Is Microsoft Intune Worth It for a Small Company?

If you are weighing up Microsoft 365 plans for your business and wondering whether to pay the extra for Business Premium ( or whether Intune specifically is worth the cost ) this article gives you a straight answer.

The short version: for most small businesses in the UK handling client data, employee devices, or remote workers, Intune is worth it. The longer answer depends on what you are already paying for and what your biggest risks actually are.

 
What is Microsoft Intune?

Intune is Microsoft's cloud-based device management platform. It lets you control how every laptop, phone, and tablet connecting to your business data is configured, secured, and monitored, from one central dashboard, without needing to be in the same room as the device.

In practical terms, it means you can:

Enforce encryption and strong PINs on every device accessing company email
Push software and security updates to all devices automatically
Wipe a lost or stolen device remotely, including personal phones with a work profile
Block access to company data from any device that does not meet your security policy
Set up a new employee's laptop automatically, without an IT engineer on site
It works across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. And it integrates natively with Microsoft 365, Entra ID, and Defender for Business.

 
How much does Intune cost for a small business in the UK?

This is where many small business owners are surprised: if you are already on Microsoft 365 Business Premium, you already have Intune included.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium costs £17.60 per user per month (excluding VAT, as of mid-2026). It includes the full Office suite, Exchange email, Teams, SharePoint, and a full security stack: Intune, Defender for Business, and Entra ID Premium P1.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard, by contrast, costs £9.40 per user per month and does not include Intune, Defender for Business, or any device management capability at all.

So the real question for most small businesses is not "should I pay for Intune?" but "should I be on Business Premium rather than Business Standard?" For a team of ten, that difference is £82/month. Whether that is worth it depends on what Intune replaces or prevents.

If you need Intune standalone without a Business Premium licence, it starts at around $4/user/month, but you would also need Entra ID Premium P1 separately for conditional access, which is where most of the real security value sits.

 
What does Intune actually do day-to-day for a small business?

Device enrolment and setup
With Intune and Windows Autopilot, a new employee can receive a laptop directly from the supplier, sign in with their work account, and have the device automatically configured with your company's apps, policies, and security settings. No IT engineer needs to touch it first. For a small business without a dedicated IT team, this alone saves significant time with each new hire.

Remote wipe
If a staff member loses their phone or laptop (or leaves the business ) you can immediately remove all company data from the device. On personal phones using a work profile, Intune removes only the business data and leaves personal content untouched. This is not a nice-to-have for any business handling client information; it is a basic control your insurer and clients increasingly expect.

Conditional access
Working with Entra ID Premium P1 (included in Business Premium), Intune lets you set rules like: "only allow access to company email and files from devices that are enrolled, encrypted, and compliant with our security policy." A device that has not been patched, or a personal laptop that has never been enrolled, gets blocked. This is one of the most effective controls against account takeover and data breach.

Automated patching
Intune manages Windows Update policies centrally, so you can control when updates are pushed and ensure no device in your business is running months behind on patches. Unpatched devices are one of the most common entry points for ransomware.

App management on personal devices (BYOD)
Many small businesses have staff checking work email on personal phones. Without Intune, you have no control over what happens to that data. With Intune's mobile application management, you can apply policies to the work apps on a personal phone — requiring a PIN, blocking copy-paste to personal apps, and wiping work data if needed — without touching anything personal on the device.

 
When is Intune not worth it?
If your team is two or three people, everyone uses company-owned devices, and your work does not involve sensitive client data, the overhead of configuring and managing Intune may not be justified at this stage. Microsoft 365 Business Standard is likely sufficient.

Similarly, if you are in a very early stage and cost is the overriding concern, Business Standard gets you functional email, Office apps, and Teams without the security stack.

But if any of the following apply, Business Premium with Intune is worth the extra cost:

You have remote or hybrid staff accessing company data from home devices
Staff use personal phones for work email
You handle client data in healthcare, legal, finance, or recruitment
You are pursuing or considering Cyber Essentials certification
You have had staff turnover and are not confident devices were properly cleared
Your cyber insurance renewal has started asking about device management controls
 
Cyber Essentials and Intune
Cyber Essentials is the UK government-backed certification that confirms your business has the five core technical controls in place. It is increasingly required by clients in regulated sectors and referenced by cyber insurers.

One of those five controls is secure device configuration. Intune is the most straightforward way to demonstrate and enforce that control across a mixed device estate. Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes everything the NCSC's Cyber Essentials scheme expects from a Microsoft 365 environment when configured correctly.

 
The bottom line
For most UK small businesses handling any kind of sensitive data (client records, financial information, personal data ) Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the right foundation, and Intune is a core part of why. It costs £8.20/user/month more than Business Standard, and in exchange you get device management, endpoint protection, and identity controls that would cost significantly more to assemble from separate tools.

The main caveat is that Intune needs to be configured properly to deliver its value. Out of the box, enrolling devices and setting meaningful policies takes time and some technical knowledge. That is where a managed IT provider adds real value, handling the setup, ongoing management, and ensuring your configuration actually meets the standard your business needs.

At Blackgate Tech, we deploy and manage Microsoft 365 Business Premium for small businesses across London and UK, including Intune configuration, Defender setup, and Cyber Essentials alignment. If you are not sure whether your current Microsoft 365 setup is properly configured, we offer a no-obligation review.

Get in touch: [email protected]