Microsoft begins rollout of Windows Intune 2.0 cloud IT management suite

Microsoft on Monday rolled out the stable release of Windows Intune 2.0, the latest version of the company's new browser-based remote PC management suite that has been in beta for the last three months.

This version of Windows Intune enhances the UI from the first version and adds a handful of user-requested features, most notably the improved ability to deploy software to remote PCs from a cloud storage account.

"Our vision for Windows Intune is big – we want to take the best of the capabilities delivered through our on-premises solutions (like System Center Configuration Manager with Forefront Endpoint Protection, System Center Essentials, Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, and Windows Enterprise management and security features) and enable them through the cloud. Eventually, Windows Intune will deliver more management capabilities than the on-premises solutions but with less cost and higher productivity," Eric Main said today in the Windows Team blog.

For current Intune subscribers, Microsoft says it will begin updating accounts with the new features "in the following weeks," and a complete rollout in all 40 countries will be ready by the end of the year. No action is required on the subscriber's part. Two weeks prior to the update, admins will be warned on the Windows Intune administration console, which will give an exact date and time when the subscription will be updated.

Beta testing shuts down on November 17, so testers should remove the client software and restore their computers to a pre-beta state.