State of Intune Survey Finds IT Teams Struggle with Application Lifecycle Management and Hybrid Complexity

New research from Recast reveals IT professionals spend significant time on application packaging, deployment, and patching within Microsoft Configuration Manager and Intune

MINNEAPOLIS, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Recast, a leader in modern application and endpoint management, today announced the results of its State of Intune in 2026 survey, which gathered insights from 890 IT professionals worldwide. The findings paint a nuanced picture of the modern endpoint management landscape. While most respondents report positive experiences with Microsoft Intune and confidence in their ability to manage it, many continue to face operational challenges tied to manual processes, application management, and the ongoing coexistence of Intune and Configuration Manager.

Intune earns trust, but the workload still weighs heavy

One of the clearest themes from the survey is that IT teams generally like Intune, even when the work surrounding it remains demanding. Eighty-one percent of respondents describe themselves as somewhat or very satisfied with Intune, while 83% say they are somewhat or very confident troubleshooting issues within the platform.

At the same time, day-to-day operations remain heavily reactive. Most respondents say their workload is either evenly split between proactive and reactive work or mostly reactive, and 65% spend between six and 15 hours each week on manual tasks such as packaging, patching, troubleshooting, and reporting. The results suggest that platform satisfaction does not necessarily translate into reduced workloads or simpler operations.

Application management and third-party patching are top pressure points

The survey also highlights application management as a persistent source of friction.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents identified application packaging and deployment as their biggest Intune challenge, with third-party patching following closely at 33%. Nearly half of organizations, 49%, still package Win32 applications manually, despite growing interest in automation and modernization. Together, these findings reveal that many teams continue to invest substantial time and effort into routine administrative work that can be difficult to scale across increasingly complex endpoint environments. Coupled with a concerning rise in AI-driven application vulnerabilities, these responses also indicate a need for IT and security teams to take a close look at their approach to patching.

The "messy middle" is becoming the long-term reality

Another major finding centers on what Recast calls the "messy middle" of endpoint management. Hybrid environments remain the dominant model for 62% of respondents, with the largest group reporting that they still manage most workloads through ConfigMgr. Fully Intune-based environments remain a minority at 15%. Looking ahead, many organizations expect hybrid management to continue for years. Among respondents currently using ConfigMgr alone or in a hybrid environment, more than half say they either have no plans to retire the platform or no timeline in place to do so. The data indicates that for many organizations, modern management doesn't mean abandoning ConfigMgr altogether. It's about finding effective ways to operate across both platforms.

"One of the most interesting things about these results is that satisfaction and struggle exist side by side," said Will Teevan, CEO, Recast. "IT teams clearly see value in Intune and have built strong expertise around it. At the same time, they're spending a significant amount of time every week dealing with application packaging, patching, and the realities of hybrid environments. The question facing many organizations isn't whether Intune works. It's how to reduce the operational burden so teams can spend more time moving forward and less time managing complexity."

Recast conducted the State of Intune in 2026 survey in April 2026. It includes responses from 890 IT professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. The research explored Intune migration progress, endpoint management practices, application management, automation maturity, operational challenges, and future priorities for organizations managing modern endpoint environments. This report was created in partnership with industry leaders including System Center Dudes, Daniel Engberg, Harm Veenstra, Microsoft MVP, and Jannik Reinhard, Microsoft MVP.

About Recast
Recast makes the modern workplace work. The company empowers IT teams to manage and secure modern enterprises by extending tools like Microsoft Intune and Configuration Manager with capabilities for application delivery, automation, remediation, optimization, and end-to-end visibility. Trusted across all continents and managing 60M+ endpoints, Recast helps keep endpoints secure, applications current, and employees productive. Visit: www.recastsoftware.com.

SOURCE Recast Software