Enable Or Disable Device Discovery To Identify Same Network Devices Using Intune Policy HTMD Blog

Hey, let’s learn how to Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy. In Microsoft Intune, you can see many policies. In the post, we discussed about Allow Device Discovery policy under the Experience settings. Device discovery means finding and identifying all the devices, like computers, phones, and tablets, in a network.

In Microsoft Intune, devices are discovered when they are enrolled using methods like Azure AD join or manual setup. Once a device is added, Intune collects details such as the device name, type, and status. This helps IT manage updates, apply settings, and keep the network secure.

Using Intune policies, you can allow or block device discovery. For example, you can block unknown or personal devices from connecting or being discovered by setting device restriction policies. This improves control and keeps the network safe.

This blog post provides complete guidance on managing the Device Discovery Policy in Microsoft Intune. It is a step-by-step instruction on how to enable or disable this policy, monitor its status, and understand client-side verification.

What are the Benefits of Enabling Devices Discovery Policy using Intune?

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy

Enabling the Device Discovery policy in Intune helps organizations detect unmanaged or unknown devices within their network. This allows IT administrators to maintain better visibility and control over their device environment, improving overall security and compliance.

1. Improved Visibility
2. Enhanced Security
3. Compliance Enforcement
4. Better Inventory Management
5. Streamlined Onboarding

Allow or Block Device Discovery Policy

The Allow or Block Device Discovery policy can be easily configured on Windows devices using either Microsoft Intune or by setting a custom OMA-URI (Open Mobile Alliance Uniform Resource Identifier). This blog post will detail both methods.

Configuration Service Provider (CSP)

The Policy Configuration Service Provider (CSP) is a feature used by organisations to manage and control settings on Windows 10 and 11 devices. It explains that the Description framework properties and values can be used.

Description framework properties: The following table shows the description framework properties of the Device Discovery policy.

Property Name	Property Value
Format	Int
Access Type	Add, Delete, Get, Replace
Default Value	1

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Table.1

Assigned Values

0 – Disabled
1 – Enabled

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy- Fig.1 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.1

Steps to Device Discovery Policy using Intune

To start deploying a policy in Intune, sign in to the Microsoft Intune Admin Center. Then go to Devices> Configuration under the Manage devices> Policies> Create> New policy.

Platform – Windows 10 and later
Profile type – Setting catalog

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.2 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.2

Basic Step for Device Discovery Policy

In the Basic tag, input the Name and Description for the profile. I recommend giving a name (Allow Device Discovery) and a Description (To Allow Device Discovery). The Name is the mandatory field and you have fill this.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.3 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.3

Configure Device Discovery Policy

When you click Next, you will get the Configuration Settings section. In the Configuration Settings section, under Settings Catalog, click Add Settings. Type “Experience” in the search box and click Search, then select Allow Device Discovery from the search results.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.4 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.4

After closing the Settings Picker, the policy we chose will now be visible in the Configuration Settings. By default, the Allow Device Discovery is Allow.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.5 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.5

Block Device Discovery Policy

If we block or don’t configure this policy, you can block the Device Discovery policy by toggling the switch. After reviewing or adding more settings, you can click the Next button to proceed.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.6 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.6

Scope Tag

The next section is the Scope tag which is not a mandatory step. It helps to assign this policy to a defined group of users or devices. To skip this section is preferable.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.7 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.7

Assignments

We need to add groups in this section. The assignments in Microsoft Intune determine which users or devices a policy applies to. The selected group will show on the assignment page. Then, click Next to proceed.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.8 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.8

Final Stage for Device Discovery Policy

This part gives us a summary of the details are we have given for the policy creation. Because Review + Create is the final step of a policy deployment. We can go through it and confirm that all the information given was correct. Just click Create, and then we can see the notification(Policy ” Allow Device Discovery” created successfully).

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy- Fig.9 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.9

Monitoring Status

To check the monitoring status, go to Devices > Configuration Policies. In the Configuration policies section, search for the policy we created, which is “Allow Device Discovery“. We can find the result as 1 Succeeded. Use manual sync in the Company Portal to speed up the process.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.10 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.10

Client Side Verification

To confirm if a policy has been applied, use the Event Viewer on the client device. Go to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Device Management > Enterprise Diagnostic Provider > Admin. From the list of policies, use the Filter Current Log option and search for Intune event 813.

MDM PolicyManaqer: Set policy int, Policy: AllowDeviceDiscovery)
EnrollmentID requestinq merqe: (EB427D85-802F-46D9-A3EZ-D56414587F63), Current User.
(Device), Int: (0x0), Enrollment Type: (0x6), Scope: (0x0).Area: (Experience),

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.11 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.11

How to Remove Assigned Group from the Allow Device Discovery Policy

Removing an assigned group from a policy is sometimes necessary for security, compliance, or operational efficiency. Open the policy from the Configuration tab and click on the Edit button on the Assignment tab. Click on the Remove button on this section to remove the policy. Click Review + Save after making the change.

For detailed information, you can refer to our previous post – Learn How to Delete or Remove App Assignment from Intune using by Step-by-Step Guide.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.12 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.12

How to Delete a Policy from the Intune Portal

To delete an Intune policy for security or operational reasons. I will demonstrate how to delete an Intune policy through the Allow Device Discovery. Click the three dots, then click the Delete option.

For detailed information, you can refer to our previous post – How to Delete Allow Clipboard History Policy in Intune Step by Step Guide.

Allow or Block Device Discovery using Intune Policy - Fig.13 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.13

OMA-URI Settings to Power Sleep Policy

An OMA-URI is a unique address that points to a specific setting controlled by a Configuration Service Provider (CSP). It is a text string that sets custom configurations on Windows 10 and 11 devices, and its format depends on the CSP itself. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Sign in to Microsoft Intune
Go to Devices > Configuration
Click Create, and then the new policy.
Choose the platform as Windows 10 or later.
For Profile type, select Templates and then choose Custom.
Provide a Name: Allow Device Discovery
Add a Description( e.g To Allow Device Discovery Policy)
Click on + Add under OMA-URI Settings to configure the specific setting.
To Configure the OMA-URI Setting, do the following
- Enter a name, such as Allow Device Discovery
- Description: To Allow Device Discovery Policy
- Enter the following OMA-URI path: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Experience/AllowDeviceDiscovery.
- Set the Data type to Integer.
- Enter the value
  - 1 to Enable Device Discovery Policy.
  - 0 to Disable Device Discovery Policy.
After entering the above details, click the Save button.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy - Fig.14 — Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy – Fig.14

Need Further Assistance or Have Technical Questions?

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Author

Anoop C Nair has been Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for 10 consecutive years! He is a Workplace Solution Architect with more than 22+ years of experience in Workplace technologies. He is also a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group Community leader. His primary focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM and Intune. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security, Career, etc.

Enable or Disable Device Discovery to Identify Same Network Devices using Intune Policy

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