MDM vs MAM with Microsoft Intune: Making the Right Choice for Your Organisation

As businesses double down on remote work, BYOD, and cloud-first strategies, controlling access to corporate data without compromising user experience has become a fine balance. Microsoft Intune offers two distinct but sometimes overlapping approaches to managing endpoint access: Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM). Both are powerful, but they serve different purposes, solve different problems, and come with trade-offs.

In this article, we explore the strengths, limitations, and strategic fit of each approach, and how to choose the right one based on your business goals, user base, and risk appetite.

What Is MDM (Mobile Device Management)?

MDM is about controlling the entire device. When you enrol a device in Intune MDM, you get comprehensive oversight including hardware inventory, security posture, policy enforcement, compliance checks, app deployment, and remote wipe capabilities.

Key Features:

• Full device enrolment (corporate or BYOD)

• Conditional Access enforcement at device level

• Configuration policies (Wi-Fi, VPN, certificates)

• Compliance reporting and threat remediation

• Remote lock, wipe, and reset capabilities

What Is MAM (Mobile Application Management)?

MAM, by contrast, is about managing the apps, not the device. It's Intune's answer to securing data on personal (unmanaged) devices by applying policies to specific corporate apps like Outlook or Teams, without enrolling the whole device.

Key Features:

• No device enrolment required

• Targeted app protection (data encryption, copy/paste control, wipe on logout)

• Selective wipe of corporate data from apps

• Integration with Conditional Access and DLP

Factor	MDM	MAM
Device Control	Full control over OS, apps, updates	No control over device, only selected apps
Privacy	Lower perceived privacy (especially on BYOD)	Higher privacy – no visibility into personal use
Security	Stronger enforcement (e.g. patch levels, AV status, Wi-Fi Profiles)	Weaker against OS-level threats, but app data is protected
Compliance	Rich reporting for compliance	Limited to app-level controls
User Experience	More intrusive (enrollment, device restrictions)	Lightweight, no enrollment, fast setup
Best Fit	Corporate-owned or high-risk devices	BYOD, contractor or partner scenarios

Current Industry Trends and User Sentiment

We’re seeing a rise in MAM-first strategies, particularly in organisations balancing risk with user privacy. Key drivers include:

• Workforce flexibility: Contractors, gig workers, and part-time staff prefer to use personal devices

• Privacy sensitivity: End users (and legal teams) push back against full device control

• Data security pressures: Compliance teams need visibility, but without overreach

Common concerns clients voice:

• “Will IT see my photos and texts?”

• “Can my employer wipe my phone if I resign?”

• “I don’t want to install corporate agents on my personal laptop”

MAM solves this. It draws a hard line between corporate data and personal privacy.

However, for regulated industries, or where device posture is critical (e.g. legal, finance, healthcare), MDM is still the gold standard.

The Hidden Cost of Over-Enforcement: Security That Stifles

One of the most common missteps we see is organisations using MDM and MAM purely as control levers, locking down everything in the name of security without truly understanding how users interact with their devices.

Devices become restricted.Apps are throttled.User workflows get blocked.Frustration builds. Productivity tanks.

This approach often stems from a risk-averse mindset that sees users as the problem, not the ally. The result? Shadow IT, workarounds, and disengaged employees who feel like security is something done to them, not for them.

We believe there’s a better way.

Secure-by-Design That Starts With the End User

At Cornerstone Cyber, we advocate for a Secure-by-Design model, built from the end-user experience outward, not the IT control panel inward.

Here’s how:

• Map real-world usage first: What devices are in play? What apps matter? How do people work when no one’s watching?

• Automate protection behind the scenes: Think Conditional Access, app-based policies, seamless enrolment, and just-in-time permissions.

• Use MAM and MDM with surgical precision: Apply controls where needed, not everywhere by default.

• Prioritise productivity as a security outcome: A secure system no one uses is less secure than a usable one everyone adopts.

The result? A secure environment people actually love to use. One that’s efficient, intuitive, and invisible until it needs to be visible.

Cornerstone Cyber’s View: The Balanced Path

Our take is simple: use the right tool for the right context.

• Start with identity and data. Understand what you’re protecting and from whom.

• Segment users by risk. High-value roles get MDM. Low-risk external collaborators get MAM.

• Leverage Conditional Access to glue it all together. Enforce the right controls at the right time, dynamically.

How Cornerstone Can Help

We help mid-market organisations untangle this complexity with:

• Tailored MDM and MAM strategy design

• Conditional Access baselining to control access without getting in users’ way

• BYOD vs corporate policy rationalisation

• End-to-end Intune rollout, including secure baselines and Zero Trust alignment

• E5 license optimisation to unlock Defender for Endpoint and Purview integration with MDM/MAM

Want clarity on what’s right for your business?

Let’s cut through the noise. Whether you need a strategic roadmap, a rapid rollout, or a second opinion on your MDM/MAM mix, we’ve got you.

Reach out today for a Microsoft 365 Device Security Health Check.

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