Intune Patch Management: The Complete Guide for 2026

If you are in a hurry – here is a TL;DR & Summary of main key points

• Microsoft Intune is a cloud-native endpoint management platform for automating OS and application patching
• Intune uses Windows Update for Business (WUfB) and Windows Autopatch for centralized cloud-based update management
• Update Rings allow phased deployments across pilot, early adopter, production, and critical system groups
• Intune supports Feature Updates, Quality Updates, Driver Updates, and Hotpatch security updates
• Organizations use Intune to replace or complement WSUS and SCCM in hybrid and remote environments
• Third-party patching can be handled through manual Win32 packaging, Intune Enterprise App Management, or integrations with Action1, Patch My PC, and Ivanti
• Intune improves compliance through centralized dashboards, reporting, deadlines, and deployment monitoring
• Action1 extends Intune with autonomous third-party patching, vulnerability remediation, remote actions, and cross-platform support
• Best practices include phased deployments, emergency patching workflows, compliance monitoring, and automated alerting
• Intune is ideal for organizations standardizing cloud-native endpoint management across remote and hybrid workforces.

What is Intune Patch Management?

Intune Patch Management is a cloud-based ecosystem designed to secure endpoints with consistent access policies, secure configurations, and continuous patching of OS and third-party applications. It’s not just a toggle switch but a carefully orchestrated multi-layered set of policies, automation mechanisms, and real-time reporting that provides a strong security posture for endpoints.

The Shift from On-Premise to Cloud-Native Patching

Traditionally, software patching relied on administrators’ manual efforts to download, approve, and schedule deployments, and then spend more time troubleshooting failures. This reactive approach is not only costly in terms of resource engagement but also delays closing the exposure window when vulnerabilities can be actively exploited. Endpoint security is not a one-off exercise in today’s cyberthreat landscape; attacks are continuous, sophisticated, and new vulnerabilities or zero-day bugs are discovered every day. Endpoint security is an ongoing operation, similar to backup management or identity governance.

The core strength of Intune management is to automate patching to harden the attack surface by applying patches to endpoints on time and to reduce IT burden by automating approvals, scheduling, and enforcement workflows. Older patching tools, such as WSUS and SCCM, were typically built for on-premises environments where devices were regularly connected to the office network and internal servers. In today’s hybrid work environments, most endpoints remain disconnected from the corporate network for weeks or months, potentially missing critical updates in an on-premises patch management scenario. Organizations require cloud-native solutions to secure devices over the internet, anytime, from anywhere.

Intune uses Windows Update for Business (WUfB) to solve the remote device patching problem. It coordinates with Microsoft Content Delivery Network (CDN) to allow endpoints to pull updates directly from the cloud and, per administrators’ defined rules, force updates on deadlines within rollout groups. Because updates are delivered directly from the cloud, endpoints don’t need to connect to the corporate network via VPN. They can install security updates silently in the background, enhancing the experience and productivity.

What are The Key Components of an Intune Patching Strategy?

Unlike traditional patching tools, Intune does not act as an update repository; it serves as a management layer that defines what should be installed, when, how, and on which devices. Intune updates policies to communicate with the Windows Autopatch service for automatic patch deployment based on deployment rings, readiness rules, and operational preferences. Once an update is approved by policy, devices communicate directly with the Windows Update service to download the package from Microsoft and install it within the configured timeframe. The updates workflow follows a sequence in which IT assigns a policy to a device group, i.e., a collection of endpoints. The policy defines the approval parameters that Windows Autopatch applies, and the device then downloads approved content directly from Windows Update and installs it according to the configured deadline and maintenance window.

Intune serves as a Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform where all types of endpoints, i.e., laptops, desktops, tablets, and mobile devices, can be managed regardless of their physical location. Centralized control not only improves consistency but also reduces the need for multiple disconnected tools to manage different endpoint types. Intune patching strategy covers two fundamentally different categories of Windows updates, each with distinct risk profiles, deployment options, and approval process:

Quality Updates: Monthly cumulative packages that bundle security fixes, bug fixes, and reliability improvements, which are critical for maintaining the security posture of the endpoint.

Feature Updates: Major Operating system version updates that introduce new capabilities, change system behavior, and require more extensive compatibility testing before general rollout to every endpoint in organizations.

Intune supports both automatic and manual approval workflows for patch deployment. Automatic approvals are useful for standard security patches, where speed and consistency are priorities to reduce delays. In contrast, manual approvals are better for sensitive systems and for application updates that require testing and review to ensure they do not create operational problems. Adopting Intune for endpoint patch management enables organizations to move from a reactive to a proactive patching approach.  Intune enables scheduling and automated patch deployments with compliance tracking and consistent deployment across thousands of endpoints. By leveraging Intune’s features such as Update Rings, Autopatch readiness, and compliance policies, organizations can ensure that relevant updates get deployed on specific endpoints within a defined timeframe, without requiring human intervention for every patch cycle.

Windows Update Management Overview

Windows Update Management’s core responsibility is to keep devices up to date through timely patching to protect them from security vulnerabilities, ransomware, and malware. A centralized update process helps IT teams manage endpoints, align them with the organization’s security policies, and maintain compliance with regulatory frameworks such as ISO 27001 and NIST. Intune provides a centralized dashboard for managing updates globally, without the need for complex on-premises server infrastructure such as WSUS. IT teams can create deployment schedules, delay updates, and assign policies to specific device groups for controlled rollout and reduce a sudden flood of tickets due to patching issues. For example, deploying a new Windows major version to a pilot group of 50 users first, then, after testing and their feedback, automatically rolling out the update to the remaining 5,000 users.

Intune manages when, how, and to whom the updates deploy entirely from the cloud; it does not store updates in a data repository. Administrators can create update policies such as active hours, restart grace periods, and deadlines to enforce updates, and devices download these updates directly from Microsoft servers. Intune sends these configuration details to Windows Autopatch, an automated service that manages the timing and approval of updates. Administrators delegate deployment decisions to Autopatch while maintaining full visibility into deployment status from the Intune and Autopatch dashboards. For example, if Autopatch detects a 15 percent installation failure rate in the pilot ring (i.e., the first group of devices), it automatically pauses the rollout before it reaches other, wider rings.

Different policy types to control feature updates, quality updates, device restart behavior, deployment deadlines, and compliance settings, and together these policies create a structured update framework. Autopatch automates these policies by sequencing deployments across update rings, tracking update progress, handling rollbacks, and reducing manual effort, so administrators can focus on strategic tasks. At the endpoint level, the Windows Update client checks WUFB, applies Intune policy, downloads the update package, and deploys according to the enforced update deadline policy.

Windows Update Management Capabilities

Windows Update Client Policy

The Windows Update Client Policy uses the Windows Update Policy configuration service provider (CSP) on endpoints to define how devices check, download, and install updates. This mechanism enables Intune’s centralized cloud-based management to apply settings at the endpoint level. Admins can configure device settings, such as the “check for updates” button, so that only the managed update is applied. Intune provides an interface to manage CSP settings through Update Rings and the setting catalog. So instead of manually editing system policies, administrators can configure update behavior using templates and profiles.

Administrators can apply specific update behaviors such as pausing updates, setting active hours, restarting notifications, updating scan frequency, or controlling update sources at the individual device or group level. The Windows update client policy serves as the base layer on which Update Rings, Feature Updates, and Quality Updates operate, making it the authoritative layer from which all downstream policy types build.

Update Ring Policy

Update Rings allow organizations to assign update settings to specific device groups. Different departments or device types can be grouped to receive different update experiences. A single Update Ring configuration can govern hundreds or thousands of devices simultaneously, making policy management scalable across large environments.

Update Rings define deferral periods, i.e., how many days after release before updates are offered to devices, installation deadlines that can force installation on endpoints after a grace period, restart behavior that can be scheduled or user-initiated, and a user setting such as notification suppression during business hours. These control settings balance security requirements with business continuity, resulting in fewer unexpected interruptions for users. For example, a pilot ring is configured with a 0-day deferral for immediate testing, while the general production ring is set with a 7-day deferral to ensure stability. The security patch deadline can be set to 3 days after it is offered for a ring, but users can choose to restart within 23 hours.

By assigning different rings to different device groups, organizations can stage updates and roll them out in phases, e.g., first the Pilot group, then the Early adopters, and finally the general production group release. Update rings also allow administrators to differentiate device groups by risk profile, device role, or technical readiness. For example, critical servers, executive laptops, frontline kiosks, employee laptops, and test machines may need different update timelines, and update rings allow each category to receive configuration according to their requirements.

Feature Update Policy

Feature update policy can keep certain devices on a selected OS version until the organization is ready to move them forward, e.g., Windows 11 24H2. It prevents accidental OS upgrades and enables IT teams to validate certain application compatibility for specific OS versions built before wide-scale major or minor version updates.

Using a single approved OS version across a device group not only simplifies OS support and licensing but also makes it easier for IT teams to maintain a consistent security baseline and conduct application testing. When the IT team is ready to advance a device group to the next version, they simply update the target version in policy, and all the devices in scope receive the upgrade on the next check-in.

Quality Update Policy

Quality updates are more frequent than Feature updates and are critical for protecting endpoints against known vulnerabilities. Quality updates can follow both standard deployment, which respects deferral periods defined in Update Rings, and expedited deployment, which bypasses deferrals entirely and pushes critical security patches immediately.

Microsoft Autopatch can automate testing, approval, and deployment of Quality updates, reducing manual patch management overhead. Policies can be applied globally across the tenant or only to selected device groups, providing flexibility for pilot group testing or department-specific update rollouts. For example, security teams’ devices can receive regular Quality updates first, then the rest of the company, or specific security updates can be immediately applied to all endpoints.

Hot patch Security Updates

Hot patching technique installs security-critical patches by deploying patches directly into memory without requiring a system restart. This approach not only reduces remediation time but also helps in keeping the system productive. It is especially useful for always-on devices. Devices running supported operating system editions, hot patches are the standard delivery mechanism for monthly security updates.

Users stay productive while monthly security fixes are applied silently in the background. Hot patching is enabled by default at the Azure Tenant level, but can be disabled tenant-wide or for specific device groups through Quality update policies. For example, a financial services firm can enable Hot patch functionality for all analyst workstations, and devices in scope can be silently patched with monthly security updates without disrupting productivity or any services running on these workstations.

Driver Update Policy

Centralized drivers’ delivery controls how and when hardware drivers are updated, rather than being upgraded alongside Windows’ autonomous update behavior. IT teams ensure driver compatibility and test for issues after patches are deployed.

Only validated drivers can be approved to reduce the risk of unstable release and prevent a large number of support tickets. For example, if IT teams did not test an available BIOS update or Wi-Fi driver for Lenovo-branded laptops in the Intune portal, and a faulty release is deployed to 2,000 endpoints. There will be hundreds of tickets, if not 2000, for an immediate fix, as laptops won’t start or connect to the internet, which can disrupt multiple business operations.

Core Capability: Automating Windows Updates with Intune

How to Configure ‘Update Rings’ for Phased Rollouts?

The ring model serves as the foundation for automating monthly Quality Updates and enables organizations to define specific rules for when and how Windows updates are installed across different device groups.

Deploying updates to all devices simultaneously increases the risk of widespread disruption if a patch introduces issues, whereas a phased rollout limits the impact by only impacting a subset of devices during testing or the pilot phase. If a faulty patch raises issues in Ring 1, which contains 20 devices, the IT team can pause updates to subsequent rings that might contain thousands of devices.

Recommended Ring structure:

Ring1 – IT Pilot: It contains devices for the IT staff and test devices, where patches can be tested and validated as soon as they are released. It can act as the first checkpoint to catch critical issues before the patch is deployed to other rings.

Ring 2 – Early Adopters: It includes devices for technical users who can detect and tolerate minor issues and provide feedback quickly. This ring has a short deferral period of 3 to 5 days, and experienced users can help identify edge-case issues in the patch that might have been missed during pilot ring testing.

Ring 3 – Broad Deployment: This ring covers the majority of users and receives updates only after validation in earlier rings. It typically has a deferral period of 7 to 14 days. This delay ensures that any bugs discovered by the global community or internal testers are addressed, or the patch is paused before reaching the general staff.

Ring 4 – Critical/Legacy systems: Highly sensitive systems or specialized hardware, such as those running legacy manufacturing software or mission-critical servers, require the highest level of caution. These devices are placed in the final ring to ensure they receive only updates that have been thoroughly validated across the rest of the endpoints in the organization.

Testing patches on a small scale allows IT teams to evaluate the risk that an update will not break any applications, drivers, or workflows before it is released to the general staff. Administrators actively monitor ring 1 and ring 2 devices’ results, such as error rates, crash reports, and any helpdesk tickets, and based on analytics, decide to pause patch deployment if anomalies are detected.  Using a unified ring strategy across operating systems and application updates ensures consistency in patch management and simplifies administrative work. For example, browser updates can follow the same phased rollout as Windows updates to ensure compatibility across endpoints.

Managing ‘Feature Update’ Policies for OS Upgrades

Feature update policies allow administrators to define which major and minor versions of the operating system devices should run. This approach ensures that operating system upgrades are intentional rather than automatic or unpredictable. Organizations can keep devices on a known, stable OS version while testing newer releases against business applications, security tools, and hardware in controlled environments to avoid unforeseen issues at scale.

Without policy control, different devices may automatically upgrade, potentially causing crashes or incompatibility issues in critical applications. For example, a legacy ERP system may continue to function because devices are prevented from automatically upgrading to a newer version that lacks support for the required components.

Once testing is complete, IT administrators can update the policy for the new operating system version and trigger a managed rollout to ensure all devices are upgraded in a predictable and consistent manner. Maintaining OS version consistency across all or a group of managed endpoints not just simplifies security posture and application support, but also ensures that all users have access to the same features and a uniform user experience.

Monitoring and Reporting on Windows Update Compliance

Intune provides centralized compliance dashboards that show the status of updates across all devices. Intune provides comprehensive reporting that aggregates data from every managed endpoint to show the real-time health of the updates. Dashboards clearly distinguish between devices that have successfully installed updates and those that encountered any issues. Identifying non-compliant devices is important because missing updates can create vulnerabilities that external or internal threat actors can exploit. Intune dashboards can help flag these devices for immediate actions, e.g., a laptop that has not been updated for the last 30 days can be flagged for investigation.

Updated compliance reports provide evidence that consistent patching policies are enforced and function effectively over time, as required by almost every regulatory framework and cybersecurity audit. Patch management with Intune is a continuous process, as new devices are enrolled every day, devices change roles, and update statuses must be continuously monitored and adjusted in response to emerging threats. Regular reviews, e.g., weekly or bi-weekly, help ensure that updates are distributed in accordance with each ring policy and that issues are detected and resolved on time. Configuring automated alerts for high failure rates notifies the respective teams when update failures exceed defined thresholds and require a quick response, such as pausing the update rollout or triggering a rollback workflow.

Windows Autopatch

Service Defaults

Windows Autopatch acts as a centralized approval engine that controls which updates, i.e., Feature, Quality, or Driver, are allowed to reach endpoints. It reduces administrators’ manual intervention in approving patches by automatically validating and releasing safe updates in phases. When a device is added to an Autopatch-managed Entra ID group, it is automatically enrolled in the service for the specific content type covered by the policies.

Updates that are not explicitly approved in Autopatch policy are blocked from deployment to endpoints, requiring no third-party tools or custom scripts. For example, a problematic Wi-Fi card driver update is blocked by Autopatch, which does not get installed on any enterprise devices, preventing network connectivity failures. However, if a device is not included in any Autopatch policy, it will automatically download and install all the latest Windows updates based on default settings. The scope of Autopatch creates a clear distinction between the managed and unmanaged update experiences.

Autopatch enables administrators to manage all three primary Windows updates categories, i.e., Feature updates, Quality updates, and Driver updates, within a single, unified framework across the Intune tenant. Each update category can be controlled by its own independent policy, deployment rings, and approval workflow. Auto patching can be enabled to apply security updates without requiring a system reboot. Administrators can fully automate patch deployment and manually intervene when required. For example, administrators can configure the Autopatch service to automatically approve all Intel Display drivers but require manual approval for more critical BIOS/Firmware updates.

Beyond just pushing patches, Autopatch provides advanced governance tools, such as “update Readiness” and “Quality Update Journey” reports, within Intune. These reports provide visibility into update blockers, hardware compatibility, and the exact status of every device in the patch lifecycle.

Microsoft Intune Patch Management for Third-Party Patching

Risk-Based. Cloud-Native.

In modern organizations, thousands of vulnerabilities can exist across thousands of endpoints, making it practically impossible to remediate every vulnerability immediately. A risk-based approach is the only way to ensure that security teams focus on the most critical threat first and later address low-priority issues, prioritizing vulnerabilities by impact and severity. Integration with threat intelligence feeds can enable systems to gain contextual intelligence about a vulnerability, such as whether it is actively being exploited or linked to a ransomware campaign or an advanced persistent threat (APT). This capability enables organizations to understand real-world risk rather than relying on theoretical severity and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly.

While the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) provides insight about how severe a vulnerability could be, Vulnerability Risk Rating (VRR) tells you how dangerous it actually is by incorporating real-time threat intelligence and data about real-world exploitation events. A high-CVSS vulnerability with no active exploit might have a lower VRR, while a moderate-severity vulnerability actively used in ransomware attacks would be elevated to a critical VRR.  VRR combines automated intelligence feeds with expert validation from security researchers and penetration testers, providing more accurate impact analysis and reducing false positives in remediation prioritization.

Remediation efforts should be more focused on how attackers behave in the real world, rather than on theoretical lab scenarios and techniques. For example, a zero-day vulnerability being actively exploited is patched immediately, even if its CVSS score is still under review.

Extend Intune with Third-Party Patch Publishing

Third-party updates are converted into Intune-ready formats such as “. intunewin” and can be deployed directly from the Intune console. Third-party patching tools can be integrated with Microsoft Intune to publish updates for non-Microsoft applications as well and provide a centralized patch management platform.

Administrators can use the same deployment rings and policies for both Microsoft and third-party application updates, such as Chrome, Adobe Reader, Zoom, or 7-Zip

Cloud-native patch publishing capability removes the need for local infrastructure like WSUS or SCCM, and the entire patching process can be deployed from the cloud. This approach is perfect for supporting a remote and hybrid workforce that works from anywhere in the world and never enters office premises. Extending Intune’s patch deployment capabilities to third-party application updates not only reduces the need for separate infrastructure incurring additional costs, but also improves consistent coverage of updates across the entire application stack, whether from Microsoft or non-Microsoft vendors.

Proactively Protect Against Active Exploits

The system tracks which specific vulnerabilities are actively being exploited and provides a heads-up before attackers target an organization’s endpoints. This way, organizations can act proactively to patch known vulnerabilities before any security breach.

Instead of waiting for a monthly patching cycle, IT teams can take immediate actions based on a high-risk score identified from the intelligence feed and manually trigger patch deployments. For example, the IT team can deploy an emergency patch for a VPN client vulnerability the same day threat intel confirms it’s being actively exploited, preventing a potential breach. The platform continuously refreshes its threat intelligence data so that risk scores and prioritization reflect what is going on in the real world, not what was known at the last manual database update. This capability ensures that no high-risk vulnerability remains undetected simply because it emerged between manual intelligence review cycles. For example, a vulnerability rated Medium that emerged on Monday morning is flagged critical by Wednesday afternoon when threat intel confirms its active exploitation, and the system automatically triggers alerts for the security team to prioritize its remediation.

Avoid Failed Patch Deployments

Before any patch package is made available in the updates catalog, it is tested against different application versions and Windows OS configurations to confirm it installs correctly and does not break application functionality or create conflicts with common system configurations.

Third-party updates management solutions can be integrated with Intune to aggregate feedback from IT communities and user-reported issues to identify problematic patches early. For example, a Firefox browser update can be delayed because social sentiment data shows 40% increase in reports that the browser fails to launch after the patch. Anonymized data from millions of endpoints provides a statistical success rate for every third-party patch before organizations can decide to deploy it in their environments. By avoiding failed rollouts, organizations not only maintain productivity but also save IT teams time on unnecessary support tickets, troubleshooting, and rollback efforts.

Streamline Patch Management Processes

Automation rules can be set to allow patch deployment based on predefined criteria, such as severity or vendor, ensuring that common applications, such as browsers, are always up to date without manual intervention. Every action from patch identification, publishing, deployment, to its successful installation or failure is captured and accessible from a single interface, which is critical for security audits and troubleshooting issues, such as why specific device types are not getting updated. All policy rules that control how patches are discovered, validated, approved, and published are managed from one centralized console, and administrators can modify approval workflows, adjust auto-publishing thresholds, configure exception lists, and update target device groups, all from a single interface. Automating the packaging, testing, and deployment of third-party apps saves hundreds of hours of manual work each year, allowing IT staff to focus on strategic projects rather than repetitive maintenance tasks.

 

The Big Challenge: Patching Third-Party Applications

Method 1: Manual Packaging and Deployment (Win32 Apps)

Administrators manually download the latest version of an application from respective vendors and use the Microsoft Win32 content prep tool to upload the “.intunewin” file to the Intune portal. This process involved defining install/uninstall commands, detection rules, and assignment groups, resulting in a multi-step workflow with no automation.

This method gives the IT team full control over application versions, deployment schedules, and target device groups. It is particularly useful when strict testing and validation are required for compliance requirements and precise rollout control. For example, administrators can intentionally hold devices on Zoom 5.16 and push version 5.17 after internal user acceptance testing is complete.

However, as every step and action is manual, IT teams struggle with an always reactive approach regarding new releases of various third-party tools. As the number of applications grows, the workload increases significantly, making it difficult to maintain consistency and to allocate resources efficiently. Every minor security patch or version release requires repackaging, redefining detection logic, and redeploying patches. These repetitive tasks are not only administrative overhead but also introduce the possibility of human error, potentially resulting in bulk, faulty updates across hundreds or thousands of endpoints. This method is only viable for initial software rollouts or for managing a small environment. Still, it is not a practical solution for the continuous patching of many third-party applications in a large environment.

Method 2: Intune Enterprise Application Management

Microsoft provides a built-in catalog of commonly used third-party applications directly within the Intune console, reducing the need for manual packaging. These apps are pre-configured and maintained by Microsoft for easier deployment and do not need the Win32 workflow to be manually reconfigured every time a new release is available. This method allows administrators to configure automatic updates, eliminating repetitive packaging tasks and enabling them to focus on monitoring the update lifecycle. For example, “Notepad++” updates automatically deploy on every endpoint, and admins just have to monitor the update status and investigate failures.

The app catalog feature is currently not included in all base Microsoft 365 subscriptions and requires additional licensing. Also, it does not support all types of third-party software updates, and organizations must weigh the cost against operational efficiency gains before choosing this solution. A premium add-on requiring an additional license for 2.00 USD per user per month will be required on top of the existing Microsoft 365 plan. Organizations must evaluate how many third-party software applications they can manage with this feature; they should also evaluate third-party patching solutions that work with Intune.

Method 3: Integrating Specialized Third-Party Tools

Platforms like Action1, Ivanti Neurons patch for Intune, and Patch My PC are designed specifically to extend Intune’s capabilities for third-party application patching.

These tools connect to Intune and automatically create application packages in the Intune tenant as ready-to-deploy applications. IT teams can deploy these updates using standard Intune workflows to achieve a higher patch deployment success rate than the manual process. These platforms maintain catalogs of hundreds to thousands of applications that are tested and validated by expert patch content engineers who ensure that installation parameters, detection logic, and version accuracy are correctly packaged.

When a vendor releases a new application version or update, third-party patch management tools automatically repack the update, test and validate the package, and publish it to customers’ Intune environments. Updates are then deployed via Intune’s deployment workflows, shifting third-party patching from a reactive, manual task to a proactive, continuous background process. For example, during the holiday season, a critical vulnerability patch for the Zoom app is released. This patch will be deployed within hours or released via the automated pipeline from the third-party patching tool to Intune, and Intune’s deployment workflow will then push it to thousands of endpoints. The estimated cost of these Third-party patch management tools generally follows a per-device subscription and varies from 2 to 4 USD per device annually. This approach not only minimizes manual work and provides end-to-end automation but also provides a scalable framework for handling both initial deployments and ongoing security maintenance of third-party applications. It transforms patch management from a defensive, manual process into a proactive and automated compliance program.

How Action1 Intune Patch Management Solution Can Help?

Action1 works alongside Microsoft Intune to close critical gaps in endpoint management, especially around third-party software patching and cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It allows IT teams to remediate vulnerabilities in real time and manage server OS and third-party application updates, where Intune’s native capabilities lack comprehensive coverage. While Intune focuses on device management and policy enforcement, Action1 strengthens security posture by adding real-time patching, vulnerability assessments, and remote remediation capabilities. Together, they create a complete solution that not only improves security posture but also reduces manual workload for IT teams.

Action1 stands out for its automated patching for both OSes and third-party apps, real-time vulnerability detection, and a cloud-native architecture that can be deployed quickly. It also offers a free tier for the first 200 endpoints, making it highly cost-effective as compared to Intune’s per-user subscription and add-on costs. Action1 not only offers autonomous OS and third-party patching but also enables peer-to-peer patch distribution, remote scripting, and on-demand actions such as restarts, app uninstallation, and diagnostics. Its live dashboards show patch compliance status, software inventory, and alerts, and support remote troubleshooting.

Action 1 integrates with Intune by deploying its agent as a line-of-business app directly through the Intune admin center to managed devices. Once installed, endpoints appear in the Action1 console, where administrators can manage them. For Installation on Windows Endpoints, download the Action1 MSI package, configure the app deployment from All apps via line-of-business app type, and follow these steps, or it can be deployed as a Win32 app as well. For macOS deployment, the Action1 agent is similarly deployed by using Intune by packaging and assigning it to target groups.

Best Practices for a Bulletproof Intune Patching Strategy

Implement Phased Deployments with Deployment Rings

• Updates are rolled out in phases to prevent problematic patches from causing issues on all or a large number of endpoints. If a patch contains a bug or configuration issues, the impact can be contained to a small percentage of devices, and deployment can be paused.
• Maintain similar deployment schedules for both operating systems and third-party apps to ensure uniform governance, predictability, and easier troubleshooting across all update types.
• The IT pilot ring with a limited set of IT staff-managed devices helps in testing updates to catch straightforward issues such as installation failures or UI crashing issues.
• Early adopters ring can help identify edge case issues, such as developers and power users can evaluate and report software compatibility issues, and can help IT to contain the risk of faulty updates within a limited number of devices.
• Broad deployment ring devices receive updates only after they are tested and validated in test environments and power users’ devices.
• Critical/Legacy ring devices receive the updates in the final phase so that legacy software or critical business applications can have as little as possible impact of any issue related to the latest updates.
• Structured approach of phased rollout not only allows IT teams to maintain operational continuity more effectively but also ensures minimum downtime and limited impact in case of any security incident. For example, a misconfigured Office 365 update that causes the Outlook application to crash is caught at the Pilot ring or early adopter stage, and can prevent a massive outage across the whole organization.

Enforce Compliance with Deadlines and Grace Periods

• For critical security updates, strict deadlines ensure that security vulnerabilities are patched as soon as possible so that the exposure window can be as limited as possible.
• Intune policies enable administrators to define how many days after an update is published, it must be installed, regardless of user action. For example, a security patch is automatically deployed if it was configured with a 5-day deadline and the user did not update the device within 5 days.
• Intune patch deadline settings are mapped with formal security policies to ensure that compliance can demonstrate to auditors with evidence that vulnerabilities are being closed within the required timeline.
• Grace periods give employees a window to save their work, apply updates, and restart devices at their convenience, so that productivity is not affected, and security posture is also maintained consistently.
• Pop-up notifications regarding required system restart inform users regarding pending restart, so that users can save their work and restart the device without any impact on productivity.
• The override feature of Intune to bypass deferral periods for normal update policy serves as an emergency mechanism to deploy critical security patches the moment the patch is released. Devices immediately start downloading updates when internet connectivity is available and install patches that significantly reduce the vulnerability window during active exploitation campaigns.

Master Reporting and Alerting

• Patching activities require continuous monitoring so that failed deployments, devices with pending updates, and consistent coverage of deployment metrics can provide operational oversight.
• Intune dashboards provide comprehensive reporting on patch success and failure rates so that vulnerabilities do not remain undetected
• Automated alerts inform IT teams when to pause a rollout immediately if a specific patch is failing across a specific device model or in a specific region. For example, an email alert can inform the IT team that the failure rate of a new Dell laptop BIOS update exceeds 5%, prompting an investigation to pause the update.
• Reports provide insight into preventing small patching issues from turning into large-scale production outages and allow IT teams to find the root cause of the issue rather than troubleshooting individual device errors.
• Continuous monitoring and regular review of patching data enables administrators to refine deployment policies, deadlines, and restart policies to not only reduce failure rates but also define a strategy to keep patch management effective as the number of devices increases with the organization’s operations growth.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Intune Patch Management

Is Microsoft Intune a Complete Replacement for WSUS or SCCM?

For modern organizations with remote and hybrid work models, Intune can fully replace WSUS and handle core SCCM endpoint management functions. It simplifies update delivery without relying on on-premises infrastructure and enables IT teams to manage remote and office-based devices through a single unified admin console. However, in some scenarios, SCCM still provides granular control, such as legacy systems, server management, complex software dependencies, and local intranet software distribution, where internet access is strictly controlled. A combination of both Intune and third-party solutions, such as Action1 and Ivanti, can be used to manage both endpoints and servers across hybrid environments.  Many organizations also use Intune, Azure Arc patch management, and SCCM to split responsibilities for endpoints, cloud server VMs, and on-premises servers and endpoints. This approach to managing endpoints with different tools and gradually moving toward Intune allows organizations to transition from on-premises legacy infrastructure to cloud infrastructure and a remote work model.

How Does Intune Handle Hardware Drivers and Firmware Updates?

Intune manages driver and firmware updates through the Windows Update for Business (WUFB) deployment service. It acts as an underlying engine that communicates with Microsoft’s update infrastructure to deploy applicable drivers and firmware on enrolled devices. IT teams can configure driver update policies to review, approve, and schedule driver updates from major manufacturers such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Approved updates can be scheduled to target only specific device groups rather than automatically installing all available updates on every endpoint. Centralized control ensures that only certified updates are deployed, and automation eliminates the need for manual device-by-device scanning, downloading, and installing compatible drivers.

What Are the Licensing Requirements for Intune Patch Management?

Core patch management capabilities are included in most Microsoft 365 Business plans, such as Business Premium, E3, E5, and EMS E3/E5. However, these licenses cover the basic features for enrolling devices, setting compliance policies, and managing standard Windows update rings. Advanced automation features, such as automating Feature update, Quality update, and Driver update, require Windows Autopatch licensing. Organizations with an Enterprise Agreement (EA) should confirm Autopatch eligibility with Microsoft or resellers, as it may require activation, and their organization teams can start configuring policies with Autopatch. Organizations can also use standalone Intune licenses for user bases that do not use bundled Microsoft suites. Enterprise Application Management (EAM) for managing third-party applications is another premium feature that costs around 2 USD per user per month. Also, for EAM, third-party patch management platforms such as Action1 can be used to provide more flexible application update management and multi-OS support, in combination with Microsoft Intune.

How Can I Handle Patching for macOS or Linux Devices with Intune?

Microsoft Intune integrates with Apple’s software update mechanism to enforce patching policies and ensure endpoints download and install updates in accordance with configuration rules. Intune’s patch management for Linux systems is still evolving and provides basic configuration management to keep endpoints compliant with security policies and enforce conditional access through custom scripting.  Organizations with their specific Linux Distro should evaluate the requirements carefully and can add third-party platforms to extend Intune’s capabilities in this regard.

The goal of a patch management platform should be to provide a mechanism that consistently applies security policies across all endpoint types. For example, all critical vulnerabilities must be remediated within 7 days, and this policy should equally apply to Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints.

What’s the Best Way to Handle Emergency, Zero-Day Vulnerability Patches?

The Expedite feature in Intune allows administrators to immediately deploy a critical update outside normal schedules. This is essential for remediation of active threat campaigns, especially for zero-day vulnerabilities, which are usually only discovered after a successful attack, and for root-cause analysis by cybersecurity experts. Expedite features override the standard deferral policies of Update rings and deploy critical security patches immediately. Devices ignore the 5, 10, or 14-day grace period and immediately start downloading and installing a critical patch as soon as it’s published. This approach significantly reduces the exposure window and lowers the risk of exploitation during an active cyberthreat campaign. Combining Intune with a threat intelligence platform feed helps make informed decisions about which vulnerabilities require urgent action.

How Much Does It Cost to Add Third-Party Patching Tools to Intune?

Third-party patch management platforms offer subscription tiers based on per-endpoint-per-month pricing, typically costing 2-4 USD per endpoint. Pricing models vary depending on the features and administrative control as well. For example, Action 1 offers 200 endpoints.
management with no feature limits, and after that, you can get custom quotes with pricing per endpoint, billed monthly or annually, for two models: professional and enterprise. Automated patching solutions provide a significant return on investment; they not only reduce patching time by 60% but also reduce the cost of resources required for manual work, such as IT technicians, and on-prem infrastructure costs from initial deployment through maintenance and upgrades. Third-party solution costs are added to the Microsoft Intune subscription already purchased and are beneficial for organizations that are already heavily invested in Intune to manage a large fleet of Windows devices and want to expand granular control over third-party application updates and manage multiple OS updates from a single, centralized admin center.