Summary:
Microsoft Intune Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) is a key feature within the Microsoft Intune Suite designed to enhance security and streamline IT operations by enforcing least-privilege access policies. EPM allows IT administrators to grant standard users the ability to perform tasks that typically require administrative privileges, such as installing applications or updating device drivers, without permanently elevating their access levels. This approach supports a Zero Trust security architecture by minimizing the attack surface and reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
EPM offers several elevation types, including automatic elevations, user-confirmed elevations, and support-approved elevations. Automatic elevations enable specific applications to run with elevated privileges without user intervention, while user-confirmed elevations require users to provide additional validation, such as a business justification or multi-factor authentication, before granting elevated access. Support-approved elevations involve submitting a request for approval by an administrator before elevation is granted. These features not only enhance security but also improve productivity by allowing users to complete necessary tasks without delays or extensive IT support interventions.
Key Features:
- Automatic Elevations: EPM allows for automatic elevation of privileges for specific applications based on predefined rules. This feature reduces friction by enabling workers to seamlessly run necessary applications with administrative privileges without needing manual approval, thus maintaining productivity while enforcing security policies.
- User-Confirmed Elevations: This feature allows users to request elevated privileges for specific tasks. Users must provide a business justification or pass additional validation steps, such as multi-factor authentication, before privileges are granted. This ensures that elevated access is granted only when necessary and for legitimate reasons, enhancing security while empowering users.
- Support-Approved Elevations: For tasks requiring additional scrutiny, users can submit elevation requests that must be approved by IT support or administrators. Once approved, users are notified and can proceed with the elevated task. This feature helps maintain tight control over administrative privileges and ensures that all elevations are thoroughly vetted.
- Granular Control and Reporting: EPM provides detailed reports and analytics on all privilege elevations, allowing IT administrators to monitor and audit the use of elevated privileges. Reports can be filtered by application, user, device, and elevation type, providing insights into privilege usage and helping to identify potential security risks.
- Integration with Microsoft Intune: EPM is fully integrated with Microsoft Intune, allowing for centralized management of endpoint privileges alongside other endpoint management tasks. This integration simplifies policy deployment, enforcement, and management, and ensures consistent application of security policies across the organization
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Tangible Benefits:
- Reduction in Security Breaches and Incidents:
- Tangible Benefit: EPM enforces least-privilege access and provides granular control over elevated privileges, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access and potential security breaches.
- Quantification Path: Track the frequency and severity of security incidents related to administrative privileges before and after implementing EPM. Measure improvements in incident detection and response times, noting reductions in unauthorized access and compromised credentials due to the enforcement of least privilege access and continuous monitoring.
- Operational Efficiency in Permissions Management:
- Tangible Benefit: EPM simplifies the management of administrative privileges by automating privilege elevation processes and reducing the need for manual IT interventions, thereby improving operational efficiency.
- Quantification Path: Assess the time and resources saved in managing user permissions and access controls before and after EPM deployment. Compare the number of IT support tickets related to permission issues and the time spent resolving them. Measure improvements in IT staff productivity and resource allocation.
- Cost Savings from Streamlined Access Management:
- Tangible Benefit: EPM reduces the need for multiple identity management solutions and decreases administrative overhead, leading to significant cost savings. It also minimizes the need for continuous IT support interventions for permission-related issues.
- Quantification Path: Calculate cost savings resulting from the reduced need for multiple identity management solutions and the associated administrative overhead. Factor in savings from reduced helpdesk inquiries due to automated permission management and self-service capabilities. Evaluate the impact on overall operational costs and the return on investment (ROI) from consolidating identity and access management under EPM.