Deploying NetBird with Intune

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management solution that manages user access to organizational resources and simplifies app and device management across multiple platforms, including Android, iOS/iPadOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows client devices. Working alongside Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), Intune forms a powerful identity and access management framework organizations rely on to secure digital assets.

When combined, Intune and Microsoft Entra ID ensure that only managed and compliant devices can access email, Microsoft 365 services, Software as a service (SaaS) apps, and on-premises applications. This integration combines multiple security signals, such as user identity, device health, and location, to enforce organizational policies using Conditional Access capabilities.

NetBird enhances this security ecosystem by providing a WireGuard-based overlay network with Zero Trust Network Access capabilities. While Intune focuses on device compliance and application management, NetBird provides secure network connectivity through its point-to-point private network infrastructure. This creates a complementary security approach where:

• Intune verifies device compliance and manages application policies
• Entra ID provides identity verification and conditional access decisions
• NetBird establishes secure network pathways with granular access controls

This division of security responsibilities creates a comprehensive zero-trust implementation in which devices are verified as compliant before they can establish network connections to protected resources.

In this hands-on tutorial, you'll learn how to deploy NetBird with Intune to grant tailored access permissions for different teams.

Prerequisites

Before beginning this tutorial, ensure you have the following prerequisites in place:

• Complete the tutorial Provision Users and Groups From Microsoft Entra ID to ensure you can select Entra ID-managed users and groups within Intune.
• A NetBird account with administrative permissions to create and manage access policies.
• An active Microsoft Intune license (included with Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F1, F3, Enterprise Mobility + Security E3/E5, or Business Premium plans).
• An Intune admin user with at least the Policy and Profile Manager built-in role (Intune Administrator role recommended for full control over advanced features)
• At least one device (Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, Linux) enrolled in Intune.

Setting Up NetBird Access Policies for Team-Specific Permissions

NetBird's Access Control Policies provide the foundation for implementing a zero-trust architecture with Intune. They enable you to define precise permissions based on user groups and resource categories. This ensures that team members can only access what they need for their specific roles.

These policies work in tandem with Intune's device compliance mechanisms, creating a powerful security layer where identity and device posture determine access rights to the network.

Let's create a policy that enables the Development team to access the Servers group.

• Log in to your NetBird management dashboard with administrative credentials
• Navigate to Access Control > Policies and click the Add Policy button in the upper right corner.
• Set the source group to Development (or the appropriate team group synchronized from Entra ID) and the destination group to Servers
• Configure the protocol and port settings based on required access patterns (e.g., TCP 22 for SSH access to servers)

Provide a descriptive name for the policy, such as "Dev Team Server Access" that indicates its purpose, and click Save to create and activate the policy.

This access policy will automatically apply to all devices enrolled in Intune that belong to users in the Development group (as synchronized from Entra ID), providing them secure access to designated resources while preventing lateral movement to unauthorized systems.

Moreover, users will only gain this network access when using compliant devices that meet your organization's security standards, creating a true zero-trust environment where user identity and device security status are verified before granting resource access.

Note: For maximum security, create separate policies rather than overly broad policies for each distinct access requirement. This approach minimizes your attack surface by ensuring precise access controls aligned with job responsibilities.

With these access policies in place, we can now proceed to configure the automated deployment of NetBird through Intune, ensuring that all team members have the required secure connectivity client installed on their devices.

Adding NetBird Windows App to Intune

Microsoft Intune provides a straightforward way to deploy NetBird to your organization's devices. Here's how:

Adding NetBird as a Windows App

• Download the NetBird Windows MSI installer from the NetBird installation documentation
• Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center, navigate to Apps, and click the Windows button.

• Click the + Create button to add a new Windows application

• In the App type dropdown, select Line-of-business app and click Select

• On the Add App screen, click Select app package file and browse to the location of the NetBird MSI file you downloaded earlier
• Select the NetBird MSI installer and click OK

Click Next to configure NetBird with the following details:

• Name: NetBird
• Description: NetBird
• Publisher: NetBird
• App install context: Device
• Ignore app version: No (This ensures updates will be applied when available)
• Command-line arguments: Leave empty
• Category: Select any category that fits your needs (optional)
• Show this as a featured app in the Company Portal: Yes
• Information URL: https://docs.netbird.io/

You can leave the rest of the fields empty.

When ready, click Next to proceed to the Assignments tab. Under Required, click + Add group

• Select the appropriate group that contains your users (like the Development group synchronized from Entra ID) and click Select

• To continue, click Next. Review your configuration in the Review + create tab, then click Create to add NetBird to your Intune app catalog.

After adding NetBird, you'll see an overview screen for the NetBird app, showing deployment status and management options.

To verify that NetBird was added to Intune, navigate to Home > Apps | Windows to see all your Windows applications:

Deploying NetBird to Other Platforms

While each platform has slightly different configuration options, adding NetBird and assigning it to groups follows the same pattern across Intune. For more information, refer to Intune app management.

With NetBird successfully deployed through Intune, your organization has the foundation for implementing a comprehensive zero-trust access model that verifies user identity and device compliance before granting network access.