AWS CloudFormation vs AWS Systems Manager comparison

AWS CloudFormation and AWS Systems Manager are both solutions in the Configuration Management category. AWS CloudFormation is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.8, while AWS Systems Manager is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.1. AWS CloudFormation holds a 1.1% mindshare in CM, compared to AWS Systems Manager’s 10.5% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of AWS CloudFormation users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of AWS Systems Manager users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

AWS CloudFormation and AWS Systems Manager are competitive tools in AWS infrastructure management. Systems Manager is often favored for its advanced features, whereas CloudFormation is praised for its pricing and support advantages.

Features: AWS CloudFormation provides automation and infrastructure as code with predefined templates for rapid deployment, supports JSON and YAML, and offers modular design through nested stacks. Systems Manager offers automation for managing EC2 instances, performance monitoring with dynamic updates, and extensive control over various AWS services.

Room for Improvement: CloudFormation requires improvements in error handling, template flexibility, and learning curve due to its syntax reliance and AWS-centric focus. It lacks multi-cloud and cross-account functionalities. Systems Manager could improve its automation capabilities and integration with AWS services, but its AWS-centric nature limits cross-platform flexibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CloudFormation enables rapid deployment across AWS regions with easy management and is well-rated for AWS support, though delays can occur in non-production environments. Systems Manager requires more technical insight but generally integrates well within AWS, with satisfactory support for AWS subscribers.

Pricing and ROI: CloudFormation charges only for resources used, making it cost-effective with significant ROI in resource management. Systems Manager's pricing can vary based on usage, with potential cost increases during demand peaks. Both solutions offer strong ROI by reducing downtime and resource mismanagement.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS CloudFormation vs. AWS Systems Manager Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

AWS CloudFormation vs. AWS Systems Manager

January 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Intune

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 10.1%, up from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AWS CloudFormation is 1.1%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AWS Systems Manager is 10.5%, up from 10.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Configuration Management

Featured Reviews

Joseph Merusi

Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Everything has worked better since we started using it

Sometimes the syncing is inconsistent. I'm confident that the devices are checking in every eight hours, but sometimes the devices aren't picking up the settings as quickly as I would expect. Some features haven't been updated in a while, and Microsoft doesn't seem interested in developing them. Unless you talk to an engineer, you don't know whether there will be an update. There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now. Some reporting areas still need development. For example, I noticed that the reporting for driver updates is still confusing.

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Mbula Mboma

AWS Cloud Re-Start Program Specialist at Orange RDC (Congo)

Facilitates efficient infrastructure deployment with visibility into resource connections

I primarily use AWS CloudFormation for deploying infrastructure efficiently. For instance, if I want to create load balancers with target groups and EC2 instances, I find CloudFormation simplifies the process of deployment and configuration, reducing the possibility of errors AWS CloudFormation…

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Ambe Frankline

Cloud/DevOps Engineer at Innovative Technology Systems

Tracks every action on AWS accounts in a centralized way

Setting up AWS Systems Manager to monitor and control other services is easy. You need to link the services you want to observe and track. The time it takes to deploy depends on factors like connectivity, latency, and the complexity of the services. For example, setting up a simple application is faster than setting up a more complicated three-tier or multi-tier system. Using the solution for batch updates varies depending on the number of servers involved and the commands needed. Personally, when I do small projects at home, deploying a few servers doesn't take long. But at work, where we handle larger deployments with hundreds of servers, it's faster due to better connectivity and resources.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution is easy to use."

"I haven't used other mobile device management solutions, but compared to SCCM, we eliminate a lot of on-premises infrastructure and maintenance by using Intune."

"The automatic patch management feature in the Intune Suite is helpful."

"There are so many features, but Windows Autopilot is one of the features that are very valuable for most customers."

"Within Intune, managing policies and having a consistent way to manage devices is valuable."

"I would say the biggest benefit is the single-pane view. There's no jumping around multiple UI's to do your overall management."

"Microsoft Intune is easy to use, and it is able to enforce policies towards multiple devices. It is able to bring multiple classes of devices into the same security posture. I found that very useful."

"One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Intune is that it brings the management of Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and even Linux under a single pane of glass."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"The most valuable feature of AWS CloudFormation is the simple tracking of infrastructure."

"The nested stacks would be one of the more valuable features."

"I appreciate the flexibility of infrastructure as code. With CloudFormation, we can define ground rules, control usage limits, and scale our infrastructure up or down programmatically. Having this level of control through code on infra is a major benefit. That's the beauty of CloudFormation."

"The most valuable features of AWS CloudFormation are all the resources documentation is located in one location, simple resource reverting, and ease of use of the full package for new users."

"The most beneficial aspect lies in its capability to handle input acquisition and assessment."

"The product uses a simple JSON file format, so it's easy for a beginner to start. But you can use Terraform once you get good hands-on experience and know the infrastructure and resources well."

"There is a cost-benefit to using CloudFormation that comes about because of the automation that it provides."

"By using AWS CloudFormation, I can automate tasks like creating VPCs and load balancers instead of doing them manually each time. The features I like most include improved scalability, resource management, ease of deployment, template creation, and resource provisioning."

More AWS CloudFormation pros

"Has a variety of automation options."

"The store organizes parameters hierarchically, making it easier to configure and control versions. It also ensures scalability and high availability, automatically scaling to handle increasing workloads and providing reliable access to configuration data across multiple AWS availability zones."

"The solution's most valuable feature is the change management option. It tracks every action on my AWS accounts in a centralized way, acting like a control tool for me. This is especially useful when working with Kubernetes and AWS ECS services. Additionally, my colleagues and clients often use the application management tools for configuration, parameters, and installations."

"With AWS Systems Manager, our company can patch our systems directly from it, so we don't need to patch our systems manually."

"Systems Manager has a feature where it analyzes the logs and gives us a performance overview in the form of a graph. We know when it's taking up more resources and when there are spikes, so we can predict the usability."

"It is beginner-friendly with extensive features that can be learned gradually based on the user's needs and tasks."

"AWS Systems Manager's most valuable feature is its ability to dynamically export and import values in various AWS accounts"

"When we do the automation in the cloud, we use the SSM agent. This helps us to test our automation and documents, and monitor the cloud."

More AWS Systems Manager pros

Cons

"The installation could be improved to be simplified."

"I would like the ability to install the agent on devices from suppliers, which would enable us to implement a zero-trust strategy for guest devices."

"There are a few security features that are not available in Microsoft Intune, when compared to other products."

"Intune's privilege management feature, while beneficial, is less intuitive than other Intune features, making it challenging to use."

"While Intune works perfectly well, the only potential downside is that the deployment could be a bit complex for some users."

"Intune's reporting and logging could be improved. When troubleshooting, it's difficult to collect the logs and determine what's happening. If I want to filter out the compliant devices, I can see it from the logs, but I would like the option to drill down further."

"More integration with monitoring tools is needed."

"Although Intune is from the same provider, its integration with other Microsoft products, like Microsoft Defender or Microsoft Purview, could be improved."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"Including certain examples of templates would be advantageous."

"One area where AWS CloudFormation could improve is by offering more flexibility in creating custom templates."

"There is less support for on-premise environments."

"What could be improved in AWS CloudFormation is its user interface, in terms of graphical design, I prefer WYSIWYG."

"The Infrastructure Composer is not fully complete, making it necessary to tweak the code manually after generating it, which could be improved."

"For improvement, it's crucial that AWS provides options in terms of computing services, DB related services, and machine learning solutions. If I'm not hands-on with a particular service, like machine learning applications, I struggle to write the CloudFormation code."

"For a beginner, it's kind of difficult to set up. So, the user does need some knowledge in order to do it."

"There could be more tools for conditional outputs in CloudFormation. Although YAML syntax is structured and AWS has CDK, perhaps more validations could be added to make the work easier."

More AWS CloudFormation cons

"The AWS UIs are not the most intuitive. Also, the usability needs room for improvement."

"Ensuring broader OS coverage in patch management could be beneficial for the product."

"It could be agentless if there's room for improvement in the AWS Systems Manager. Currently, you have to install agents, although, for most of the latest EC2 images, the agents come preinstalled. If it could be at the level of Ansible, which is agentless, that would be fantastic. When you compare the solution to Ansible, one of the most widely accepted tools, the agentless feature stands out. So, if the AWS Systems Manager could become agentless, that would be a significant improvement."

"The fact that AWS Systems Manager takes time to complete the patching process, makes it an area where improvements are required."

"Lacks sufficient integrations."

"Every AWS service comes with some associated costs."

"AWS does not have EKS cluster backup."

"Additional features can be added as per customer requirements."

More AWS Systems Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our Office 365 Business Premium license, including Office 365 and Intune Management, offers excellent value."

"We don't pay for Intune because it is bundled with the premium subscription to Office 365. It includes Intune and Defender. I don't have to buy two extra products to manage my enterprise."

"It's monthly for us, but it's built into the license cost that we pay our IT each month. It's maybe 129 Kroner per head, which translates to £10. There are some additional costs. Our IT had to set up and configure their own server, so there is an extra cost for that, but I'm not sure what that costs."

"It is reasonable for the features it has."

"Every customer used to purchase licenses based on their needs."

"It is reasonable. When you have Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license, it is already licensed in that license. So, you could say it is free."

"It is average. Some of the costs are quite high depending on what the customer currently uses, but overall, it is not bad. I would not say that I would not recommend Intune based on the cost. I definitely would, but they can definitely improve on the cost. So overall, its cost is not bad."

"Its price is fair. It's a normal price. It isn't too expensive or too cheap."

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"The tool's pricing depends on the page model."

"The tool is free for the AWS environment."

"AWS CloudFormation's pricing is cheaper than that of other cloud providers."

"There's no cost for launching any template using CloudFormation."

"AWS CloudFormation doesn't have any cost because it's only the resources that you deploy with the solution that'll incur costs."

"In general, pricing within AWS is relatively affordable."

"If you compared serverless and container-based, serverless is less expensive. If you use certain instances the price can increase and become too expensive."

"The product is free."

More AWS CloudFormation pricing and cost advice

"The platform provides excellent value for the capabilities it offers when compared to third-party tools for similar tasks."

"As we were doing a government project so the government got the project at a very nominal cost."

"An AWS cloud engineer can bring down the costs."

"Most of the features are free. I'm not entirely certain, but I believe the pricing is generally very low. Some services that are part of Ops Manager might have associated costs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

26%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

22%

Computer Software Company

21%

Government

University

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?

Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...

See all answers

What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...

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How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...

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What do you like most about AWS CloudFormation?

AWS Cloud automation reduces the time needed to create AWS resources.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS CloudFormation?

I am not concerned about the pricing or setup costs for AWS CloudFormation, as my account is funded and I haven’t nee...

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What needs improvement with AWS CloudFormation?

The Infrastructure Composer is not fully complete, making it necessary to tweak the code manually after generating it...

See all answers

What do you like most about AWS Systems Manager?

With AWS Systems Manager, our company can patch our systems directly from it, so we don't need to patch our systems m...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Systems Manager?

Every AWS service comes with some associated costs. While using AWS Systems Manager, we continually monitor to optimi...

See all answers

What needs improvement with AWS Systems Manager?

There isn't anything specific I remember at the moment.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 15% of the time

Workspace ONE UEM vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 8% of the time

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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 5% of the time

Samsung Knox vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 3% of the time

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Red Hat Satellite vs AWS CloudFormation

Compared 18% of the time

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Microsoft Configuration Manager vs AWS Systems Manager

Compared 17% of the time

AWS Config vs AWS Systems Manager

Compared 11% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs AWS Systems Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Red Hat Satellite vs AWS Systems Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Chef vs AWS Systems Manager

Compared 2% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

February 2025

Download Microsoft Intune product report

Buyer's Guide

AWS CloudFormation

March 2025

Download AWS CloudFormation product report

Buyer's Guide

Configuration Management

February 2025

Download AWS Systems Manager product report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

CloudFormation

Amazon Elastic Container Registry

Overview

Microsoft Intune provides centralized management of mobile devices and applications, ensuring security, compliance, and productivity through integration with Microsoft services like Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory.

Organizations use Intune for managing mobile devices and applications, enhancing security and compliance across platforms. With features like single sign-on, conditional access, and zero-touch deployment via Autopilot, it facilitates efficient operations. Intune's scalability, easy enrollment, and capabilities such as remote wipe support diverse device management, offering robust data protection and efficient operation. Despite its features, improvement areas include reporting, compatibility with non-Microsoft devices, and better support for macOS and Linux devices.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Seamless Integration: Works with Microsoft 365, Azure Active Directory, and System Center for streamlined management.
Conditional Access: Enhances security with policies that restrict access based on conditions.
Autopilot: Provides zero-touch deployment for setting up new devices efficiently.
Mobile Device Management: Enables control over both personal and corporate devices.
Application Deployment: Facilitates app delivery across a range of devices.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Centralized Management: Reduces complexity by managing devices and applications in one place.
Security Enhancement: Protects data with features like remote wipe and compliance monitoring.
Improved Productivity: Enhances efficiency with seamless integration and automation features.
Device Scalability: Supports diverse device management for growing business needs.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure secure and compliant device management. Companies leverage its capabilities to deploy security policies and manage both corporate-owned and BYOD environments, facilitating a unified approach to data protection and compliance.

Microsoft

AWS CloudFormation provides a common language for you to model and provision AWS and third party application resources in your cloud environment. AWS CloudFormation allows you to use programming languages or a simple text file to model and provision, in an automated and secure manner, all the resources needed for your applications across all regions and accounts. This gives you a single source of truth for your AWS and third party resources.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS Systems Manager is a management service that helps you automatically collect software inventory, apply OS patches, create system images, and configure Windows and Linux operating systems. These capabilities help you define and track system configurations, prevent drift, and maintain software compliance of your EC2 and on-premises configurations. By providing a management approach that is designed for the scale and agility of the cloud but extends into your on-premises data center, Systems Manager makes it easier for you to seamlessly bridge your existing infrastructure with AWS.

Systems Manager is easy to use. Simply access Systems Manager from the EC2 Management Console, select the instances you want to manage, and define the management tasks you want to perform. Systems Manager is available now at no cost to manage both your EC2 and on-premises resources.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway

Nextdoor, Coinbase, Expedia

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

Buyer's Guide

AWS CloudFormation vs. AWS Systems Manager

January 2025

Free Report: AWS CloudFormation vs. AWS Systems Manager

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