Kevin Malinoski

Hey everyone – you might be watching NCAA College Basketball this week, but today we’ve got the biggest showdown of the year: Microsoft 365 Showdown – your main-card matchup: Autopilot vs. Autopilot Device Prep.

I’m beyond excited to announce that this is the official launch of my YouTube channel – Malinoski.me’s very first internet broadcast, live on YouTube. If you’ve ever stood in front of a brand-new Windows 11 device wondering “which Autopilot experience is actually right for my environment?” then this one’s for you.

Technical Specs

• Problem Focus: Helps Intune admins choose the right Windows Autopilot provisioning experience (V1 vs V2 vs pre-provisioning) based on real pros/cons instead of generic advice, reducing deployment friction, improving security posture, and aligning with organizational needs.
• Target Scenario: Intune Admins deploying cloud-native Windows 11 devices in Entra ID joined environments.
• Tested in: Lab environment with multiple Windows 11 24H2 & 25H2 devices; scenarios validated in cloud-native (Entra ID + Intune) setups. No production customer data used.
• Permissions Required: Requires standard Intune Administrator or Global Administrator rights for profile configuration
• Endpoint Testing Permissions: It is strongly recommended that you validate with a standard user account (not local admin)

We’re not doing the usual “V1 vs V2” fluff. Instead, we’re putting three real-world scenarios head-to-head and breaking down the actual pros, cons, and when you should pick each one:

• Autopilot Device Enrollment (with SkipUserESP active)
• Autopilot Device Preparation (aka V2)
• Autopilot Device Enrollment with IT pre-provisioning + UserESP enabled

We’re going to talk compatibility & control, the actual end-user experience, admin reporting & monitoring, and most importantly – how to look inward at your own Intune baseline and choose the experience that actually fits your organization instead of just chasing “fastest possible setup.”

If you’re ready for the bell, head over to the video right now (link below). Drop a comment with which scenario you’re currently running – I read every single one!

Watch the full Autopilot Showdown 2026 here: [LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0x64JPNwVs]

While you’re there, hit that Subscribe button and turn on notifications – this is just the beginning.

Interested in a FIDO2 Security device to secure your test user Entra identity? Then pick up this YubiKey model from Amazon that was featured in the video from my affiliate link – https://amzn.to/3NImSGk

Let’s get those devices out the door the right way in 2026.

Kevin Malinoski