What is Microsoft Graph API?

Posted on 23 May 2017

The Microsoft Intune and Azure Active Directory admin experiences are now coming together in Azure. This is being built on the Microsoft Graph API which opens a new set of possibilities to simplify, automate, and integrate workloads.

The Microsoft Graph API connects developers to the data that drives productivity – mail, calendar, contacts, documents, directory, devices, and more. It serves as a single interface where Microsoft services can be reached through a set of REST APIs.

With the shift to Azure and the Microsoft Graph API, you now have the choice to manage the administration and operation of Intune and Azure AD services in the new Azure console or through the Microsoft Graph API.

Easy to access

The Microsoft Graph API is accessible through several platforms and tools, including REST- based API endpoints and most popular programming and automation platforms (.NET, JS, iOS, Android, PowerShell).

Resources (user, group, device, application, file) and policies can be queried through this API, and formerly difficult or complex questions can be addressed via straightforward queries. For example, you can use the Graph APIs to check the compliance state of all your Intune- managed devices and feed this data into your existing reporting system, enabling a simple, yet powerful, reporting experience across your organisation.

Automate workflows with Microsoft Graph

The API allows you to connect different services and automate workflows and processes between them. For example, you could connect your HR system with the Microsoft Graph APIs to automate the provisioning of mobile devices when you’re onboarding a new employee, and set up automation to retire and wipe a device as employees leave the company.

If you are a service provider managing the environment of multiple customers at once, you could use these capabilities to automate the onboarding of tenants, populating them with default policies and implementing industry-specific templates. All this can be set up to happen automatically without ever opening a management console.

Powerful integration

The API can send detailed device and application information to other IT asset management or reporting systems. You can build custom experiences which call APIs to configure Intune and Azure AD controls and policies and unify workflows across multiple services. For example, a help desk organisation might build a custom solution that incorporates Intune functionality into their console, allowing them to manage device and application policies in a unified way alongside other helpdesk tasks.

You can even connect with PowerBI and other analytics services to create custom dashboards and reports based on Office 365, Intune, and Azure AD data from the Microsoft Graph API.

If you would like to find out more about what the Microsoft Graph API can do for you, contact us.

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