InfinIT CEO's take on Windows Intune

We're excited to tell you that our CEO, Jerod Powell, was quoted last month in this article on the pros and cons of Windows Intune.  Jerod believes Windows Intune is a lucrative opportunity for businesses to simplify IT management and to create business for Microsoft service partners.  Windows Intune simplifies how businesses manage and secure PCs using Windows cloud services and Windows 7, so your computers and users can operate at peak performance from virtually anywhere.

Video Case Study: Windows Intune

"Intune is a great entry point into Cloud Computing. It has such a positive impact, it's hard not to recommend it." -- Jerod Powell, CEO/Co-Founder InfinIT Consulting

 

[text transcript]

My name is Jerod Powell, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of InfinIT Consulting.  We focus on providing enterprise IT consulting, IT managed services, cloud computing and custom hosting solutions to our customers.

About InfinIT
InfinIT focuses on companies of all different types, however we tend to do a lot of work in the manufacturing area. Our core customer sizes range from 25 to 500 users in size, which tends to be a real suite spot for providing manged IT services.

Our Customers' Concerns
For every company, security is a primary concern.  Many companies have had long-standing issues with keeping all of their systems up to date with the latest patches (Microsoft patches - as well as other software products) and the latest anti-virus protection.  When Microsoft released Intune, we saw this as a huge opportunity to alleviate these concerns from our clients.  We could go to our clients and show them that they have the ability to manage and oversee all the workstations in their entire environment.  In addition, providing customers an instant upgrade path to Windows 7 - which has its own set of security enhancements - makes it that much more enticing.

Cloud Computing
There are a lot of companies interested in cloud computing and Intune is definitely one of those services that is a perfect fit for the cloud.  The idea of getting your infrastructure off-site and into a secured Microsoft-based data center and then having tools that directly manage your patch management and anti-virus protection - you know there is no one doing it better. 

Asset Management
Another thing customers ask us is "How do I find out what I have running in my environment?"  Many of our smaller customers have no inventory asset management capabilities.  Intune makes it very easy for those customers to have access a view over their entire environment.  You'd be surprised how impressed they are with that capability and how many people throughout their organization use it.  It's not just a thing for IT - Finance uses it, a lot of different departments will go and use that report.  It really brings that enterprise experience down to the smaller businesses.

Software as a Service
Intune has really helped us - number one - in giving us a great solution to offer customers.  In addition, it gives our techs an easy way to manage their customers' entire environment.  It has undoubtedly improved operational efficiency for us.  Overall, Windows Intune has been a great entry point into cloud computing for our clients - they tend to feel very comfortable with it - it's such an easy transition.

It's hard not to recommend it - it's a great solution...

Microsoft Unveils Second Windows Intune Beta

Read our latest industry news where Jerod Powell, CEO / Co-Founder discusses the benefits of Microsoft cloud based desktop management tool Windows Intune...

-----------------------------------------------------

Written by: Kevin McLaughlin
Published by: CRN

From the July 12, 2010 issue of ChannelWeb Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) Monday released the second public beta of Windows Intune, its cloud-based desktop management service, and revealed what it plans to charge when it launches the offering early next year.

At the opening of its annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, D.C., Microsoft said it will charge $11 per PC, per month for Windows Intune. For this, customers get Windows Intune's management and antimalware features as well as upgrade rights to Windows 7 Enterprise. For an additional $1 per seat, per month, customers can get on-premise management tools from the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP).

Windows Intune's second beta adds an improved management console that lets partners see and manage all of their customers simultaneously, enabling them to respond quickly to issues when they arise. Partners can choose to have alerts delivered through the dashboard or via e-mail, said Alex Heaton, a product manager in Microsoft's Windows Product Management group, in an interview.

"Being able to see alerts from multiple customers all on one page is a feature designed specifically in response to partner feedback," said Heaton.

Microsoft is also expanding the Windows Intune beta to a larger set of partners and customers. The first beta, released in April, was limited to 1,000 users, but Microsoft is now bumping that up to 10,000 slots for five- to 25-seat customers and partners in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, U.K. and Italy.

Windows Intune is an emerging part of Microsoft's cloud strategy and one with specific relevance to the MSP channel. Customers currently have multiple solutions in place for management, inventorying and security, and Windows Intune brings all of these together in a single cloud-based offering, said Heaton.

"Windows Intune makes sense for customers that don't have a management solution in place and need this basic level of IT infrastructure," Heaton said. "Most of these are in the small- and medium-business space."

MSPs are excited about Windows Intune's ability to manage customer networks, said Jerod Powell, co-founder and CEO of InfinIT Consulting, a San Jose, Calif.-based solution provider. "This is a great foot in the door for partners, and a great way to generate recurring revenue," he said.

"This is a great foot in the door for partners, and a great way to generate recurring revenue."
-- Jerod Powell, CEO | InfinIT Consulting

But Microsoft still has some tweaking to do in terms of making Windows Intune more applicable for MSP environments, Powell noted. "MSPs can drop a ton of clients on Windows Intune, but Microsoft needs to make it more multitenant-friendly. It still falls short of what your typical MSP needs."

Windows Intune uses pieces from several Microsoft products: It uses the Windows Update engine and the antimalware engine from Forefront Endpoint and Security Essentials. Inventorying and analysis of software and licenses on remote PCs is handled by Microsoft's Asset Inventory Service, part of MDOP.

Powell sees Windows Intune ultimately becoming an alternative to desktop management offerings from Kaseya and Dell (NSDQ:Dell). The advantage Microsoft has in this case is deeper integration than rivals can provide, said Powell.

"It's hard to find tools that work better wtih Microsoft systems than Microsoft tools."
-- Jerod Powell, CEO | InfinIT Consulting

"It's hard to find tools that work better with Microsoft systems than Microsoft tools," Powell said. "Patch management is one example, and Forefront tends to not let viruses through while solutions will. And the price point of Windows Intune is awesome."

If customers stop their Windows Intune subscriptions, they'll have to obtain a license to continue using Windows 7 Enterprise. Powell says this is one aspect of Windows Intune that partners will have to clearly explain to their customers.

"There are risks for the partner because at the end of the day we will deal with fallout if the customer does leave. There is some concern there," said Powell. "We have to make sure there's a clear understanding between us and the customer. Customers that have Open Value will understand this because it's the same drill; you lose rights when you stop paying."