Big Picture vs Microsoft Intune
Intune supports deploying and managing Win32 apps on Windows devices (install, configure, protect, monitor). Win32 app deployment uses the Intune Management Extension (IME).
What Intune is optimized for
Section titled “What Intune is optimized for”- IT / SecOps teams in enterprises
- IT-controlled deployment to managed endpoints
- Policy enforcement, device compliance, app assignment
Where Intune is strong
Section titled “Where Intune is strong”- IT-controlled deployment to managed endpoints
- Policy enforcement, device compliance, app assignment
- Enterprise endpoint management at scale
Where Intune is not a replacement
Section titled “Where Intune is not a replacement”- It does not give software vendors a multi-tenant release governance plane for their customers
- It’s not a vendor’s update decision service for “all customers, all channels”
- It focuses on IT-managed deployments within an organization, not vendor-to-customer release governance
How Big Picture differs
Section titled “How Big Picture differs”- Big Picture provides a vendor control plane for release governance across all customers
- Big Picture offers explicit tenant policy + action decisions (AUTO_INSTALL, NOTIFY, MANAGED_BY_IT)
- Big Picture combines release governance + update policy + licensing in one coherent control plane
- Big Picture is designed around regulated downstream customers who require self-hosted artifact mirrors with signed metadata
How Big Picture integrates with Intune
Section titled “How Big Picture integrates with Intune”- Provides MANAGED_BY_IT mode so Big Picture’s client does not self-update
- Provides artifacts and metadata for IT to deploy via Intune (Win32 app packaging)
- Mirrors can be hosted inside regulated networks while Intune handles rollout scheduling
- Big Picture can export packages/metadata for Intune workflows (when vendor customers choose MANAGED_BY_IT)
Suggested positioning
Section titled “Suggested positioning”“Intune manages deployments inside an enterprise. Big Picture manages vendor release governance and licensing across all customers, and integrates cleanly with IT-managed deployment when required.”