| 4 min read |

Application control has always sounded simple: approved software runs. Everything else doesn’t.

In reality? Rolling that out across a live enterprise without breaking workflows has been the hard part.

Now, within Microsoft Intune, App Control for Business is generally available with granular targeting capabilities that finally make Managed Installer enterprise-ready. Instead of flipping the switch across your entire tenant, Intune now allows you to assign App Control policies to specific groups and device segments.

This provides a structural shift in how you design, test, and scale application control across Windows.

What’s Actually New?

Previously, Managed Installer settings were tenant-wide. That meant broad enforcement and limited flexibility. If you wanted to phase things in, you had to get creative, and sometimes uncomfortable.

Now, App Control policies can be targeted to:

  • Specific user groups

  • Specific device groups

  • Business units

  • Pilot rings

  • Higher-risk segments

Application control moves from a “big bang” rollout to something precise and intentional.

What Can You Control Now That You Couldn’t Before?

The biggest change is segmentation.

You’re no longer forced into an all-or-nothing deployment. You can now:

  • Pilot policies with IT or security teams first

  • Apply stricter controls to high-risk roles like finance or privileged admins

  • Use lighter-touch policies for frontline or task-based devices

  • Transition from audit mode to enforcement gradually

That flexibility dramatically reduces risk. And in security, lowering deployment risk often determines whether control gets adopted at all.

Can Policies Be Applied to Specific Users, Groups, or Devices?

Yes, and this is where it aligns with how modern endpoint management already works.

Through integration with tools like Microsoft Intune, you can target:

  • Entra ID groups

  • Dynamic device groups

  • Department-based segments

  • Security-tiered device collections

How Does This Integrate with Intune and Defender?

App Control works best as part of a broader security stack. It complements:

Here’s how the pieces fit:

  • Defender identifies risky behaviors and threats

  • App Control prevents unapproved code from running

  • Intune handles scoped rollout and enforcement

That combination gets you much closer to a true Zero Trust execution model at the endpoint.

Will This Reduce Custom Scripts and Workarounds?

In many environments, yes.

Previously, we saw businesses rely on:

  • Complex scripting

  • Stacked and overlapping policies

  • Manual exception handling

  • Enforcement segmentation through workarounds

Granular targeting simplifies the architecture. Instead of engineering around limitations, you can design clean, scoped policies from the start.

What About Performance and User Experience?

Application control only succeeds if users barely notice it.

With targeted rollout, you can:

  • Test impact before broad enforcement

  • Monitor telemetry

  • Catch false positives early

  • Protect critical workflows

Security and productivity don’t have to be in tension. When you can deploy in phases, you reduce the likelihood of widespread disruption.

What’s the Migration Path from AppLocker or WDAC?

Many businesses are still running:

  • Legacy AppLocker configurations

  • Standalone WDAC deployments

The new model allows you to modernize in a controlled way:

  • 1

    Start in audit mode

  • 2

    Target a pilot group

  • 3

    Refine allowlists and Managed Installer behavior

  • 4

    Expand in phases

  • 5

    Transition to enforcement across the estate

With the right sequencing, modernization becomes manageable.

Why This Matters Strategically

Application control remains one of the most effective protections against ransomware and unauthorized software execution.

The challenge has never been its value. It’s been safe, scalable deployment.

Granular targeting changes that equation.

You can now:

  • Align policy strength to risk level

  • Roll out intentionally instead of reactively

  • Reduce organizational friction

  • Build a sustainable endpoint security model

For businesses serious about Zero Trust at the device layer, this is a foundational capability that makes strong security achievable.

Amplifying efficiency and security

The Intune Suite Guide

Learn about features and strategies such as:

  • Endpoint Privilege Management: elevate user access privileges as needed

  • Enterprise App Management: discovery, packaging, deployment and patching of Windows apps

  • Cloud PKI: publish and distribute certificates from Intune without complex PKI

  • Tunnel for MAM: secure access to LOB apps from unmanaged mobile devices

  • Advanced Analytics: predict which machines, applications and users will have issues

  • Remote Help: unlock the seamless interface between the service desk agent and end-user

Andrew Reade

Andrew Reade

Andrew is our Digital Marketing Manager and oversees web-based marketing strategies and content creation for the organization. As a marketing veteran, Andrew has worked with organizations of all sizes in a diverse group of industries, from Risk Management to Transportation. Joining the organization in 2021, Andrew is based in Mobile Mentor’s Nashville, TN office.