Sector
Multi-Site Enterprise
Environment
Windows Endpoint Estate (Cloud-Only & Hybrid AD Join)
Engagement Type
PDS Implementation
Technologies
Engagement Overview
Cybernerds was engaged to design and deploy a comprehensive Windows Autopilot environment supporting both cloud-only and hybrid Azure AD-joined device configurations. The engagement followed the Platform Design Specification (PDS) framework — Discover, Design, Implement, Validate, and Transition — to deliver a zero-touch provisioning model that eliminated manual imaging across all locations.
Initial State
The organization relied on manual device imaging and configuration for all new deployments and re-imaging scenarios. Key conditions observed during the discovery phase included:
- ✓No centralized provisioning framework — all devices configured manually
- ✓Remote employees received pre-imaged devices shipped from a single location
- ✓On-premises employees required physical IT intervention for device setup
- ✓Device hostnames followed no consistent naming convention
- ✓No mechanism to enforce security application installation before user access
- ✓Corporate devices were not registered in Autopilot, requiring manual enrollment
Key Challenges
- ✓Provisioning: No automated deployment model for either cloud-only or hybrid scenarios
- ✓Naming: Autopilot default hostname configuration did not meet organizational standards
- ✓Security: Users could access devices before security applications finished installing
- ✓Device Registration: Hundreds of existing corporate devices not enrolled in Autopilot
- ✓Remote Workforce: No self-service provisioning capability for remote employees
- ✓Scale: Manual touch required for every device deployment, re-image, and replacement
Solution Design — PDS Framework
- ✓Cloud-Only Profile: Entra ID-joined Autopilot deployment for remote and cloud-first employees
- ✓Hybrid Profile: Hybrid Azure AD-joined Autopilot deployment for on-premises domain requirements
- ✓Custom Hostnames: Device naming profiles configured outside Autopilot default options to meet organizational naming standards
- ✓Enrollment Status Page: Configured to block user access until all required security applications — endpoint protection, encryption, and management agents — were successfully installed
- ✓Application Deployment: Required applications packaged and assigned as ESP-blocking apps to ensure compliance before first login
- ✓Device Registration: All existing corporate devices registered in Autopilot via hardware hash import, eliminating future manual enrollment
Implementation — PDS Execution
All work was executed remotely using the PDS lifecycle with staged rollout across pilot devices before broad deployment.
- ✓Created and configured Autopilot deployment profiles for cloud-only and hybrid join scenarios
- ✓Built custom device naming templates to override Autopilot default hostname behavior
- ✓Configured Enrollment Status Page with security app installation gates
- ✓Packaged and deployed required security applications as ESP-blocking assignments
- ✓Imported hardware hashes for all existing corporate devices into Autopilot
- ✓Validated enrollment flows across both cloud-only and hybrid configurations
- ✓Tested remote provisioning — devices shipped directly to employees with zero IT touch
- ✓Tested on-premises provisioning — devices self-configured on corporate network
Validation — PDS Validation Phase
- ✓Cloud-only Autopilot enrollment completed successfully with Entra ID join
- ✓Hybrid Autopilot enrollment completed successfully with domain join and Azure AD registration
- ✓Custom hostnames applied correctly across both deployment profiles
- ✓Enrollment Status Page blocked user access until all security apps installed
- ✓Endpoint protection, encryption, and management agents confirmed active before first login
- ✓All corporate devices visible in Autopilot — no manual registration required for future deployments
- ✓Remote employees successfully self-provisioned devices without IT intervention
Outcome
- ✓Zero-touch provisioning for both cloud-only and hybrid AD-joined devices
- ✓Consistent device naming across the entire endpoint estate
- ✓Security-first onboarding — no device access until protection is confirmed
- ✓All corporate devices registered in Autopilot, drastically reducing manual touch
- ✓Remote employees can unbox and self-provision without IT intervention
- ✓On-premises devices self-configure on the corporate network
- ✓Repeatable, documented deployment model for all future device lifecycle events
Strategic Value
This engagement eliminated manual device imaging and configuration across the organization, enabling a true zero-touch deployment model for both remote and on-premises employees. By enforcing security application installation before user access and registering all corporate devices in Autopilot, the organization achieved faster provisioning, stronger security posture, and significantly reduced IT operational overhead.
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