Gadget administration has developed within the enterprise to cowl increasingly units underneath one platform, and IoT units aren’t any exception.
Organizations can enroll units operating Home windows IoT with Intune and handle them alongside Home windows desktop OSes, smartphones, tablets, macOS desktops and even some Linux distributions. Nonetheless, the enrollment and administration course of for IoT units is exclusive.
IT directors that handle Home windows IoT endpoints for functions equivalent to digital signage, skinny shoppers, kiosks, sensors and medical units, ought to be taught the totally different administration and enrollment choices for his or her IoT fleet.
Completely different editions of Home windows for IoT
As organizations plan tips on how to handle Home windows IoT units, it is good to begin with a short overview of the accessible Home windows editions that they will run. The totally different editions additionally include totally different administration choices:
Home windows IoT Enterprise. It is a full model of Home windows Enterprise that additionally contains some particular options to create devoted units which might be locked right down to a particular situation.
Home windows Server IoT 2022. It is a full model of Home windows Server 2022 that gives enterprise administration and security measures to IoT programs. The primary variations are in licensing and distribution.
Home windows 10 IoT Core. That is the smallest version of Home windows 10. Whereas solely operating a single app, it nonetheless incorporates the administration and security measures which might be recognized from Home windows 10.
Home windows IoT Enterprise is the most typical version that’s used for fixed-purpose units. And it is also the version that matches the best in the most typical Microsoft-focused unified endpoint administration methods. One thing related is relevant to Home windows 10 IoT Core. Nonetheless, provided that this method is just Home windows 10 and never Home windows 11, it is not an apparent alternative when trying on the help timeline of Home windows 10.
The administration capabilities for Home windows IoT Enterprise units are just like different Home windows Enterprise licensed units — primarily as a result of they’re primarily based on the identical binaries so the administration is comparable as properly.
Choices for managing Home windows IoT Enterprise
The administration capabilities for Home windows IoT Enterprise units are just like different Home windows Enterprise licensed units — primarily as a result of they’re primarily based on the identical binaries so the administration is comparable as properly. The next administration choices can be found:
Microsoft Intune. That is the most typical platform for managing Home windows IoT Enterprise units by way of a cloud-based gadget administration service. It offers related administration capabilities as different Home windows Enterprise units.
Microsoft Configuration Supervisor. That is the gadget administration platform for Home windows IoT Enterprise units when a cloud-based platform is just not accessible or not an possibility. It offers related administration capabilities as different Home windows Enterprise units.
Azure Arc-enabled servers. Directors can use Azure Arc-enabled servers to hook up with Home windows IoT Enterprise units. They supply the power to observe efficiency, uncover apps, gather log information and audit settings.
Find out how to enroll Home windows IoT Enterprise units into Microsoft Intune
The most typical methodology for managing Home windows IoT units is through the use of Microsoft Intune. Because the binaries are just like Home windows Enterprise, the obvious alternative for enrolling Home windows IoT units may appear to be Home windows Autopilot.
Nonetheless, on the time of publishing, Home windows Autopilot is just not but supported for Home windows IoT Enterprise. That does not imply that Autopilot cannot carry out the enrollment, however it does imply that, if there are any points associated to that SKU, then Microsoft will not repair it. So, that makes bulk enrollment by way of a provisioning bundle the obvious different.
Find out how to create an Intune provisioning bundle
The creation of a provisioning bundle is a simple course of if admins use Home windows Configuration Designer. Home windows Configuration Designer itself is offered for obtain by way of the Microsoft Retailer. After putting in Home windows Configuration Designer, merely comply with these eight steps to create a provisioning bundle that may enroll Home windows IoT Enterprise units into Microsoft Intune:
Open the Home windows Configuration Designer app, and click on Provision desktop units.
On the New venture dialog field, specify the next data, and click on End:
Title. Specify a reputation for the venture.
Venture folder. Specify a location to save lots of the venture.
Description. Specify an outline for the venture — this step is non-obligatory.
On the Arrange gadget web page, specify the next data, and click on Subsequent:
Gadget identify. Specify a naming commonplace for the units that may embrace the serial quantity — %SERIAL% — or a random set of characters — %RAND:x%.
Enter product key. Specify a product key to improve Home windows — this step is non-obligatory.
Configure units for shared use. Choose if the units might be shared units — this step is non-obligatory.
Take away preinstalled software program. Choose if the preinstalled software program might be eliminated — this step is non-obligatory.
On the Arrange community web page, specify the Wi-Fi community — although this step can be non-obligatory — and click on Subsequent.
On the Account Administration web page, specify the next data, and click on Subsequent:
Handle Group/Faculty Accounts. Choose Enroll in Microsoft Entra ID.
Refresh Microsoft Entra ID credentials. Choose Sure.
Bulk token expiry. Choose when the majority enrollment token will expire.
Get bulk token. This authenticates the admin to retrieve the majority enrollment token.
The admin can specify credentials with the Create an area administrator button if they need.
On the Add an Software web page, add the purposes that should be provisioned, and click on Subsequent.This step is non-obligatory.
On the Add a certificates web page, add the certificates that should be provisioned, and click on Subsequent.This step is non-obligatory.
On the End web page, confirm the desired configuration, and click on Create.
Find out how to apply a provisioning bundle for Intune
On new units, directors can apply the provisioning bundle throughout Out of Field Expertise (OOBE). Admins can carry out an identical activity when utilizing Home windows Autopilot preprovisioning.
Throughout OOBE, as a substitute of offering a piece or faculty account, merely press the Home windows key 5 occasions. That gives the person with the choice to put in a provisioning bundle. Be sure that the provisioning bundle is offered, and click on Set up provisioning bundle. That mechanically begins the method to arrange the PC and make sure the offered provisioning bundle so it joins Microsoft Entra and mechanically enrolls into Microsoft Intune.
Alternatively, admins can apply the provisioning bundle on present units. They’ll do that by merely double-clicking the bundle, permitting it to run and trusting the supply.
Peter van der Woude works as a mobility guide and is aware of the ins and outs of the ConfigMgr and Microsoft Intune instruments. He’s a Microsoft MVP and a Home windows professional as properly.
