Intune vs SCCM — Which Should You Use?
Intune and SCCM (now MECM) are both Microsoft endpoint management tools, but they serve different needs. This guide helps you decide which is right for your organisation — or whether you need both.
The Short Answer
For most UK businesses with 50–500 seats and a modern cloud-first approach: use Intune.
For organisations with complex on-premises Windows environments, legacy application deployment, or air-gapped networks: keep SCCM (or use co-management).
When Intune Wins
Intune is the right choice when your organisation is cloud-first, remote-first, or running Microsoft 365.
- No servers to maintain — everything runs in Microsoft's cloud
- Windows Autopilot gives zero-touch device provisioning without imaging
- Works natively with Entra ID, Defender, and the rest of M365
- Manages iOS, Android, and macOS alongside Windows
- Included in M365 Business Premium — no extra server licensing
When SCCM Wins
SCCM (MECM) remains superior in specific scenarios that Intune cannot fully replace.
- Complex task sequences for OS deployment and imaging
- Large software packages distributed via local distribution points (no WAN bandwidth consumption)
- Air-gapped or intermittent-connectivity environments
- Granular inventory and hardware scanning capabilities
- On-premises third-party patch management (via SCUP)
The Best of Both: Co-Management
Microsoft's recommended path for SCCM customers is co-management — running both SCCM and Intune simultaneously, with workloads gradually shifted to Intune.
This lets you migrate at your own pace. You might move compliance policies and Windows Update to Intune first, while keeping software deployment in SCCM until you're ready.
- Enable co-management in SCCM under Administration → Cloud Services → Co-management
- Set the MDM Authority to Intune
- Start with Compliance Policies workload in Intune — lowest risk
- Move Windows Update policies to Intune next
- Gradually move other workloads as confidence grows