Did you know that Windows Autopilot is the most cost-effective method for pre-installing workstations? Windows Autopilot is Microsoft’s cloud-based Windows device installation product. Simply put, Autopilot can set up Windows devices to the point where they can be handed directly to users. In this blog, Above IT ‘consigliere’ Matias Haapaniemi discusses the technology and the benefits it enables.
Quick Deployment and Easy Maintenance
Autopilot is designed from the ground up to be a lightweight and scalable product. Device suppliers can utilize Autopilot for installations without customer-specific changes, offering significant cost savings by reducing installation time.
With Windows Autopilot, device deployment is simplified to be almost fully automated. New devices can be delivered directly to end users, set up to the Windows login screen, without any IT team interaction. The end user only needs to log in to the device, make necessary personal changes to applications, and start working. Microsoft Intune has already pushed the necessary applications, settings, and security configurations to the device during the pre-installation phase before the device is even delivered to the customer.
Windows Autopilot does not require separate maintenance, as it relies entirely on Microsoft Intune. Intune handles the necessary tasks for the devices, and Autopilot’s role is solely to connect the device to Entra ID and Intune. Therefore, there is no need to maintain desired applications separately in Autopilot, as they come from Intune in the same way as for already installed devices.
Cost-Effectiveness
Autopilot brings significant cost savings in several ways. Autopilot is a vendor-independent implementation, meaning that Autopilot pre-installed machines can be purchased from any vendor that supports Autopilot. You can shop for the cheapest devices wherever you want without being tied to one vendor due to pre-installation.
Autopilot does not require the IT team to install the device and make manual changes, as all applications and configurations can be distributed from Intune. This leaves the IT team with more time to focus on important tasks instead of simple manual installation tasks.
Autopilot is not just for new devices, but it can also be used to reinstall old devices. All the same features work for old machines as they do for new ones. And best of all, they work remotely. IT support can reinstall a user’s old device without even physically seeing the machine.
Deploying Autopilot
As a technology, implementing Autopilot features in Intune endpoint management is relatively straightforward. However, Autopilot technology should be considered more broadly as part of the endpoint deployment process, taking into account support such as device procurement channels, distributor integrations, and the functionality of cloud application distribution.
There are many pitfalls and nuances associated with Autopilot, and considering them in advance makes deploying Autopilot much smoother. Above IT is now organizing a free technical training on deploying and maintaining Windows Autopilot. Join us to hear best practices and see real live demos of how Autopilot works.
Our free technical training is led by Above IT Oy’s ‘consigliere’, partner, and deep technical Microsoft 365 expert Matias Haapaniemi, who is also the author of this blog. Matias has implemented Intune and Autopilot in dozens of different environments. In his free time, Matias can be found experimenting with Microsoft’s latest cloud features and reporting on them through the Microsoft Customer Connection Program.