Device governance is the set of policies and controls that determines how endpoints are enrolled, configured, monitored, and kept in a compliant state. It covers who can register a device, what checks happen before access is granted, how security settings are enforced, and when a device must be updated or removed from service.
It matters because the endpoint layer is often where attackers first gain a foothold. Weak governance can leave unmanaged laptops, phones, or rugged devices outside policy, creating gaps for malware, stale credentials, or shadow IT. Strong governance supports defenses such as conditional access, mobile device management, patch enforcement, and remote wipe, so security teams can maintain consistent control across a mixed fleet. In practice, device governance is the difference between a device being merely present on the network and being trusted to handle corporate data.