Introduction

In today’s digital world, many businesses are now deploying devices more than ever before.  Some of these could be the traditional hard-wired ones, wireless ones, and even those that are virtualized.  But, manually deploying all of them can be a very time consuming and labor-intensive task, especially if you have a lot of them.  This is where Microsoft Autopilot comes into play, and is further reviewed in this article.

What Is Microsoft Autopilot?

Microsoft defines it as follows:

“Windows Autopilot is a collection of technologies used to set up and pre-configure new devices, getting them ready for productive use. Windows Autopilot can be used to deploy Windows PCs or HoloLens 2 devices.”

(SOURCE:  1).

How It Works

Imagine this kind of scenario:  Suppose you have outsourced all of your Cloud based Infrastructure to a CSP (Cloud Services Provider), such as KAMIND IT.  You are in need of other resources, which will largely depend upon the requirements that you have.  Once the order has been placed, you should be getting these resources shipped back to you in quick order.  Now the question arises, “How do I now deploy all of these resources with what I already have?”  This is where Microsoft Autopilot will prove to be very useful.

To deploy your new resources and to get them “synched” up with your other digital and physical assets, a three-step process is typically followed, which is:

  • Configuration:

This is where you actually customize the settings of the resources that you have just received so that it fits into your environment.  Also, if you need to set up any policies or rules that are associated with it, you also do it in this first step.  For example, you will most likely need to set up a policy that governs who can access the resources, and the rights, privileges, and permissions that go along with them.

  • Installation:

Once you have completed the last step, then you can now install any other apps that you need to onto the resources, that are available in your M365 subscription.

  • Upgrading:

In this last phase, you can now also change the Windows environment that you are currently running in order to fully optimize the resources that you have just acquired.  For example, if you are using Windows Pro, you can then upgrade to Windows Enterprise fairly quickly.

This process is illustrated in the diagram below:

 

(SOURCE:  1).

The Management Of Microsoft Autopilot

From this point, you can then manage Autopilot with the other tools that you currently have in your M365 subscription.  These are:

  • Microsoft Intune.
  • Windows Update for Business.
  • Microsoft Configuration Manager.
  • Any other Third-Party Tools that are compatible with an M365 subscription.

Also, the requirements to run Autopilot are quite easy.  You either need to have Windows 10 or Windows 11 already installed onto the device in which you want to manage Autopilot.  But the key here is that they have to support versions. For more information on how to configure Autopilot for these kinds of environments, click on the link below:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/autopilot/windows-autopilot

The Benefits Of Microsoft Autopilot

There are numerous advantages to using Autopilot for your business, and some of the major ones include:

  • The TCO:

This is an acronym that stands for the “Total Cost of Ownership”.  Using Autopilot actually greatly decreases these costs, because you do not have to outright own the infrastructure for device deployment.  It all comes with your M365 subscription.

  • Uniformity:

Referring back to our previous example, if all of your new resources that have been shipped to you by your CSP are the same, then you can deploy all of them in a very quick fashion.  In other words, you do not have to deploy them one by one, thus saving your IT Security team a considerable amount of time.

  • The “Zero Touch”:

This simply means that with the resources you have just received from your CSP are straight out of the box.  There is no manual intervention that is needed, except for the configuration of the settings and policies, as previously reviewed.

  • Consistency:

By using Autopilot, you can be assured that all of your devices (whether physical, virtual, or even both) will all be configured in the same way according to the permutations (also known as a “profile”) that you have previously established.

  • Maintenance:

As you and your employees continue to use the devices down the road, Autopilot makes it even easier for the maintenance of them, which can all be done with a few clicks of the mouse.  This will also further your “TCO” in the long term.

The Use Of Autopilot Profiles

Although it is not directly required, it is highly recommended that you create and make use of “Autopilot Profiles” that can be used in conjunction with Autopilot.  Not only will this help to streamline the deployment process, but there are other benefits that can also be gained, such as:

  • You will need less configuration to do at the very beginning.
  • The management of the devices (whether physical or virtual) because a lot easier for your IT Security team.
  • Profiles are easy to change when your needs or requirements dictate this, especially when you “scale up or scale down” your Cloud based resources in Azure.
  • The same sets of settings and policies can be deployed simultaneously across all of the profiles.
  • Any needed software upgrades or patches can be deployed to all devices (whether physical or virtual) through the “Autopilot Profile” all at once, versus one at a time.

More information about this can be seen at the link below:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/autopilot/profiles

Conclusions

For more documentation and resources on Autopilot, click on the link below:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/autopilot/

If you have any further questions, please contact us.

Sources