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A practical guide to setting up secure, managed laptops for new employees using Microsoft Autopilot and Intune
Setting up a laptop for a new employee involves more than installing Microsoft 365 and handing over a password.
The device needs to be connected to your organisation, secured, configured with the applications the employee needs and set up so that company data can be accessed and protected appropriately.
Traditionally, this could mean IT spending hours manually installing applications, creating user accounts, configuring security settings and checking that nothing had been missed.
For businesses using Microsoft 365, Microsoft Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune can automate much of this process. Instead of manually configuring every laptop, a new employee can receive a device, connect it to the internet and sign in using their business account. The organisation's approved applications, settings and security policies can then be applied automatically.
For small and medium-sized businesses, particularly those without a large internal IT team, this can make employee onboarding faster, more consistent and easier to manage as the business grows.
What Needs Setting Up on a New Staff Laptop?
Before looking at Autopilot and Intune, it helps to understand what actually needs to happen when a new employee receives a business laptop.
A typical setup may include:
- Creating the employee's Microsoft 365 account.
- Connecting the laptop to the organisation's Microsoft Entra ID environment.
- Enrolling the device into central management.
- Applying security and compliance policies.
- Enabling disk encryption and endpoint protection.
- Configuring Windows updates.
- Installing Microsoft 365 applications.
- Configuring Microsoft Teams and OneDrive.
- Installing browsers and other standard business applications.
- Installing any specialist line-of-business applications.
- Providing remote monitoring and support tools where required.
Doing this manually for one laptop may be manageable. But as a business recruits more employees, replaces ageing devices or supports remote workers, repeating the same process manually becomes increasingly time-consuming and creates more opportunities for inconsistent configurations.
Why Autopilot and Intune Make New Device Setup Easier
Microsoft Autopilot and Microsoft Intune perform different but complementary roles.
Windows Autopilot helps control the initial setup and provisioning experience when a new Windows device is first used.
Microsoft Intune provides ongoing cloud-based device management, allowing your organisation or IT provider to apply configurations, applications, security requirements and compliance policies to managed devices.
Used together, they can turn laptop deployment into a repeatable process rather than a separate manual IT project every time somebody joins the business.
What Do You Need Before Using Autopilot and Intune?
Autopilot and Intune need to be configured as part of the wider Microsoft environment rather than simply switched on when a laptop arrives.
Before deploying devices, your IT setup needs to be planned appropriately. This can include:
- Suitable Microsoft 365 and Intune licensing.
- A properly configured Microsoft Entra ID environment.
- A supported business edition of Windows.
- Microsoft Intune configured for device management.
- Security, compliance and configuration policies.
- The applications employees need to perform their jobs.
- Devices registered for Windows Autopilot deployment.
Getting these foundations right is important because Autopilot is ultimately automating the configuration you have already defined. A consistent deployment therefore starts with deciding how your organisation's devices should be configured and secured.
Step 1: Register Devices with Windows Autopilot
Before handing a laptop to a member of staff, the device can be registered with Windows Autopilot.
Depending on how your devices are purchased and managed, this may be handled by your hardware supplier or IT provider, or the required device information can be collected and registered within your Microsoft environment.
Once the device has been registered, an Autopilot deployment profile can be assigned to control the setup experience.
For example, the deployment can be configured to:
- Remove unnecessary setup screens.
- Connect the device to the organisation through Microsoft Entra ID.
- Automatically enrol the device into Microsoft Intune.
- Apply a consistent setup process across company laptops.
Rather than relying on somebody to remember every configuration step, the required process can be defined centrally and repeated whenever another device is introduced.
Step 2: Build Your Microsoft Intune Configuration
Once a device is enrolled, Microsoft Intune can begin applying the organisation's configuration, security requirements and applications.
There are several important parts to consider.
Security and Compliance Policies
Security and compliance policies can define the standards that company devices are expected to meet.
Depending on your organisation's requirements, these can include:
- Requiring disk encryption such as BitLocker.
- Ensuring antivirus and endpoint protection are active.
- Ensuring Windows Firewall is enabled and appropriately configured.
- Requiring supported and up-to-date operating systems.
- Applying password and sign-in requirements.
- Monitoring device health and compliance.
- Restricting features that could introduce unnecessary security risks.
Once policies have been created, they can be applied consistently to managed devices rather than configuring security separately on every laptop.
For more detail, see our guide to device compliance, cyber security and Microsoft Intune management.
Configuration Profiles
Configuration profiles allow your IT team or provider to control how Windows and other services behave on managed devices.
For example, they can be used to:
- Configure OneDrive.
- Redirect appropriate user folders into OneDrive.
- Apply security and sign-in settings.
- Configure browser settings.
- Apply standard Windows settings.
- Control selected features across company devices.
This means new laptops can inherit the organisation's standard configuration rather than starting as standalone devices with different settings.
Application Deployment
Intune can also be used to deploy applications to managed laptops.
Depending on the business, these might include:
- Microsoft 365 applications.
- Microsoft Teams.
- Microsoft OneDrive.
- Approved web browsers.
- PDF software.
- Remote monitoring and support tools.
- Security applications.
- Specialist line-of-business software.
Applications can be assigned automatically where every employee requires them, while other applications can be made available to appropriate users when needed.
This helps create a standard software environment while still allowing different employees or departments to have the tools appropriate to their roles.
Step 3: Give the Laptop to the New Employee
Once the environment and device have been prepared, the experience for the employee can become much simpler.
Typically, the user can:
- Turn on the laptop.
- Connect it to the internet.
- Sign in using their organisation-provided account.
From there, the Autopilot and Intune configuration can take over.
The device can be connected to the organisation, enrolled into management, configured with the required security policies and provided with the applications and settings assigned to that user or device.
The aim is to give the employee a consistent, business-ready device without requiring them to understand the technical configuration taking place behind the scenes.
Can a Laptop Be Sent Directly to a Remote Employee?
One of the major advantages of an Autopilot-based deployment is that appropriately prepared devices can support a much more flexible onboarding process.
Instead of every new laptop having to be delivered to the office or IT provider first for manual configuration, a registered device can potentially be shipped directly to the employee.
The employee connects the laptop to the internet and signs in, allowing the organisation's predefined configuration to be applied.
This can be particularly useful for businesses with remote or hybrid employees, organisations recruiting across multiple locations, or growing businesses that regularly need to provide equipment to new starters.
Step 4: Monitor and Support Devices Through Intune
The benefits of Intune continue after the initial laptop setup.
Once devices are enrolled, they can continue to be centrally managed throughout their working life.
This can include:
- Monitoring device compliance.
- Checking update status.
- Identifying devices that no longer meet security requirements.
- Deploying new applications.
- Changing configurations centrally.
- Taking appropriate remote actions when devices are lost, replaced or reassigned.
This changes laptop management from a one-off setup exercise into an ongoing process.
If security requirements change or a new application needs to be introduced, IT does not necessarily need to visit every employee and manually change each laptop individually.
What Happens When an Employee Leaves?
Good device management also helps when somebody leaves the business.
Offboarding should consider both the employee's Microsoft 365 account and any company devices they have been using.
Access can be removed from the organisation's systems, while managed devices can be reassigned, reset or prepared for another employee as appropriate.
Having users, devices and policies centrally managed makes this process easier to control than relying on individually configured laptops and local user accounts.
What This Means for Your Business
Using Microsoft Autopilot and Intune can provide several practical benefits:
- Faster onboarding – new employees can get up and running more quickly.
- More consistent devices – laptops can follow the same configuration standards.
- Stronger security – security and compliance requirements can be applied centrally.
- Less manual IT work – repetitive setup tasks can be automated.
- Better support for remote working – appropriately prepared laptops can be deployed without every device needing to visit an office first.
- Easier ongoing management – changes, applications and policies can be managed centrally.
- Greater scalability – adding employees does not necessarily mean repeating an entire manual setup process each time.
Whether you're recruiting one new employee or refreshing a larger group of company laptops, having a repeatable deployment process can make the technology much easier to manage.
See This in Practice
Telanova recently helped a new North London business build its Microsoft 365 environment from the ground up, starting with a domain name and two laptops.
The laptops were upgraded to Windows Pro, joined to Microsoft Entra ID and enrolled into Microsoft Intune, allowing them to become part of a centrally configured and managed business environment.
Windows Autopilot was also incorporated into the approach for future growth. As the company recruits, new laptops can be shipped directly to employees and automatically configured with the organisation's security policies, remote management tools and required line-of-business applications when an authorised employee signs in.
Read the Microsoft 365 setup for a new business case study.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to set up a laptop for a new employee?
A new employee's laptop typically needs a business user account, appropriate Windows configuration, security and update policies, Microsoft 365 applications, access to company data and any applications required for their role. The device should also be configured so that it can be securely managed and supported throughout its working life.
What is Windows Autopilot?
Windows Autopilot is a Microsoft technology designed to simplify the deployment and setup of Windows devices. It allows an organisation to define how registered devices should be configured when an employee first starts using them, reducing the amount of manual setup required.
What is the difference between Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune?
Windows Autopilot primarily helps with the initial provisioning and setup of a Windows device. Microsoft Intune provides ongoing cloud-based device management, including configuration policies, application deployment, security requirements and compliance monitoring. The two technologies are often used together.
Can a new laptop be sent directly to an employee working from home?
Yes. With an appropriately configured Autopilot environment and a registered device, a laptop can potentially be shipped directly to an employee. They can connect it to the internet and sign in with their organisation-provided account, allowing the predefined setup and management policies to be applied.
Do business laptops need Windows Pro for Autopilot and Intune?
The Windows edition and Microsoft licensing required depend on how the organisation intends to manage and deploy its devices. Business environments commonly use Windows Pro or an appropriate enterprise edition because these provide capabilities needed for business identity, management and security scenarios. Your IT provider should check the required Windows and Microsoft licences before devices are purchased or deployed.
Can existing company laptops be managed with Intune?
Potentially, yes. Existing compatible devices can be enrolled into Microsoft Intune so that appropriate management, configuration and security policies can be applied. The exact process depends on the device, Windows edition, existing configuration and how the organisation's Microsoft environment has been set up.
Need Help Setting Up New Staff Laptops?
If your business is recruiting new employees, replacing existing laptops or looking for a more consistent way to manage company devices, Telanova can help.
We can help configure Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Intune and Windows Autopilot, establish appropriate device and security policies, deploy business applications and provide ongoing support for your users and devices.
