Part 3: How Microsoft Intune Solved a Shadow IT Nightmare

Since 2007, iuvo has partnered with thousands of businesses from different industries, solving complex IT challenges and helping organizations thrive. We’ve seen it all—and done it all.

Over the years, we’ve gathered a wealth of insights and experiences that can benefit businesses just like yours. Now, it’s time to share some of these stories. While the names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality, the challenges, solutions, and lessons are based on experience.

Shadow IT

At a growing life science company, things were moving fast—maybe too fast. The company’s hybrid workforce had expanded really quickly, which brought with it a flood of new devices and applications. Employees were using personal laptops, tablets, and even smartphones to access their work systems.

The problem was that nobody was keeping track.

Melissa, the company’s IT Director got her first taste of the chaos when the CEO, Jan, walked into her office during a high-stakes meeting. She tossed a tablet on her desk and said, “This thing won’t load the app I need for my presentation. Can you fix it now?”

As Melissa tried to troubleshoot, she realized that the app hadn’t been updated in months. Even worse was that the tablet wasn’t part of their official inventory. It was one of dozens of “shadow devices” that the employees were using, with no IT oversight.

The Realization: Chaos Was Costing Them

The real breaking point came when the CFO received a report showing escalating IT costs. “Why are we spending more on support, but productivity is dropping?” he demanded at the next leadership meeting.

Melissa explained one of the main causes of the issue, "We currently have zero control over the devices and apps that our employees are using which is inefficient, costly, and a huge security risk. For example, our employees are currently able to download whatever they want without any involvement from our IT team.”

The leadership team was shocked. Jan, the CEO, broke the silence, "We can’t afford to operate like this. How can we compete if our tools and processes are so outdated?"

The Solution: Intune and Automation to the Rescue

Melissa reached out to iuvo for help. After a thorough evaluation, iuvo proposed a solution to deploy Microsoft Intune so they could regain control of devices and applications while introducing automation to streamline management.

Below are highlighted results.

Intune allowed the IT team to set up new devices automatically, with the necessary apps and security policies pre-installed. Employees could simply open their device and start working.
Intune also monitored all company devices to make sure that they were compliant with the company’s security policies and software updates.
Important applications were automatically deployed and updated across all of the company devices so that employees always had access to the tools they needed.

Within weeks, the chaos began to subside.

The Executive Impact:

Productivity Restored, Costs Reduced

The changes implemented by iuvo made an immediate difference. We’ve highlighted the impact below.

Automation eliminated the need for manual app deployments and troubleshooting which freed up the IT team to focus on strategic initiatives.

With updated devices and apps, employees were able to work without unnecessary disruptions which boosted their productivity.

The company enjoyed significant cost savings because they had fewer support tickets and improved device compliance.

At the next leadership meeting, the CEO praised Melissa and the IT team saying, "This is exactly the kind of forward-thinking solution we needed. Not only are we are saving time and money, our employees are happier and more productive.”

The Takeaway: Modern IT for Modern Businesses

This story is a familiar one. As your business grows, managing devices and applications can become a major pain point. With tools like Intune and the right IT consulting partner, you can turn chaos into clarity.

How iuvo Can Help

At iuvo, we specialize in solving complex IT challenges like device and application management. From zero-touch onboarding to proactive compliance, we’ll design a solution that is tailored to your needs.

Ready to streamline your IT and boost productivity?

👉 Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business.