Setup guide · from scratch
Get Microsoft 365 and a Microsoft Intune licence (from having nothing)
The true starting point. Before you can manage a single device you need a Microsoft 365 tenant and an Intune licence. This takes you from nothing - no account, no subscription - to an Intune console you can actually open. Business Premium is the usual choice because it INCLUDES Intune Plan 1.
≈ 40 min
Start here — Microsoft foundation · step 1 of 3 · ≈ 40 minNext ›
The Decolla way — the one bit no tool can click for you.
Microsoft 365 sign-up + Microsoft 365 admin center (admin.microsoft.com) needs a human to sign in, so this stays manual on purpose. Decolla makes it painless: the wizard shows these exact screens at the moment you need them and flags precisely what to bring back — a token, a file, an ID — so the automated steps either side of it run without a hitch.
⏱ A genuine human step — Decolla cuts the coordination around it, not the sign-in itself.
Before you start
- A business name and a business email address to sign up with.
- A debit/credit card if you intend to buy rather than start a free trial.
- Access to your domain's DNS (via your website/hosting provider) if you want email at your own domain - optional and can be done later.
The steps
- Decide your plan first. Go to microsoft.com and open the Microsoft 365 plan…
- On your chosen plan click 'Try free' or 'Buy now' and enter your business details…
- Create your first admin identity and the initial tenant domain…
- Finish the sign-up: confirm the free trial, or enter payment to buy the licences,…
- Open the Microsoft 365 admin center at admin.microsoft.com and sign in with the…
- (Recommended) Add and verify your real domain under Settings > Domains by adding…
- Assign the Intune licence: Users > Active users > select your admin account >…
- Open the Microsoft Intune admin center at intune.microsoft.com. If it loads without…
- (Strongly recommended) Before enrolling any real devices, turn on multi-factor…
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Step 1. Decide your plan first. Go to microsoft.com and open the Microsoft 365 plan comparison. To get Intune you MUST pick a plan that includes it: Microsoft 365 Business Premium (the usual small-business choice - it includes Intune Plan 1), Microsoft 365 E3/E5, Enterprise Mobility + Security E3/E5, or a standalone Microsoft Intune Plan 1 licence.
Screenshot: Microsoft 365 plan comparison with a plan that includes Intune highlighted (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Why: Intune is not in every plan - starting on a plan without it is the single most common false start.
Don’t: Do NOT choose Business Basic or Business Standard - neither includes Intune.
Step 2. On your chosen plan click 'Try free' or 'Buy now' and enter your business details (name, size, country, and a business email).
Screenshot: Microsoft 365 sign-up business-details form (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Step 3. Create your first admin identity and the initial tenant domain (yourbusiness.onmicrosoft.com). This first account is your Global Administrator - it owns everything in the tenant.
Screenshot: Creating the first admin user + the onmicrosoft.com domain (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Don’t: Do NOT lose or share these credentials, and do NOT use a personal email - this is the master account for your whole tenant.
Step 4. Finish the sign-up: confirm the free trial, or enter payment to buy the licences, and complete any phone verification.
Screenshot: Subscription / trial confirmed screen (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Watch for: A free trial converts to paid at the end of its window - note the date so the first bill is not a surprise.
On a schedule: Diarise the trial-end / renewal date.
Step 5. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center at admin.microsoft.com and sign in with the Global Administrator you just created.
Screenshot: Microsoft 365 admin center home (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Step 6. (Recommended) Add and verify your real domain under Settings > Domains by adding the TXT record Microsoft gives you at your DNS host, so accounts read [email protected] rather than the .onmicrosoft.com default.
Screenshot: Settings > Domains TXT-record verification (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Watch for: DNS changes can take up to an hour (sometimes longer) to propagate - you can carry on and finish verification later.
Step 7. Assign the Intune licence: Users > Active users > select your admin account > Licenses and apps > tick the licence that carries Intune (e.g. Business Premium) > Save changes.
Screenshot: User 'Licenses and apps' pane with the Intune-bearing licence ticked (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Why: A licence sitting unassigned in the tenant does nothing - a user must be assigned it before Intune switches on for them.
Step 8. Open the Microsoft Intune admin center at intune.microsoft.com. If it loads without a licensing prompt, your foundation is complete - this is the console every other setup guide sends you to.
Screenshot: Microsoft Intune admin center home, loaded (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Why: This is the proof the foundation is done: every Apple, Google and Windows guide assumes this console opens.
Step 9. (Strongly recommended) Before enrolling any real devices, turn on multi-factor authentication - Entra ID > Properties > Security defaults, or a Conditional Access policy - starting with the Global Administrator.
Screenshot: Entra ID security defaults / MFA toggle (captured during a live customer build — coming to this page)
Don’t: Do NOT leave the Global Administrator without MFA - it is the keys to the entire tenant.
Put these on a schedule
| Step | Recurring action to diarise |
|---|---|
| Step 4 | Diarise the trial-end / renewal date. |
See it on a real device.
Decolla is in private build — early-access members see a build defined, deployed and rolled back first.
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