to talk about two highly reliable and secure work from anywhere solutions. Both Microsoft InTune + AutoPilot and Windows Virtual Desktop provide secure remote work solutions.
InTune + AutoPilot are technologies that supplement a traditional network or remote team.
Windows Virtual Desktop is a cloud first solution, using Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas).
In this video, we briefly cover the highlights of each solution outlined in the table below.
Microsoft InTune + AutoPilot
Security & Controls
Very Good for company owned computers
Limited for BYOD/employee owned devices
Data Protection & Compliance
Yes. All tools, policies and processes required to protect data or meet compliance needs are available.
Considered minimum best practice solution.
Suitable for small and medium business.
New Staff Setup
Assets are company owned and controlled.
The company purchases a preconfigured computer using AutoPilot settings, and ships it direct from the manufacturer to the remote employee.
The remote employee then only needs to click a few buttons to be fully onboarded with email, security permissions and applications required for their role.
For Staff Changeover, Computer Failure, Upgrade, Replace & Data Transfer
Some scheduled downtime is required to wipe and reload computers (approximately 3-4 hours). The employee is unable to work during this time.
Requires new computers or licenses and 3-4 hours labour.
Disaster Recovery
Add on options. Slower to rebuild.
Scaling For Growth
Across an organization requires managing a fleet of computers and operating systems, purchasing new computers, enrolling the computers in to InTune + AutoPilot.
Several hours per computer + hardware costs.
Lower monthly cloud costs.
Infrastructure Costs
Ongoing hardware costs. Lower monthly cloud costs.
Per Staff Maintenance & Support Costs
Microsoft 365 Business Premium Subscription per user
+ IT support costs.
Windows Virtual Desktop
Security & Controls
Excellent for company owned computers
Excellent for BYOD/employee owned devices
Data Protection & Compliance
Yes. All tools, policies and processes required to protect data or meet compliance needs are available.
Considered gold standard solution.
Suitable for small, medium or enterprise business.
New Staff Setup
Assets can be owned by the employee or company.
The company will never have to purchase another computer (unless they wish to do so).
Employees can use their own device to connect to the virtual infrastructure with total security. Or the company can use old, repurposed computers as dumb terminals that access the remote desktops.
For Staff Changeover, Computer Failure, Upgrade, Replace & Data Transfer
Computer wipe and reloads are no longer necessary.
A new virtual machine setup (equivalent to wipe and reload in traditional infrastructure) take a few moments within the managed virtual environment.
Disaster Recovery
Built in. Near instant.
Scaling For Growth
Across an organization can be done within minutes in the virtual environment (e.g. spin up new virtual machines, add memory or RAM, upgrade operating systems etc)
No hardware costs.
Higher monthly cloud costs
Infrastructure Costs
No/little hardware costs. Higher monthly cloud costs.
Per Staff Maintenance & Support Costs
Microsoft 365 Business Premium Subscription per user
+ Azure hosting costs
+ IT support costs
Risks of Unsecured Remote Work Solutions
Risks of not having a secure remote work solution in place include:
• Irreplaceable Data Loss
• Data Theft (including internal theft)
• Liability risks
• Compliance, audit and penalty risks
• Virus & ransomware infections which shut down a user or the entire company (for ransomware or major breaches, the average is 19 days of downtime + $120,000 in costs)
• Preventable disaster recovery costs
Remember: Preventative measures, systems, policies and controls would need to be fully implemented before a problem occurs. It can not be applied to any use after an issue has occurred. Prevention is key to cyber security.
Download and use this table to discuss options with your team and your IT support provider. Take action to secure your remote work force and protect your business from ever increasing cyber threats.
Next Steps: Learn more about how TUCU Managed IT Services Inc can help you remediate your IT security gaps and defend your business from cyber attacks. We offer IT security services, IT compliance services and IT management services.
We help you protect everything you have built.
Speak to us about your needs today.
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