MSPs are overwhelmed with alerts, logs, and endpoint data. The challenge is not visibility. The challenge is knowing which signals matter and acting before issues become incidents. This is where Microsoft 365 Lighthouse, Intune, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint work best when used together.
This stack gives MSPs real telemetry, clear context, and policy backed control across every client tenant.
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse: Unified Multitenant Visibility
Lighthouse provides the high level view across all customer environments. It consolidates:
- Security alerts
- Endpoint compliance
- Identity risks
- Baseline drift
- Standardized security recommendations
Lighthouse shows what needs attention across tenants and gives MSPs a single source of truth.
Intune: Policy, Compliance, and Configuration Control
Once Lighthouse identifies a problem, Intune reveals the cause. Intune manages:
- Compliance rules
- Security baselines
- Configuration profiles
- Patch posture
- Application and update deployment
This is where MSPs catch configuration drift, missing patches, and failing policies. Intune turns signals into actions that keep devices healthy and secure.
Defender for Endpoint: Deep Security Telemetry
Defender provides the threat intelligence layer that completes the stack. It surfaces:
- Behavioral detections
- Vulnerability and software risk
- Device risk scoring
- Attack Surface Reduction events
- Indicators of attack activity
This gives MSPs early warning of real threats and allows quick investigation and remediation.
How the Stack Works Together
When combined, the workflow becomes simple and proactive:
- Lighthouse spots issues across tenants.
- Intune pinpoints the misconfigurations or compliance failures.
- Defender shows whether real threats are present.
- Automated or guided remediation resolves the issue before clients feel the impact.
This closes the loop from detection to correction.
Why This Outperforms Traditional RMM Tools
Classic RMM tools focus on scripts and point in time checks. They lack identity context, cloud visibility, and deep threat analytics. The Microsoft telemetry stack provides:
- Real time data
- Policy driven enforcement
- Reliable security signals
- Cloud native automation
- Reduced alert noise
MSPs gain a cleaner, more accurate view of risk and compliance across every endpoint and tenant.
The Takeaway for Modern MSPs
Lighthouse, Intune, and Defender form the most complete telemetry engine available to MSPs. Together they allow teams to standardize security, reduce attack surface, and shift from reactive support to proactive service.
This is not just a toolset. It is a modern operating model for MSPs that want predictable outcomes and stronger security for every client they serve.