Maintaining applications across an organization has always been one of the most time‑consuming tasks for your endpoint management team. Packaging installers, writing detection rules, testing deployments, and troubleshooting failures can eat up hours and days of an admin’s time. Microsoft Intune’s Enterprise Application Management (EAM), powered by the Enterprise App Catalog (EAC), can drastically cut down on the time it takes to do those things, freeing up your admins to do other things. Instead of packaging and maintaining apps manually, admins can pull from a curated catalog of preconfigured applications that are ready to deploy at scale.
For a complete list of applications hosted in the EAC, see
Link: Click Here
To request an application to be added, request it via the Microsoft Feedback Portal.
It’s worth noting that Microsoft has announced that in 2026, EAM will come as part of M365 E5 licenses.
What Is the Enterprise App Catalog?
The EAC is a catalog of popular applications that Microsoft has already packaged, tested, and integrated with Intune. It is a catalog of deployment‑ready apps. Instead of an admin having to download installers, figure out how they work, package them, and define detection logic, they can simply select an app from the catalog and assign it to users or devices. Once this is done for an app, future versions can be automatically deployed so that the app stays up-to-date. Microsoft even hosts the content for you, so there’s no downloading content and adding it to Intune.
Key Benefits
- Time savings: no more manual packaging and figuring out detection logic. Apps are preconfigured and ready to deploy at the click of a button.
- Automatic updates: Microsoft maintains the apps in the catalog. New versions are delivered automatically and can be installed as soon as your policies dictate.
- Security and compliance: apps are automatically updated, thereby immediately resolving any known vulnerabilities within previous versions.
- Staged rollouts: the catalog supports staged rollouts and deployment rings, so you can start with a pilot group, then expand to your entire org.
For admins, this means less time spent packaging the same app over and over again, and more time focusing on strategic initiatives.
Monitoring and Lifecycle Management
While the catalog simplifies deployment, EAM also provides reporting and control throughout the app lifecycle:
- Monitoring: Intune reporting shows installation success rates, error codes, and app health across devices. Intune uses detection rules built into the catalog package to verify that installation was successful. A failure could trigger remediation options, and reporting dashboards provide visibility into which endpoints succeeded or failed.
- Lifecycle Management: apps can be updated, retired, or replaced automatically, with policies ensuring devices stay up to date.
The combination of monitoring and lifecycle management creates a scenario where admins can trust that apps are installed correctly and remain up to date.
Real‑World Scenarios
1. Rapid Rollout of Collaboration Tools
An organization decides to rollout Microsoft Teams. Traditionally, IT would need to package the installer, define detection rules, and push updates manually over the life of Teams. With the EAC, there is a Teams installer already available in Intune that is preconfigured and ready to go. An admin just needs to select it, assign deployment rings (pilot, early adopters, full rollout, etc.), and monitor installation success. Updates are handled automatically, so IT doesn’t really have to think about it again – the service just takes care of it.
2. Intune Taking Over a Previously Installed App
Employees may go around IT and install applications on their own if they feel that they need them urgently, like Zoom to join an external meeting or Acrobat Reader to sign an urgent PDF. While this helps productivity for the user in that moment, it can create headaches for IT because it introduces inconsistent versions, unpatched vulnerabilities, and provides no visibility into usage. EAM and EAC solve this problem by allowing Intune to recognize and manage those apps once they’ve been officially rolled out.
Think of a scenario where a user has manually installed Zoom months before IT had a formal deployment plan. Later, the IT team recognizes a large use of Zoom in the environment and decides to manage Zoom from the EAC. The catalog package includes detection rules. As long as the detection rules match the manual installation, Intune will identify the existing installation and bring it under EAC control. From that point forward, Intune will apply updates for Zoom, enforce compliance policies, and report on app health. This effectively converts a “rogue” manual install into a fully managed app.
This approach reduces shadow IT risks and saves admins from having to manually clean up user‑installed apps. Instead, Intune seamlessly takes over.
Why This Matters
For endpoint management admins, the appeal of the EAC is clear:
- Less time on repetitive tasks: admins can spend more time on new or strategic tasks rather than keeping apps up to date.
- Better visibility: dashboards provide real‑time insights into app versioning and compliance.
- User satisfaction: users get the apps they need without significant delays or manual installs.
- Improved compliance: apps stay up to date, improving compliance and reducing risk to the org.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft Intune’s EAM, anchored by the EAC, is more than a convenience. It can provide a strategic advantage. By reducing the need for manual packaging and providing a trusted catalog of preconfigured apps, it can save admins countless hours while strengthening security and compliance. For admins tasked with keeping endpoints secure and users productive, the EAC is a tool worth exploring and embracing.
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