Microsoft Intune Licensing: Stop Paying Twice for Endpoint Management

What Is Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune is Microsoft's cloud-based unified endpoint management (UEM) platform. It enables IT teams to manage and secure mobile devices (iOS, Android), desktop computers (Windows, macOS), and applications across the enterprise — without requiring on-premises infrastructure. Intune handles mobile device management (MDM), mobile application management (MAM), compliance policy enforcement, app deployment, and device configuration from a single cloud console.

For most enterprise IT environments, Intune serves as either a replacement or complement to legacy on-premises management tools like Microsoft Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM). Understanding Intune's licensing model is important because it is both bundled into several Microsoft 365 plans and available as a standalone product — creating significant risk of duplicate purchasing if entitlements are not mapped carefully. This guide provides the framework to avoid that waste as part of your broader Microsoft EA negotiation strategy.

M365 Bundle Entitlements: What Includes Intune?

The first and most important step in Intune licensing optimisation is understanding exactly which Microsoft 365 bundles already include Intune Plan 1. Many organisations purchase standalone Intune licences without realising their existing M365 subscriptions already provide Intune entitlements for all licensed users.

Intune Plan 1 vs Plan 2 vs Intune Suite

Microsoft restructured its Intune add-on portfolio in 2023, introducing Intune Plan 2 and the Intune Suite as the premium tier of endpoint management. Understanding the capability delta is essential for determining whether your organisation actually needs the upgrade.

The key differentiators in Plan 2 are Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) — which allows users to run specific applications with elevated permissions without being full local admins — and Microsoft Tunnel for MAM, which extends containerised VPN access to unmanaged BYOD devices. For organisations with significant contractor or BYOD populations in regulated environments, these capabilities can justify the $10/user/month add-on cost.

Licensing by Device Type: The Per-User vs Per-Device Decision

Microsoft Intune is licensed on a per-user basis, with each user licence covering up to five devices. This model works well for knowledge workers with personal laptops, phones, and tablets — a single licence covers all their endpoints. However, for organisations with shared devices, kiosk terminals, or large non-user-affiliated device fleets, the per-user model can create unnecessary cost.

Microsoft offers a device-based Intune licence for scenarios where devices are not associated with a specific user. The Intune Plan 1 Device licence (approximately $2/device/month) is appropriate for shared workstations, kiosk devices, digital signage, and other endpoints that don't map to individual user identities. Using device licences for these scenarios instead of assigning full user licences typically reduces endpoint management costs by 60–75% for the non-user-affiliated device population.

The practical rule: user licences for all endpoints tied to individual users; device licences for shared, kiosk, or facility endpoints. Mapping your device inventory against this rule before your next M365 renewal — and presenting the optimised model to your Microsoft account team — is a straightforward cost reduction exercise that many organisations overlook.

Intune vs ConfigMgr: Co-Management Licensing

Many enterprise organisations run both Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr / SCCM) simultaneously in a co-management configuration — gradually migrating workloads from ConfigMgr to Intune while maintaining both platforms during the transition. Co-management is a common source of licensing confusion and duplication cost.

The licensing implication of co-management is that running both systems simultaneously does not require double-licensing users — Intune is included in M365 regardless of whether ConfigMgr is also in use. However, ConfigMgr is licensed through System Center or M365 E3 entitlements (for ConfigMgr Current Branch), so the question is really about infrastructure cost and IT operational overhead, not per-user licence cost. Retiring ConfigMgr typically saves $15–50K/year in infrastructure and IT management cost for mid-market organisations.

Intune Cost Optimisation: Six Practical Strategies

Negotiating Intune in Your Microsoft EA

Intune licensing is typically a second-tier item in Microsoft EA negotiations — most teams focus on M365 and Azure and accept whatever Intune pricing Microsoft offers. This is a mistake. For organisations with complex endpoint estates, Intune-related spend (including the Intune Suite, co-management scenarios, and device licence pools) can represent a meaningful portion of total Microsoft annual spend.

The most effective approach is to present your total endpoint management cost picture to Microsoft — including Intune licences, any residual ConfigMgr infrastructure cost, and third-party endpoint tools being replaced — as a total cost of ownership argument. Microsoft is highly motivated to displace third-party MDM tools (Jamf, VMware Workspace ONE) with Intune. If you have third-party tools in your environment, using the "Intune consolidation" narrative can unlock migration incentive pricing, deployment acceleration credits, or favourable Intune Suite terms as part of your EA.

For the full EA negotiation framework — including how Intune pricing fits into the broader M365 negotiation structure — see our Microsoft EA negotiation guide. For right-sizing the broader M365 licence stack, see our Microsoft license right-sizing guide.

Frequently Asked Questions