Windows Intune Beta: Enterprise Options for Small Orgs

Microsoft on Monday launched a limited public beta of a new Windows 7-based desktop PC security and management service for smaller organizations.

The service, called "Window Intune," is being designed for organizations with between 25 and 500 PCs, which Microsoft defines as midmarket users. The current beta of the service will only be available to users in North American markets (United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico), according to Sandrine Skinner, director for Windows Commercial.

A Microsoft FAQ explains that the service will only be available to the first 1,000 customers until May 16, 2010. Organizations interested in trying out Windows Intune can sign up for the beta at the Microsoft Online Services portal here. During the trial period, users can manage only up to 20 PCs.

Midmarket organizations typically lack personnel or may have one IT generalist on staff tasked with managing desktops, network applications and servers, according to Skinner. They tend to have the same IT needs as larger organizations, yet they have smaller budgets, she added.

"They aspire to have access to enterprise-class solutions, but they don't have the means to do so, both financially and in terms of head count," Skinner explained in a phone interview.

The new service offers resources typically available to larger organizations that have signed on to Microsoft's multiyear volume licensing agreements. However, with Windows Intune, Microsoft will offer these resources on a monthly-fee basis. The pricing and licensing details for the service have not yet been fully worked out, according to Skinner. She expected that Microsoft would begin to offer the Windows Intune service about a year after the beta's release.

The service is different from Microsoft's volume licensing offerings in that it specifically pairs the Windows 7 operating system with online management tools, Skinner explained. However, it does include some of the benefits typically derived by Microsoft's Enterprise Agreement volume licensing customers.

Read more: Microsoft Online
Official site: Window Intune

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