What is the Shared Device Management project?
The Shared Device Management (SDM) project is delivering a new university-wide shared device management service that divisions, departments, faculties, and colleges can opt into.
What is the Shared Device Management service?
The Shared Device Management (SDM) service will make use of Microsoft Intune and integrate into the Nexus365 and SSO environment. It will provide one platform to manage devices such as University owned laptops and desktop computers.
What will SDM Service adoption bring to your department, faculty, or college?
For IT teams adopting the SDM service across the collegiate University, it will provide a consistent user experience, including single sign-on (SSO) for seamless access.
The SDM service will support University owned devices, ensuring secure access to institutional data while maintaining user productivity.
The service delivery model centralises common elements, delivering them once in a secure and cost-effective way, while enabling departments, faculties, and colleges to configure the service to meet local needs.
Why is this called a 'Shared' Device Management service?
The SDM project and service delivery teams are made up of technical staff from both University divisions and IT Services. This collaborative approach has shaped the service from the outset, reflecting the needs of technical teams across the University.
As a result, the service has been designed with input from infrastructure specialists across the collegiate University, so user requirements have been represented from inception
When will the SDM Service be available?
The plan is for the SDM service to be operational and open to adopters in July 2026.
The project delivery Roadmap shows the current project activity and phases:
Alpha: Internal build and validation (SDM project team only) - February to March 2026 -
Beta: Controlled early adoption with feedback - April to June 2026 -
Live: Production service in continuous improvement - July 2026 -
This page will publish timely updates as the project progresses to it's 'Live' phase.
What will the key capabilities of the SDM service in Microsoft Intune be?
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management solution that enables organisations to manage devices, applications, and user access securely and efficiently.
The key capabilities of the service will be:
- Device enrolment and management for Windows and future releases for macOS, iOS, and Android platforms
- Application deployment and update control, including certificate and policy management.
- Endpoint security through Azure Identity Management, Conditional Access, and BitLocker.
- Integration with Windows Autopilot for provisioning new devices directly to users.
- Single Sign-On (SSO) for seamless access to university systems
After July 2026, when the service is planned to go live, a Product Roadmap will be established as the service moves to continuous approval and a user voice will be established to feed the ongoing product journey.
What are the benefits to adoption of the SDM service?
- Unified device management across the adopted IT units of the collegiate University.
- Improved security posture through centralised policy enforcement and monitoring.
- Reduced IT workload via automation and cloud-based tools.
- Scalability and flexibility to accommodate diverse departmental needs.
- Cost savings by consolidating multiple management solutions
How can you get more information?
In the first instance please email our Shared Infrastructure Services Programme at shared.infrastructure@admin.ox.ac.uk with any questions, support or further information about adopting this service.
Previous monthly Sprint updates from 2025
The updates below will be complemented by 2026 updates as the project moves towards the delivery of the Shared Device Management service in July 2026.
The work done in 2025 can be viewed via the links below.
