Apps are the new endpoint — and in many cases, data loss doesn’t require device compromise, just a copy-paste action into the wrong app.
In a world where BYOD is the norm and hybrid work is here to stay, organizations face a silent risk: unmanaged apps accessing corporate data. Whether it’s personal email apps syncing work attachments or rogue third-party tools storing customer data, shadow IT and data leakage are now top concerns.

According to the 2024 Mobile Security Index by Verizon, 51% of organizations have experienced mobile app-related incidents[1]. The root cause? Unprotected corporate data is flowing through unsecured applications, particularly on personal or partially managed devices. Such applications become prone to malware or unpatched vulnerabilities.
This is where app protection policies (APP) step in.
What are app protection policies?
According to Microsoft Intune, App Protection Policies (APPs) are rules that ensure corporate data stays protected within managed applications. These policies are triggered when users attempt to access, move, or share work-related data inside an app, especially on BYOD or unmanaged devices.
Put simply, Microsoft app protection policies enable IT teams to control how business data is accessed and handled inside mobile or desktop apps, without necessarily enforcing full device management. This is especially useful in scenarios where personal and work profiles coexist, such as a corporate email account running on a personal phone or accessing internal files via Microsoft 365 apps on a home PC.
These in-app protection controls can restrict data actions at the application layer, including:
- Requiring a PIN, biometric, or device encryption before accessing corporate email or documents
- Blocking copy-paste between work apps and personal apps
- Preventing saving files to unauthorized cloud storage apps or local folders
- Restricting access to sensitive content unless the app is listed as “approved” by IT
In essence, app protection policies provide a secure boundary around the data, not the device. They are especially effective for enforcing Windows app protection policies in distributed workforces where device ownership is mixed.
By implementing these policies, IT teams can enforce data protection without compromising user privacy, thereby enabling flexible and compliant access in modern work environments.
Understanding the app protection policies framework
App Protection Policies (APPs) are designed with scalability and security in mind. Microsoft’s APP framework outlines three levels of protection tailored to different enterprise risk profiles, while offering consistent policy support across iOS and Android platforms.
1. Cross-platform compatibility
Whether your organization manages iPhones, Android devices, or a mix of both, Microsoft app protection policies deliver consistent security outcomes. This allows IT administrators to enforce in-app protection for critical business applications, such as Microsoft Outlook or Teams, regardless of device ownership or platform.
2. The three-tier APP configuration model
To help organizations implement app protection policies based on risk tolerance and compliance needs, Microsoft defines three distinct policy levels:
a. Level 1: Enterprise basic data protection
This is Microsoft’s baseline recommendation for most organizations, offering fundamental safeguards without heavily impacting user experience.
Key features include:
- App-level PIN protection and data encryption.
- Selective wipe to remove corporate data without affecting personal content.
- Android device attestation to validate device integrity and prevent tampering.
This level is ideal for general-purpose deployments where data sensitivity is moderate and device diversity is high.
b. Level 2: Enterprise enhanced data protection
Aimed at users who regularly handle confidential or regulated information, this level adds Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities that enforce stricter boundaries between work and personal apps.
Enhanced controls include:
- Blocking data sharing between managed (corporate) and unmanaged (personal) apps
- Restricting save locations for work files
- Preventing backups to unauthorized cloud services
- Enforcing app-specific conditional access
While these measures increase security, they may introduce minor friction — such as limited app interoperability — which is a fair trade-off for securing high-value data.
c. Level 3: Enterprise high data protection
Designed for high-risk users and security-first organizations, this level is ideal for financial services, healthcare, government, or any sector where unauthorized access can lead to material loss or reputational damage.
Advanced mechanisms include:
- Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) integration to detect threats like malware, jailbreak/root, phishing attempts, or insecure networks.
- Context-aware access controls, such as blocking access if the device is jailbroken or using unsecured Wi-Fi.
- Advanced PIN policies, including biometric enforcement, PIN expiration, and retry limits.
- App integrity and runtime threat detection.
Organizations under targeted attack or those operating in sensitive industries are strongly advised to adopt this level. Aligning with one of these three tiers helps organizations to confidently scale their app protection policies across devices and platforms while balancing user experience, risk posture, and compliance obligations.
How to configure App Protection Policies (APP) with Scalefusion
Prerequisites:
a. Ensure you have one of the following required licenses:
- Microsoft 365 E5/E3
- Enterprise Mobility + Security E5/E3
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Microsoft 365 F1/F3
- Microsoft 365 Government G5/G3
b. You must have an Office 365 account with administrative privileges to grant Scalefusion the necessary permissions.
Note: Scalefusion currently supports Data Loss Protection (DLP) policies for:
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft OneNote
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Step-by-step configuration
Step 1: Sign in to Scalefusion with an Office 365 Admin Account
- Navigate to the Scalefusion dashboard.
- Use your Office 365 admin credentials to log in.
Step 2: Access Office 365 Policies
- In the dashboard, go to Device Profile & Policies.
- Click on Office 365 Policies.
Step 3: Authorize Scalefusion to manage Intune Policies
- Click the AUTHORIZE button.
- When prompted, grant Scalefusion the required permissions to manage Intune protection policies on behalf of your organization.
Step 4: Configure Data Loss Protection policies
- Once authorized, you can create and manage DLP policies directly from the Scalefusion dashboard.
- Define policies that control data sharing, such as restricting copy-paste functions, enforcing encryption, and setting access requirements.
Step 5: Assign policies to User Groups
- Assign the configured policies to specific user groups or devices as needed.
- Ensure that the targeted applications are installed on the users’ devices.
Step 6: Monitor and manage policies
- Use the Scalefusion dashboard to monitor the deployment and effectiveness of the policies.
- Make adjustments as necessary to align with organizational requirements.
By following these steps, organizations can effectively implement app protection policies across their device fleet, ensuring data security and compliance without compromising user productivity.
For detailed guidance, refer to Scalefusion’s official documentation: Intune Application Protection Policies. |
Benefits of using app protection policies
App protection policies offer a focused approach to securing corporate data within specific applications, ensuring that data remains safe even on unmanaged or personal devices. This targeted protection reduces the risk of data leakage while maintaining user flexibility.
a. App-level data protection
Unlike device-level policies, app protection policies are applied directly to the apps. This ensures that sensitive data within apps like Outlook, Teams, or OneDrive is protected, without requiring control over the entire device. Example: A user’s personal smartphone can access work emails via Outlook, but actions like copy/paste and data backup are restricted by policy.
b. Platform-specific containment
- On Android: App protection policies apply to apps inside the Work Profile, creating a secure container for enterprise apps.
- On iOS: Policies apply to apps accessed via a Managed Apple ID, securing corporate data without interfering with personal apps.
This ensures in-app protection and data governance, regardless of the platform.
c. Extended control through UEM integration
When integrated with a UEM solution like Scalefusion, app protection policies provide enhanced control:
- IT teams can deploy only approved applications, mitigating the risks of shadow IT.
- Centralized dashboards enable consistent enforcement across platforms, including Windows app protection policies.
- Integration with identity management systems like Azure AD enables conditional access policies based on app, user, or device posture.
Integrating Microsoft app protection policies with a UEM solution provides organizations with greater control and security over mobile applications, ensuring that corporate data remains protected, regardless of the device or platform.
Why configure apps through Scalefusion UEM?
Comparison: Manual vs. UEM-based configuration
Feature | Manual Configuration | UEM-based Configuration |
Policy enforcement | Limited to device-level management | Centralized across all platforms |
Consistency across devices | Difficult to enforce uniform policies | Consistent enforcement on Android, iOS, and Windows |
Control over unmanaged devices | Limited or non-existent | Full control through app protection policies |
Compliance tracking | Manual audits and tracking | Automated audit trails for compliance |
Conditional access | Not available or cumbersome to implement | Seamless integration with device posture management |
Managing applications across multiple devices and platforms can quickly become chaotic without a unified approach. Scalefusion UEM offers a centralized platform for managing apps, ensuring consistent security policies and seamless compliance across your entire device fleet, whether corporate-owned or BYOD.
1. Centralized control across platforms: With Scalefusion UEM, IT admins can manage apps on all major platforms—Android, iOS, and Windows—from a single console. This unification streamlines the process, making it easier to enforce consistent app protection policies across diverse devices.
2. Consistent policy enforcement on unmanaged/BYOD devices: When apps are configured through a UEM solution, policies are enforced even on BYOD devices. This ensures that corporate data remains secure, regardless of whether the device is managed by IT or not.
3. Visibility and audit trail for compliance: Scalefusion UEM offers detailed visibility into app activity and policy enforcement. This makes it easy to track compliance with industry regulations and internal security standards. With a built-in audit trail, organizations can ensure that their app management processes meet compliance requirements.
4. Supports conditional access based on device posture: Using a UEM solution like Scalefusion enables conditional access policies, ensuring that only compliant devices can access corporate apps and data. This ensures that security protocols are enforced, and sensitive data is only accessed from secure devices.
Lastly, Scalefusion UEM helps organizations ensure a higher level of consistency, security, and compliance, offering better control and visibility over corporate applications.
Protect apps and secure data with Scalefusion UEM
As apps become the new endpoints, protecting them is no longer optional. In a landscape where data moves across devices, platforms, and networks, ensuring that corporate information remains secure requires more than just device management—it requires strategic app protection.
With Scalefusion UEM, organizations can seamlessly configure Microsoft Intune’s App Protection Policies and integrate them with device-level management. This approach ensures that policies are consistently enforced across mobile devices, regardless of ownership, providing context-aware access and enhanced compliance visibility, all managed from a single console.
When data moves faster than devices, your protection strategy should too.
To know more, contact our experts and schedule a demo.
Sign up for a 14-day free trial now.
References:
1. Verizon Mobile Security Index Report 2024
FAQs
1. Should app protection be on or off?
App protection should always be on for work environments where sensitive corporate data is accessed through mobile or desktop apps. Turning on app protection ensures that security policies such as data encryption, copy-paste restrictions, and sign-in requirements are actively enforced within business apps like Outlook or Teams.
2. What is the difference between mobile application management and app protection policy?
Mobile Application Management (MAM) refers to the broader process of managing and controlling apps on mobile devices, including tasks like deploying apps, updating them, or wiping company data when needed. App Protection Policies (APP), on the other hand, are a specific feature within MAM that focuses only on securing data inside the apps, not the apps themselves or the device. So, while MAM covers the entire app lifecycle, APP zeroes in on data protection within those apps.