In the last few weeks I have had contact with a few companies that use Microsoft Endpoint Manager / Microsoft Intune for managing their mobile devices. In most cases they do this for a longer time and they also use Mobile Application Management (App protection policies) for securing the company data, for example, on BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices / Private owned devices). And this is a good thing if you want to isolate company data in a secure container, but in some cases they did not know about the existence of the new Microsoft Office (Hub) application. Without securing this application, end users may have access to company data via an unsecured way.
What is the Microsoft Office App?
In February 2020, Microsoft released the Microsoft Office application for iOS and Android devices. This new Microsoft Office App is an All-In-One Office application for reading and creating Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. In addition to these three applications, there is also integration with Sticky Notes and Office Lens. To get a good impression of this new app, see the video below.
What companies should do
Companies that use Microsoft Intune to secure company data in Managed Applications on Mobile Devices, like the Microsoft Office applications, should also include this new Microsoft Office (Hub) application to the current or new App Protection Policies. This to include the new application to the “secure app container” and users don’t have access to company data via unprotected Office applications.
How to add the Microsoft Office App to a current App Protection Policy?
For the following steps, login as an Administrator to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center
Navigate to Apps > App protection policies and open your App protection policy
Click Properties
Next to Apps click Edit
Scroll down and click + Select public apps
Search for the Office Hub application and click on it to add it to the Selected Apps, click Select
Click Review + Save
And click Save
Repeat these steps for your Android policy and make sure to include the Office Hub, Office Hub [HL] and the Office Hub [ROW] application.