Use Endpoint Analytics to measure app performance and startup times
Endpoint Analytics extends Intune's monitoring capabilities beyond basic installation tracking to proactive performance measurement. While traditional app reports tell you whether applications are installed, Endpoint Analytics reveals how those applications actually perform in your production environment and their impact on user experience.
What Endpoint Analytics provides
Endpoint Analytics is a cloud-based service integrated with Microsoft Intune that delivers data-driven insights about device and application performance. Rather than waiting for users to report problems, Endpoint Analytics continuously monitors device health, startup performance, application reliability, and user experience metrics across your managed fleet.
The service collects telemetry from enrolled Windows devices automatically once you enable data collection. This telemetry includes application launch times, crash frequency, startup impact scores, and resource consumption patterns. Intune aggregates this raw telemetry into actionable reports that help you identify performance bottlenecks, compare devices against baselines, and prioritize optimization efforts based on actual user impact.
Endpoint Analytics focuses specifically on user experience metrics that matter to productivity. Rather than overwhelming you with low-level performance counters, it surfaces high-level indicators like "How many users experience slow startup?" or "Which applications crash most frequently?" This user-centric approach helps you focus on problems that actually affect your workforce.
Application reliability insights
The Application Reliability report shows which applications crash most frequently across your device fleet and how those crashes impact users. Crashes aren't just technical failures—they interrupt workflows, cause data loss, and frustrate users. Endpoint Analytics quantifies this impact by tracking crash counts, affected devices, and mean time between failures.
When you access the Application Reliability report, you see applications ranked by total crash count or crash rate. An application might show thousands of total crashes but affect few devices if crashes concentrate on specific machines. Conversely, an application with moderate total crashes but affecting hundreds of devices requires investigation even if individual crash counts are low.
The report identifies crash trends over time, showing whether application stability is improving or declining. A newly deployed line-of-business application might show high crash counts initially that decrease as you apply patches and users learn proper workflows. Established applications with suddenly increasing crashes indicate environmental changes—like Windows updates introducing compatibility issues—that require investigation.
Measure startup performance impact
Applications that load during device startup significantly affect how quickly users can begin working. Endpoint Analytics measures startup performance and identifies applications that delay the boot process. The Startup Performance report provides device-level boot time measurements and breaks down which applications contribute most to startup delays.
Each application receives a startup impact score representing how many seconds it adds to the boot process. Applications loading during startup consume CPU, disk I/O, and memory resources that would otherwise be available for completing the boot sequence. Heavy applications or poorly optimized startup routines can add 10-30 seconds to boot times.
Boot time impact becomes especially important for users who restart devices frequently. Healthcare workers sharing workstations between shifts, retail employees clocking in for hourly schedules, or field technicians starting their workday all experience startup delays directly affecting productivity. An application adding 15 seconds to startup might seem minor on an individual device but multiplied across hundreds of daily boots organization-wide represents significant lost productivity.
The report helps you identify optimization opportunities. You might discover applications unnecessarily loading at startup that could be configured to launch on demand. You might find multiple applications from the same vendor loading separate startup processes that could be consolidated. Some applications might have startup optimization settings that reduce resource consumption during boot.
Understand baseline comparisons
Endpoint Analytics establishes performance baselines by aggregating metrics across all enrolled devices. These baselines help you understand what "normal" looks like in your environment. A device with 45-second boot time might seem slow in isolation, but if your organizational baseline is 50 seconds, that device is actually performing above average.
Baselines also help you set realistic improvement targets. If your current median boot time is 90 seconds and industry benchmarks suggest 30 seconds is achievable, you know significant optimization potential exists. However, if your baseline is already 35 seconds, further improvement becomes incrementally harder and might not justify the effort.
Application crash baselines work similarly. An application crashing once per device per month might be acceptable for a complex line-of-business application, while the same crash rate for a simple utility application indicates serious problems. Baselines provide context for evaluating whether performance metrics warrant immediate action.
Access Endpoint Analytics reports
To use Endpoint Analytics, you first need to enable data collection for your Intune-enrolled devices. In the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Reports > Endpoint analytics to access the configuration and reporting dashboard. From here, you can enable data collection, configure which devices participate, and access various reports.
The Overview page provides a summary score representing overall endpoint health across startup performance, application reliability, and other factors. This score helps executives and managers understand endpoint health without diving into technical details. Scores are color-coded—green indicates good performance, yellow suggests room for improvement, and red flags serious problems requiring attention.
Drilling into specific reports reveals detailed data. The Application Reliability report shows per-application crash statistics. The Startup Performance report displays boot time distributions and per-application startup impact. Each report supports filtering by device group, operating system version, or other attributes to narrow focus.
Prerequisites for Endpoint Analytics
Devices must meet certain requirements to participate in Endpoint Analytics. They need to run Windows 11 or Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions. Devices must be enrolled in Intune or co-managed with Configuration Manager.
Note
Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and no longer receives security updates. While Intune continues to support managing Windows 10 devices, organizations reporting significant Windows 10 device populations in Endpoint Analytics should factor OS lifecycle planning into their endpoint management strategy and prioritize migration to Windows 11.
Note
The Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service must be enabled and running on devices for Endpoint Analytics to collect data. If this service is disabled by policy, devices won't contribute telemetry and won't appear in reports.
From a network perspective, devices need outbound access to specific Microsoft endpoints for telemetry upload. If your organization uses proxy servers or firewalls, ensure they don't block the necessary data collection endpoints. The Endpoint Analytics documentation includes the complete list of required endpoints.
From a licensing perspective, devices need valid Microsoft Intune licenses. The Application Reliability and Startup Performance reports described in this unit are included with standard Microsoft Intune licensing. Microsoft Intune Advanced analytics—available as part of Microsoft Intune Suite or as a standalone Intune Plan 2 add-on—unlocks additional capabilities including Device query (ad hoc KQL queries on device inventory), Enhanced device timeline, and Anomaly detection.
Permissions for viewing reports
Access to Endpoint Analytics reports is controlled through role-based access control in Intune. The Help Desk Operator, Read Only Operator, and Endpoint Security Manager roles all grant read access to Endpoint Analytics data. In addition to these Intune roles, the Reports Reader Microsoft Entra role also grants read access to Endpoint Analytics data. If you need to define the scope in a more granular fashion, you can create a custom role.
Role-based access allows you to provide Endpoint Analytics visibility to staff who don't need full Intune administrative access. Help desk personnel can view reports to understand whether reported issues reflect broader trends. Operations managers can access startup performance data without having permissions to change device configurations.
Act on Endpoint Analytics insights
The value of Endpoint Analytics comes from acting on insights, not just viewing reports. When you identify applications with high crash rates, investigate root causes. Check whether crashes concentrate on specific device models, operating system versions, or user groups. Review application vendor support sites for known issues and available patches.
When applications show excessive startup impact, evaluate whether they need to load at startup. Many applications default to startup loading for convenience without actual necessity. Disabling unnecessary startup items immediately improves boot times without requiring application updates or hardware upgrades.
For applications that must load at startup but show poor performance, contact vendors about optimization. Many application vendors have startup optimization options that aren't enabled by default. Some vendors might not realize their application's startup impact and welcome feedback that drives product improvements.
Monitor improvement over time
After implementing optimizations, monitor Endpoint Analytics reports to validate improvements. Boot times should decrease if you removed unnecessary startup applications. Crash rates should decline after applying patches or resolving compatibility issues. These metrics prove the value of your optimization efforts to stakeholders and justify continued investment in endpoint performance management.
Continuous monitoring also prevents regression. New application deployments or Windows updates might degrade performance you previously optimized. Regular review of Endpoint Analytics ensures you catch these regressions quickly and address them before they become widespread problems.