Microsoft Intune Company Portal – Everything You Need to Know

Discover what the Intune Company Portal is and how it helps organizations manage and secure their devices. Find out its features, benefits, and how to set it up.

Published: Jan 13, 2025

Windows 11 2022 Update

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At the device and user level, the Intune Company Portal serves as powerful application that allows end users to install approved apps, securely access resources, and stay compliant with organizations policies. 

In the modern workplace, ensuring that company-owned devices remain secure and compliant is essential. Without proper oversight, these endpoints can quickly become a conduit for security breaches and data loss. Microsoft Intune addresses these risks by offering a robust, cloud-based approach to managing mobile devices and applications.

What Is the Intune Company Portal?

The Microsoft Intune Company Portal (to give it it’s full title) is a dedicated app that is the user facing portion of Microsoft Intune. Its primary role is to give employees and / or students a simplified interface for accessing business resources, apps, and reviewing / remediating their device compliance.

The Intune Company Portal ensures that users can enroll their devices, install sanctioned applications, and stay compliant with policies designed to protect corporate data.

There are versions of the company portal for all operating systems that Intune supports, including:

  • Android
  • iOS
  • macOS
  • and Windows.

Once the portal is installed, users can sign in (or be signed in automatically) using their Microsoft school or work account.

Core use cases of the Intune Company Portal

Key use cases of the Company Portal are:

  1. Application Management
    • Users browse, install, and update business-approved apps through a centralized portal.
    • This streamlined process ensures employees have rapid access to the software they need, without waiting for lengthy support requests
    • By allowing users self-service access to install applications securely, organization’s don’t need to grant local administrative access to their staff.
  2. Device Management
    • Enrolled devices can be remotely wiped or locked if lost or stolen.
    • Administrators can track hardware details, like phone number, IMEI, or device manufacturer, to maintain an up-to-date inventory of enrolled devices.
  3. Security Compliance
    • The portal enforces security policies, like mandating passcodes or enabling device encryption.
    • Non-compliant devices can be denied access to corporate data or prompted to remediate issues before re-gaining access.
  4. Access to Corporate Resources
    • Employees enjoy streamlined access to resources such as SharePoint sites, corporate intranets, and internal documents.
    • The portal eliminates the need to remember multiple app logins, providing a single pane of glass for all organizational resources.

Why businesses benefit from the Intune Company Portal

By adopting the Intune Company Portal, organizations see an array of benefits, depending on the specific operating system. 

  • Increased Productivity
    By offering immediate access to essential tools and documents, employees spend less time hunting for software or waiting for manual installations. This convenience translates to smoother workflows and faster turnaround times on critical tasks.
  • Device Visibility
    IT Admins can configure and monitor policies across the organization, whether employees are on-site or remote. Consolidated reporting makes it easier to spot trends, identify non-compliant devices, and take corrective action.
  • Efficient App Deployment
    The Company Portal simplifies the distribution of software updates or new apps to selected user groups. Instead of mass emails with installation instructions, IT departments can assign corporate apps directly to devices, either as Required (the app installs itself), or Available (the app is able to be chosen as an app to install by the user).
  • Compliance and Reporting
    In regulated industries, compliance is paramount. Built-in reporting features help keep tabs on which devices meet security standards, allowing organizations to fulfill audit requirements and avoid costly penalties.

The Intune Company Portal is an identity broker for single sign-on

In addition to its core capabilities, the Intune Company Portal acts as an identity broker on iOS, to provide a unified single sign-on (SSO) experience across multiple Microsoft 365 apps.

  • Single Sign-On Integration
    • When an iOS application requests authentication, the portal can verify if the user is already signed in to their work account, or their school account.
    • If so, the user gains immediate access without re-entering credentials, streamlining login processes.
  • Broker-Based Authentication
    • The Company Portal securely passes the necessary authentication tokens to other apps, reducing the need to juggle multiple logins.
    • This feature enhances user convenience, supports compliance, and ensures that password handling remains centralized and secure.
  • Policy Enforcement
    • Because the portal enforces Intune security and compliance policies, it ensures that SSO access is only granted on devices that meet organizational requirements.
    • If a device falls out of compliance (by missing critical OS updates, for example) access may be suspended until the user resolves the issue.

This identity-broker approach not only simplifies employee workflows but also helps organizations maintain tight control over who can access corporate resources. 

How to add apps to the Intune Company Portal

Add apps to the Intune Company Portal in the Intune admin center App Types
Add apps to the Intune Company Portal in the Intune admin center App Types (Image Credit: Dean Ellerby/Petri.com)

Adding apps to the Company Portal involves a few steps within the Intune Admin Center:

  1. Open Intune Admin Center
    • Sign in with valid administrative credentials.
  2. Navigate to Apps
    • Go to the “Apps” section and select “All apps” to view available or previously added software.
  3. Select ‘Add’
    • Choose the appropriate app type from the available list (e.g., iOS App Store, Android, Windows line-of-business).
  4. Configure Settings
    • Search for the app in the store (iOS), or provide the details like Name, Description, Publisher and Appstore URL for Android.
    • Assign the app to targeted user groups or devices.
  5. Publish to Company Portal
    • Once configured, the app appears in the portal for end users to install as needed.
Intune admin center Add App experience - Android vs iOS
Intune admin center Add App experience – Android vs iOS (Image Credit: Dean Ellerby/Petri.com)

Installing the Intune Company Portal

Installing the Company Portal is quite straightforward

  1. Locate the App in the Manufacturer’s respective app store
  2. Download and Install
    • Tap or click the “Install” button (or equivalent) to begin.
  3. Open and Sign In
    • After installation, launch the Company Portal.
    • Enter your work or school email address and password.
  4. Enroll Your Device
    • Follow any on-screen instructions for deviceenrollment, such as setting a passcode or accepting necessary permissions.
  5. Complete the Process
    • Depending on company policies, there may be additional steps (e.g., enabling encryption). Once done, users gain access to the portal’s full range of capabilities.

Uninstalling the Intune Company Portal

Although the portal is an essential tool in many workplaces, there may be times when an end user must uninstall it:

  • iOS
    • Tap and hold the app icon until it wiggles, then tap “x” to remove it.
  • Android
    • Go to “Settings” > “Apps” > “Company Portal” and select “Uninstall”
  • Windows
    • Right-click the Company Portal in the Start menu and select “Uninstall”
  • macOS
    • Drag the Company Portal app from the Applications folder to the Trash, then empty the Trash to complete removal.

Uninstalling may limit your access to corporate resources and could render your device non-compliant if your organization requires Intune enrollment.

Leveraging the Intune Company Portal in your environment

We’ve seen firsthand how the Intune Company Portal, combined with the broader capabilities of Microsoft Intune, drives efficiency in device management. By offering a singular, secure interface for both application access and compliance, the portal alleviates many common IT headaches.

Note, however, that we’ve specifically been talking about corporate-owned devices, here. Whilst the Intune Company Portal works fine on personally-owned devices (devices owned by the employee, and used to access organization’s resources, company apps or data), it is not the recommended way to secure a personally-owned device.

How to secure personal devices with Microsoft Intune

Instead, IT Admins should leverage Microsoft Intune’s App Protection policies feature, essentially securing the data at rest, and in transit, at the application level. This ensures that IT staff don’t have full control of smartphones (such as Apple iPhone) tablets (such as Apple iPad) or windows devices that are not owned by the company. 

By using Intune App Protection to secure company-approved applications, organizations can protect the business data directly at the app level, by applying organizational security policies such as the need for a PIN to access apps like Outlook, Teams, and Sharepoint. 

Common questions about the Intune Company Portal

What does Intune do to your phone?

Intune applies security and compliance settings to enrolled devices according to your organization’s policies. That can mean requiring a passcode, encrypting your device, or monitoring certain hardware attributes (like the model or operating system version) to ensure it meets security requirements.

If a device is subject to theft, administrators may choose to lock or issue a remote device wipe to protect corporate data.

Can Intune access personal data?

Intune does not provide IT admins access to personal data such as text messages, photos, or personal emails stored on your device. When a device is under Microsoft Intune management, it enforces security policies, deploys approved applications, and can collect limited device inventory details (like device name, OS version, and occasionally phone number or IMEI).

However, the content of your personal info, files, texts, and media remains private and inaccessible to IT.

Conclusion

The Intune Company Portal is central to Microsoft Intune’s strategy for securing and managing devices across various platforms. It provides a structured way for end users to access official apps, stay compliant, and fulfill organizational requirements. At the same time, IT professionals gain the visibility and control they need to protect corporate assets.

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