Managing device health and configuration is no small task, especially in modern enterprise environments. Microsoft Intune’s Device Inventory feature is about to streamline this process. Let me explain why this is essential for IT admins and how to leverage its capabilities efficiently.
Why Device Inventory Matters
Let’s face it—keeping track of device health is crucial. We’ve all been there—troubleshooting a problem after it’s too late. With Intune’s Device Inventory, you get proactive insights into device status so you can address potential issues before our users see them.
Imagine identifying patterns in hardware issues across devices and having the data to justify the need for an upgrade. That’s where this new feature shines.
How device inventory works
Microsoft’s approach with the Device Inventory feature relies on two key components: the Inventory Agent and the Resource Explorer. Once configured, the agent quietly collects each enrolled device’s TPM, CPU, and disk health data.
The cool part? The initial harvest happens randomly to avoid conflicts, and the data gets securely uploaded to Intune. You can dive deep into this data with the Resource Explorer to see detailed insights.
Configuring Device Inventory
Setting it up is a breeze. After deploying the policy via Intune, the Inventory Agent starts harvesting data. Don’t forget—you’ll need to configure the Properties Catalog to include the entities you want. Without proper configuration, no data will appear!
Create Properties catalog
We will create a properties catalog to include which entities we want to see. Therefore, we need to go to the Intune portal to add a new profile under Windows | Configuration, click on + Create and choose platform Windows 10 and later and as Profile, type the new Properties Catalog and click on Create
We now have to give it a name and a description and click Next.
We are now coming to the part where we can pick our properties/entities, pick the properties you wish to see from your devices, and make more configurations to create data for different devices.
Click on Select and click Next to add scope tags and assignments, then click on Create. Now, the magic is going to happen.
After creating the properties catalog
After creating the properties catalog, the magic will happen for the device inventory. An agent will be installed on the device C:\Program Files\Microsoft Device Inventory Agent.
An Inventory Service will be running.
Now, the following steps begin:
- The agent will check the harvester database for the configured policies/resources when harvesting the data.
- The Device Inventory Agent harvests this data from the device on a regular base.
- The Device Inventory agent collects the properties using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and stores the output.
- The harvested data will be efficiently sent to the Service once each 24 hours.
Key Benefits for IT Admins
Device Inventory’s flexibility and insights provide a significant advantage. No more waiting for third-party tools or extensive manual reporting—everything happens within the Microsoft ecosystem. The agent runs quietly, the data syncs efficiently, and reporting becomes more intuitive.
Device inventory resource explorer
When creating the properties catalog, we want to see data from a specific device. Therefore, we need to go to Windows | Windows devices, click on the device name we want to target, and click on Resource Explorer
Here. We are going to see all the properties/entities available
When clicking on one of the properties, we know the information from our device, such as Windows Qfe. This item is also exportable to a CSV ( a per properties export)
Conclusion
Device Inventory is not just another reporting tool but a game-changer for IT teams looking to optimize device management. Integrating with Intune offers a seamless experience that lets you focus on what matters most—keeping your organization running smoothly. This tool provides valuable insights and data to significantly enhance device management capabilities.
Now that the feature is rolling out, I’d recommend exploring its full potential in your Intune environment. Start by configuring a few test devices and see how this tool can transform your IT operations.