A user configures cloud security settings while device-management dashboards display update status across computers and mobile devices.
Microsoft's October Intune roundup gives admins tighter control in a few places: a security starting point for AI agent Cloud PCs, a way to let standard users change network settings without making them local admins, more say over quality-update rollouts, and a batch of Apple enrollment and inventory changes. Microsoft's Intune team posted the recap on the Tech Community blog on October 29, 2026, and summed it up this way: "October's new capabilities give admins more say over who can change what, and when updates land."

Here is what changed, who it applies to, and where the limits are.

A user configures cloud security settings while device-management dashboards display update status across computers and mobile devices. Windows 365 for Agents gets its own security baseline​

The most forward-looking item is the new baseline for AI agent workloads. According to Microsoft, Intune now includes a security baseline for Windows 365 for Agents Cloud PCs. Admins can deploy recommended device settings for Windows 11, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to set up a consistent security posture for agentic workloads, then customize only what those workloads need.

Microsoft Learn's baseline reference fills in the details:

  • Name in the console: Windows 365 for Agents Security Baseline Version 24H1
  • Where to find it: Intune admin center > Endpoint security > Security Baselines
  • What it covers: Defender Antivirus, Defender Firewall, attack surface reduction, credential protection, browser security and OS hardening
  • Scope: device settings only, with no user settings

The device-only choice is deliberate. Microsoft says the controls can apply as soon as a Cloud PC is provisioned and enrolled in Intune, without waiting for the agent user to sign in. Agent workloads can start running soon after provisioning, so having protections in place before any agent activity begins matters.

Prerequisites:

  • Intune is already set up to manage your Windows 365 for Agents Cloud PCs
  • Admins have permissions to manage security baselines
  • You've identified device groups that contain the agent Cloud PCs

Deployment steps:

  • Pick the baseline and select Create policy.
  • Give the profile a name.
  • Review the default settings in each group and change anything that doesn't fit.
  • Add scope tags if you use them.
  • Assign the profile to the device groups holding your agent Cloud PCs. You can also exclude groups.

Microsoft says the profile is pushed and applied as soon as you create it. After that, check assignment status, watch for setting conflicts, and make sure your agent workloads still run properly.

A caution: Neowin describes the baseline as ensuring agent workloads meet compliance policies. Microsoft's own documentation is more modest. It calls the baseline a recommended starting point that organizations should review and adjust. Deploying the template doesn't make a workload compliant.

Bottom line: if you're piloting AI agents on Cloud PCs, this baseline saves you from building a hardening profile from scratch. Test it against your agent workloads before you roll it out widely.

STIG audit baselines reach commercial tenants​

Neowin's report is right on this one, and Microsoft's documentation backs it up. Intune's What's New page for the week of October 26 (service release 2610) says Microsoft Intune commercial tenants can now audit Windows devices against Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) recommendations. The Intune blog adds that the STIG baseline is now available in Intune for commercial customers, extending its previous government-cloud availability.

From Microsoft's documentation:

  • Benchmark: Microsoft Windows 11 STIG SCAP Benchmark, Version 2, Release 7, dated January 5, 2026
  • Audit-only: unlike other Intune baselines, it doesn't configure or enforce anything. It checks device state and produces per-setting and per-device reports.
  • Reporting: results map to NIST XCCDF result categories for formal DISA compliance reporting
  • API access: Microsoft Graph lets you pull results programmatically and combine assessments across tenants
  • Licensing: requires Intune Advanced Analytics
  • Manual checks: STIG rules that need manual verification still have to be assessed separately

This matters most for defense contractors and other regulated organizations in commercial clouds, which previously needed separate tooling for STIG audits. Since the baseline only reports, it can't break anything. You'll still need a separate plan to fix what it finds.

Standard users can change network settings through EPM​

This one targets a common helpdesk annoyance. Microsoft says Microsoft Intune Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) now allows standard users without broad administrator access to change network settings through a dedicated experience in Company Portal.

The supported settings are IPv4, IPv6 and DNS server values on the device's network adapters. Microsoft gives a traveling user as the example: someone who needs to set a static IP or DNS server at a new site before the device can get online. Microsoft says this works even when the device is offline.

Admin setup, per Microsoft Learn:

  • Go to Endpoint security > Endpoint Privilege Management > Policies > Create Policy.
  • Set Platform to Windows and Profile to Elevation system settings policy.
  • Add a rule, choose Network settings as the system setting, and set the elevation type to User confirmed.
  • Optionally require a business justification, Windows authentication, or both. Justifications show up in reporting.
  • Assign the policy to the right groups.

End-user experience: after the next policy sync, users open Windows Company Portal and go to Help & support > System settings > Edit settings. They pick an adapter, choose Automatic (DHCP) or Manual, and enter the values.

Common problems:

  • The tile doesn't appear. The device also needs an EPM elevation settings policy that turns EPM on. The system settings policy alone does nothing.
  • Nothing has changed yet. Changes only show up after the device's next policy sync.
  • The feature isn't in your tenant. Microsoft says the network settings capability is rolling out gradually.

Autopatch: quality-update controls​

Neowin reports that Autopatch controls admins already had for driver updates now extend to Windows quality updates. Microsoft's Autopatch documentation explains what quality-update policies do:

  • They cover monthly security updates, non-security updates, out-of-band releases and supported .NET Framework updates.
  • Each update type can be approved automatically or manually.
  • Automatic approval supports a deferral of 0 to 30 days. Microsoft recommends keeping quality-update deferrals under three days.
  • An approved release can be paused. Devices that already installed it aren't rolled back, and Microsoft says pause settings can take up to eight hours to reach devices.

One detail is easy to miss. If a device is covered by both a legacy update ring and a cloud-based quality update policy, the cloud policy's approval and deferral settings win. Deadlines and grace periods from the update ring still apply. Check for overlapping policies before you switch.

Apple management updates​

There are several changes for iPhone, iPad and Mac admins:

  • Device features tour skip key: Automated Device Enrollment profiles can now hide this Setup Assistant pane on supported iPhones and iPads running Apple's OS 27. Microsoft says it joins the Liquid Glass and Accessibility Appearance skip keys Intune added in August.
  • New Settings Catalog options for iOS/iPadOS and macOS, covering app settings, Apple Intelligence, network and web content filtering, and the macOS login window. You set them up the usual way in Settings Catalog. Microsoft lists categories rather than every setting, so check that a given setting works on your OS versions.
  • DDM status data in inventory: Microsoft's documentation says Microsoft Intune now adds Apple OS 27 declarative device management status data to device inventory. That includes hardware component health, enhanced logging sessions, content cache status, enrollment type, awaiting-configuration state and Lockdown Mode. Microsoft notes that what you see depends on OS, hardware, enrollment type and DDM support.
  • macOS check-in after first sign-in: Neowin reports that the Intune client on macOS now checks in right after the user's first sign-in, keeps checking in frequently for the next couple of hours, and then drops to the usual hourly schedule while the device is online. That should get new Macs configured faster.
  • VPP apps in Company Portal: Neowin also reports that the iOS/iPadOS Company Portal now supports downloading declarative Volume Purchase Program (VPP) apps from the Apps tab.

Other changes this month​

The roundup has company. Microsoft's What's New page for the same week also says Microsoft Intune's endpoint security template for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint agent runtime protection settings is now generally available, and Microsoft Intune scoped permissions for role-based access control are now generally available. Earlier in the month, the Windows security baseline for Windows 11, version 26H2 arrived in Intune.

What admins should do​

The theme is controlled delegation. Users get narrow, logged permissions instead of local admin rights, agents get a hardened starting point, and compliance teams get STIG reports without anything being enforced. A sensible order:

  • Regulated organizations: check that you have Advanced Analytics licensing, then run the STIG audit on a pilot group.
  • Teams with mobile or field staff: pilot EPM network settings with business justification turned on so you get an audit trail.
  • Teams piloting AI agents: deploy the Windows 365 for Agents baseline in a test pool first.
  • Apple admins: update ADE profiles and try the new Settings Catalog options on OS 27 devices.

Several of these features are rolling out gradually, so your tenant may not have them yet.

Update: Additional details (November 3, 2026)​

Microsoft Learn lists several defaults in the agent Cloud PC baseline, including SMB signing, Defender SmartScreen and automatic denial of standard-user elevation requests. The STIG benchmark contains 197 rules; admins cannot select individual rules or create STIG profiles through the API.

Microsoft’s message center post MC1478956 also lists quick machine recovery updates among those covered by Autopatch quality-update policies. It scheduled the rollout to begin September 1 and reach all tenants by October 15, 2026.

 

References

  1. Here are all the new features Microsoft added to Intune in October 2026 - Neowin Neowin 2026-10-31T08:12:01+00:00
  2. Microsoft Intune October 2026 Update: Agent Cloud PC Security, STIG Audits and Autopatch Controls petri.com
  3. Microsoft Intune October 2026 Update Brings New Security and Network Controls Windows Report 2026-10-31T10:41:42+00:00
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Microsoft's October Intune update adds controls across a lot of ground. It touches Cloud PCs that run AI agents, Windows devices that must meet Defense Department configuration standards, standard users who need to change a DNS server, quality-update approvals in Windows Autopatch, and several Apple management workflows. Petri's report frames all of this as more granular control, which also means more policy to govern. That second part is worth taking seriously.
Microsoft's own summary on the Intune blog says the release gives administrators more control over device setup, elevated tasks, update timing, and compliance checks. Below is what changed, where the limits are, and what to check before you start clicking through the admin center.

A cloud-based device management dashboard connects and secures laptops, tablets, and phones across a network. Windows 365 for Agents Cloud PCs get their own baseline​

The first item is a new baseline: Intune now includes a security baseline for Windows 365 for Agents Cloud PCs. Microsoft explains why it matters: a Cloud PC that an agent may use needs security configurations in place before the first task runs.
Microsoft Learn lists the template as Windows 365 for Agents security baseline version 24H1. Some details from the documentation:
  • What it covers: Windows 11, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint configurations, applied to Cloud PCs that run agentic workloads and are managed through Intune.
  • Default settings: The defaults are fairly strict. They include blocking credential theft from the Windows local security authority subsystem, turning on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, requiring SMB signing on both client and server, refusing LM and NTLM responses, and automatically denying elevation requests from standard users.
  • Customization: Like other Intune baselines, it is a template you can adjust. You can change it to enforce only the settings and values you actually need.
  • Versioning: When a newer baseline version replaces this one, profiles built on the old version become read-only. They keep working, and you can move them to the current version.
Don't confuse this with the other baselines. Microsoft's baseline overview says the Defender for Endpoint baseline is tuned for physical devices and is not currently recommended for VMs or VDI endpoints, because some settings can disrupt remote interactive sessions. Deploying a baseline also doesn't make an agent workload compliant by itself. It gives you a reviewed starting point, not a certificate.
Section summary: Agent Cloud PCs now have a purpose-built baseline (24H1). Review the defaults, watch for conflicts with your existing baselines, and keep it separate from the Defender for Endpoint baseline built for physical devices.

STIG audits reach commercial tenants, with one documentation mismatch​

The second Windows item is the STIG audit baseline. Neowin reports that STIGs are now available in Intune for commercial customers too, allowing organizations to audit Windows device configurations against Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) recommendations. A previous WindowsForum report cited Intune's What's New page for the week of October 26 (service release 2610) as the confirmation.
Microsoft Learn describes the baseline as follows:
  • Audit-only: It reads device state and produces reports. It does not change or enforce any settings.
  • Benchmark: Microsoft Windows 11 STIG SCAP Benchmark, Version 2, Release 7, dated January 5, 2026, with 197 rules.
  • Platforms: You can assign it to Windows 10 and Windows 11. Rules that don't apply to a device's OS version show as Not applicable.
  • Licensing: The overview page says it requires Intune Advanced Analytics licensing.
  • Co-management: On co-managed devices, the Device configuration workload slider has to be set to Pilot Intune or Intune.
  • Reporting: Results appear in the admin center, can be pulled through Microsoft Graph, or exported to CSV. They map to NIST XCCDF result categories.
  • Restrictions: You can't pick individual rules, upload custom STIG profiles, or create profiles through the API. Profiles are created in the admin center only.
One inconsistency is worth knowing about. The general security-baselines overview still has a note saying the STIG baseline is available only to GCC High tenants. The dedicated STIG page lists both commercial and GCC High environments, and Microsoft's 2610 release notes support commercial availability. The overview note looks out of date, but check your own tenant before you promise auditors anything.
A few practical points:
  • First results for newly targeted devices can take 24 hours or more.
  • Devices may show Error at first. That doesn't necessarily mean they failed a check.
  • Some STIG rules need manual verification and aren't in the report at all.
  • Because the baseline pushes no configuration, Microsoft says it won't conflict with your other policies. Fixing failures is a separate job, and Microsoft recommends Settings Catalog profiles for that.
Section summary: STIG auditing gives commercial tenants a DISA-aligned report, not a fix. Budget for Advanced Analytics licensing and plan remediation and manual checks separately.

EPM lets standard users change network settings without admin rights​

This is the change most likely to reduce help desk calls. A new Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) policy type, the elevation system settings policy, lets standard users change IPv4, IPv6 and DNS server values on their network adapters. They don't get broad local administrator rights, and you don't need to deploy a separate app.
Microsoft's example is a user who moves between sites and has to set a static IP or DNS server before the device can connect. The change works even when the device is offline.
To set it up, according to Microsoft Learn:
  1. In the Intune admin center, go to Endpoint security > Endpoint Privilege Management > Policies > Create Policy.
  2. Choose Windows as the platform and Elevation system settings policy as the profile.
  3. Add a rule. Select Network settings as the system setting and User confirmed as the elevation type.
  4. Optionally require a Business justification, Windows authentication, or both. Justifications are saved for reporting. If you select neither, users only confirm that they want to make the change.
  5. Assign scope tags and groups, then create the policy.
After the device's next policy sync, users open Windows Company Portal > Help & support > System settings > Edit settings. They pick an adapter, then choose either Automatic (DHCP) or Manual addressing.
Things that commonly trip people up:
  • The device also needs an elevation settings policy that enables EPM. Without it, the new policy does nothing.
  • Microsoft says this feature is rolling out gradually, so it may not be in your tenant yet. A missing option is not necessarily a misconfiguration.
  • It covers adapter settings only. It is not a general way to elevate any Windows setting.
From a security point of view, this is the right trade. Giving someone local admin rights so they can change a DNS server is far more access than the task needs. The open question is governance: who reads those business justifications, and how often?
Section summary: Standard users can now handle IP and DNS changes themselves through Company Portal. Pilot it with validation turned on, and decide who reviews the audit trail.

Windows Autopatch: quality updates get the driver-update controls​

Petri says administrators can now manage security and non-security updates separately, schedule deployments, and pause rollouts. Microsoft's blog describes it this way: Windows Autopatch now extends the approval and scheduling process you already use for driver updates to quality updates.
Message center post MC1478956 has the details. Quality update policies can manage approvals for Windows OS quality updates, supported .NET Framework updates, and quick machine recovery updates. Administrators can choose automatic or manual approval for monthly security updates, monthly non-security preview updates, out-of-band security updates, and out-of-band non-security updates. Microsoft's guidance is that Windows Autopatch recommends automatic approval for security updates and manual approval for optional updates. The rollout was scheduled to begin September 1 and reach all tenants by October 15, 2026.
Before you change anything, check how these policies interact with your existing update rings. WindowsForum's earlier coverage, citing Microsoft's Autopatch documentation, noted that if a device is covered by both a legacy update ring and a cloud-based quality update policy, the cloud policy's approval and deferral settings win. Deadlines and grace periods from the update ring still apply. If you already approve .NET updates somewhere else, such as WSUS, Admin365 advises that you plan to decommission any duplicate approval mechanisms to avoid conflicting update state.
Two warnings:
  • Pausing a rollout stops future deployment. It does not uninstall updates that are already on devices.
  • Manual approval for security updates is how a monthly patch ends up sitting unapproved for six weeks.
Section summary: Quality updates, .NET, and quick machine recovery now share one approval-and-deferral workflow. Audit overlapping rings and avoid manual approval for security fixes.

Apple enrollment, macOS policy delivery and declarative management​

On the Apple side, Petri reports four improvements: simpler enrollment, faster macOS policy delivery after first sign-in, more Settings Catalog entries, and better declarative app deployment and device reporting. Neither Petri nor Microsoft's summary lists every new setting or the OS and enrollment-type limits for each one. Read these as direction, not as a guarantee that everything works on every Mac or iPad.
Some confirmed context:
  • Declarative Device Management (DDM): Microsoft says the Settings Catalog covers iOS/iPadOS, macOS, tvOS and visionOS, and that Apple DDM is built into it. Through DDM you can manage software updates, passcodes, Safari features, and other settings.
  • Setup Assistant (legacy) retirement: Microsoft's macOS enrollment guide says Intune ended support for legacy Setup Assistant authentication for ADE with user affinity in the October 2026 (2610) release. Existing profiles were updated automatically to Setup Assistant with modern authentication, and devices that were already enrolled are unaffected. Microsoft has not said this retirement is the "streamlined enrollment" Petri mentions. It does mean every ADE-with-user-affinity profile now uses modern authentication.
  • Prerequisites still apply: You still need an active Apple MDM push certificate. With Company Portal enrollment, a user who doesn't approve the management profile isn't enrolled and gets no policies.
Section summary: Apple administrators get more DDM-based settings and faster policy delivery. Check each setting's platform support before deploying, and confirm your ADE profiles moved to modern authentication.

Fast Lane: faster compliance reevaluation​

The last item addresses a familiar complaint: a user turns BitLocker back on and is still locked out of email for hours. Microsoft describes the fix as reevaluation that lets users quickly regain access to the resources they need once the device meets compliance requirements again. When admins change or assign a compliance policy, Intune uses Fast Lane to notify devices to sync and receive the requirements.
Admin365's notes on service release 2609 describe the device-side piece, client-driven compliance evaluation. Supported Windows devices can now detect local state changes and ask Intune to reevaluate compliance, instead of waiting for the next scheduled check-in. This matters most where Conditional Access depends on compliance status. Microsoft hasn't published a service-level target, though, so "faster" is the honest description, not "instant."

Our take​

The theme of this release is narrower permissions: audit without enforcing, delegate one task without granting admin rights, approve some updates and hold others. That is mature design. Each new option, however, is one more policy that can conflict with another policy, and that cost is easy to underestimate.
Microsoft says the added flexibility can boost productivity and reduce help desk load, but it hasn't published numbers to back that up. Before rolling any of this out widely:
  1. Check that each feature has actually reached your tenant, especially EPM network settings.
  2. Confirm licensing, particularly Advanced Analytics for STIG audits.
  3. Pilot each feature on a representative group of devices.
  4. Run conflict reports against your existing baselines and update rings.
  5. Assign someone to review EPM justifications and STIG failures.
If you'd rather see what's coming before adopting it, Microsoft says there will be no What's New post next month. Instead it points to Microsoft Ignite 2026, which is happening November 17-20 in San Francisco and online.
 
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