Managing Business iPhones and iPads with Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune lets you manage iPhones and iPads alongside Windows PCs from a single console — enforcing security policies, deploying apps, and wiping lost devices. Here's how it works.
Microsoft Intune, included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, gives IT teams unified management of Windows PCs, iPhones, and iPads from a single cloud dashboard. For businesses running Microsoft 365, Intune is often the most practical way to enforce consistent security policies across all devices without a separate MDM solution.
What Intune Can Do on iPhone and iPad
- Require PIN or Face ID to access the device
- Enforce encryption (iPhones are encrypted by default when a passcode is set)
- Deploy Microsoft 365 apps (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive) automatically
- Apply app protection policies — prevent copy/paste from Outlook to personal apps
- Remote wipe lost or stolen devices — can wipe only corporate data, leaving personal data intact
- Require MFA for corporate email and apps
- Block access to corporate resources from jailbroken devices
Enrollment Methods
iPhones and iPads can be enrolled in Intune two ways. BYOD (bring your own device): the employee downloads the Company Portal app and enrolls voluntarily — you manage only corporate apps and data. Corporate-owned: devices are purchased and enrolled before being given to employees, giving IT full device management including the ability to wipe the entire device.
Conditional Access: The Key Security Feature
Conditional Access policies in Intune let you require that an iPhone be enrolled and compliant before it can access corporate email or applications. An unenrolled or non-compliant phone simply can't access Outlook or Teams — even with valid credentials. This eliminates the 'personal phone accessing corporate email with no security controls' problem that most small businesses have.