New
Linux client device management comes to Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune, the mobile management solution offered as part of the Microsoft Endpoint Manager suite, is getting the ability to manage Linux desktops with an update coming this month, per an announcement from Microsoft on Tuesday.
Ubuntu LTS 22.04 and 20.04 will be the first supported Linux desktop operating systems for Intune management when Microsoft updates Intune this month. Other Linux operating system distributions will also be supported for Intune management. Microsoft’s announcement didn’t name them, but said “we plan to add [Linux] distributions in the coming months.”
Many people may have thought that Intune already supports Linux-based device management, but this is a new feature. Intune can already manage “Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices,” Microsoft said.
October Intune Update and Linux Support
Exactly when Intune will receive its October update has not been described. Once the update is installed, however, Intune will have the following features:
- Registering Ubuntu LTS desktops (22.04, 20.04)
- Conditional Access policies protecting web apps through Microsoft Edge
- Standard compliance policies
- Bash scripting support for custom compliance policies
Using Azure Active Directory Conditional Access policies will allow IT pros to set conditions for Linux devices before accessing organizational resources. Linux devices may be required to adhere to compliance policies put in place by an organization.
Microsoft plans to allow Microsoft Endpoint Manager users to create Bash scripts for Linux device setups, coming “later this fall.” This scripting capability will allow IT pros to do things “like deploy Wi-Fi profiles and certificates to Linux workstations,” the announcement explains. Additionally, “premade scripts” will arrive at some point.
Teams Progressive Web App for Linux
Microsoft simultaneously announced that it has created a Microsoft Teams progressive web app for Linux desktops, which “will be available in the coming months.”
The Progressive Web App is not installed as an app, but can be accessed through a web browser. Microsoft Edge was the browser described as having access to this Teams progressive web app for Linux.
Microsoft will also release an updated Teams web client for Linux “in the coming months.” It will provide another way to access the Teams Progressive Web App for Linux.
Here’s how Microsoft characterized it:
This [Teams Web client] will provide Linux users with access to popular features through the use of our new Progressive Web App (PWA) and will be available through Edge and Chrome browsers.
The Progressive Web App for Linux, when available, will offer “access to more features, including custom backgrounds, gallery view, reactions and a raised hand in meetings, as well as a large gallery and views in set mode,” the announcement adds.
IT pros will be able to use Microsoft Endpoint Manager to set conditional access configurations for the Teams web app and the Teams progressive web app for Linux, the announcement says.
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