Intune Manages Devices, Application Workspace Delivers Apps
Close the App Delivery Gap in Intune
Keep Intune for enrollment, compliance, and policy. Use Application Workspace for application delivery, updates, and the end-user catalog.
Intune is the right choice for device security and compliance. But when it comes to application delivery, it leaves a lot on the table due to slow syncs, limited packaging options, Autopilot gaps, and a user portal that erodes trust. Application Workspace fills that space without replacing anything you already own.
Fast, reliable installs
Intune's sync cycle works for policy. For apps, waiting 24 hours for a retry doesn't cut it. Application Workspace uses a lightweight agent to deliver software in minutes with real telemetry, not just a "pending" spinner.
- Agent-based installs complete in minutes with clear, actionable status
- Detailed logs show who requested what, when it ran, and why it failed. No remote session needed.
- Fallback delivery paths keep installs moving when network conditions interfere
Customers have cut packaging and rollout time by up to 90%.
Day one readiness, without the gaps
Autopilot caps the number of required apps during enrollment, and there's no native way to control install order or finish deployment at login. The result: New hires wait hours for the tools they need.
Application Workspace gives you triggers—login, logoff, startup, refresh—so you can keep Autopilot light and complete the app stack quickly and predictably once the desktop is accessible.
- Choose what lands during enrollment and what follows at first login
- Deliver a user's full app persona based on identity and group membership
- Cut time-to-productive from hours to under 30 minutes
One customer dropped average device readiness time from ~3 hours to under 30 minutes.
Packaging that doesn't require a script for everything
Intune's Win32 apps get the job done for straightforward deployments. But anything complex—stop a service first, prompt the user, copy a file, handle dependencies—means wrapper scripts, maintenance, and technical debt.
Application Workspace gives you a visual, task-sequence-style packaging editor. Define pre- and post-install actions, set conditions, configure rollback, all without writing a single wrapper.
- Supports MSI, Win32, MSIX, App-V, macOS packages, scripts, and SaaS URLs in one unified model
- Package once and promote across Windows, macOS, AVD, Citrix, Omnissa, and Cloud PCs
- DTAP pipeline (Dev → Test → Acceptance → Production) with approvals and full change traceability
"Takes us 1/8th the time to package an Intune app." —IT Value (partner)
Evergreen apps, without the backlog
Keeping third-party apps current in Intune means manual repackaging with every vendor release. For teams managing hundreds or thousands of apps, the backlog never shrinks.
The Application Workspace Setup Store includes 7,000+ curated Windows and macOS applications that stay automatically updated with CVE context, dependency insights, and your customizations carried forward across versions.
- Set it once; new versions auto-flow with managed detection and retirement
- CVE and dependency data surface in the update workflow, not after the fact
- Updates run on triggers—login, logoff, refresh—so they happen continuously, not in a maintenance window that rarely lands when you need it
Visibility and governance built for scale
Intune shows you basic deployment success or failure. Getting to root cause means digging through device logs. Application Workspace gives you event-level telemetry, including deployments, launches, install health, and license usage, all exportable to Sentinel, Splunk, or your SIEM of choice.
- Near real-time compliance dashboards with actionable error detail
- Flexible targeting by user, device, group, context, or script-based rules, avoiding Entra group sprawl
- Multi-zone, multi-tenant governance keeps departments and acquired entities independent without a separate platform
One App Model. Many Workspaces. Less Rework.
Application Workspace isn't a plug-in. It doesn't live inside Intune. It works alongside Intune as a dedicated application delivery platform with its own automation engine, agent, and catalog.
Intune keeps doing what it does best: device enrollment, security policy, and compliance. Application Workspace takes ownership of what happens to apps after the device is enrolled.
Together:
- Intune handles the device
- Application Workspace handles the applications
- Users get one consistent experience, regardless of whether they're on a laptop, a Cloud PC, or a Citrix session
The bottom line across real environments
UK University (Canterbury Christ Church)
Global Design Firm
Fortune 50 Bank
Healthcare (Gelre Ziekenhuizen)
Questions? We're here to help.
Find answers to Application Workspace frequently asked questions.