VMware Aria Automation and AWS CloudFormation compete in the cloud automation and management category. VMware Aria Automation has an edge with enterprises needing comprehensive integration and automation, while AWS CloudFormation stands out for its simplicity and scalability within AWS environments.
Features: VMware Aria Automation is noted for its orchestration capabilities, self-service portals, and hybrid cloud setups, making it suitable for complex, multi-cloud environments. It offers extensive automation features and integration capabilities ideal for enterprises deeply invested in VMware's ecosystem. AWS CloudFormation excels with its infrastructure as code approach, allowing users to manage AWS services with predefined templates. Its strength lies in its simplicity and scalability, offering seamless integration within AWS, making it ideal for organizations primarily operating within AWS.
Room for Improvement: VMware Aria Automation could enhance its integration with non-VMware systems and improve its user interface and support documentation. The steep learning curve also demands a more user-friendly interface. AWS CloudFormation could benefit from expanding support beyond AWS and improving complex scenario handling such as cross-account references. Enhanced template creation tools and faster service updates would also address user needs better.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware Aria Automation is generally deployed on-premises, catering to private cloud strategies. It is praised for its robust customer service, though complexity and customization needs may delay support responses. AWS CloudFormation, designed for public cloud deployment, benefits from AWS's strong global support but lacks the personalized service VMware may offer. Its detailed documentation and active community support assist users, although beginners might face challenges during initial setups without a coding background.
Pricing and ROI: VMware Aria Automation is costly, with bundled licensing structures. Users justify its price by the ROI gained from advanced integration and automation capabilities. On the other hand, AWS CloudFormation is free, with charges applied only to deployed AWS resources, offering a more cost-effective model for AWS environments. Both enable significant ROI by reducing manual processes; however, VMware's upfront investment provides long-term benefits, while AWS CloudFormation offers immediate cost savings depending on usage.
Everything we've gained from it makes my job easier day after day, and I see value in it as an engineer.
Importantly, when someone leaves the company, it helps protect document access on their devices.
Applications are deployed through Intune, and we see fewer tickets for common issues because we can resolve them through the solution.
When a support ticket is submitted, it directly reaches someone with Intune support expertise.
When I contacted Microsoft, they had the same expertise, if not more, which is phenomenal because I felt heard and my problem was solved.
Sometimes, the support provided is excellent, and the representative is knowledgeable, while other times, the service needs improvement.
While this might be acceptable for some, it can be lengthy depending on the urgency of the issue.
The scalability of Microsoft Intune is ten out of ten.
Ideally, we want to automatically segregate devices based on user properties like primary use, but currently, dynamic groups seem limited to device properties.
It supports organizations with 200 endpoints and those with more than 15,000 endpoints.
Adjusting capacity and functionality is a fundamental use.
Microsoft Intune has been very stable.
A couple of years ago, the performance was not as good as it is now, but there are noticeable backend improvements.
We've encountered problems with other services like Exchange, Intune has remained unaffected.
It has been reliable and efficient in all my deployments.
There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now.
Many third-party companies offer single-pane-of-glass reporting that shows you what your update environment looks like, how your patch is doing, application status, etc., but Intune's reporting is not intuitive.
Workspace ONE operates in real-time, whereas Intune has a noticeable delay when deploying policies or apps.
It presents challenges for users unfamiliar with coding, posing as a barrier to fully utilizing CloudFormation.
It operates for both of my products, however, as a product, it is complicated to integrate and automate with other products.
Introductory professional services, like a fast-track service, were included with our E5 membership, and there have been no additional costs.
The Intune suite and add-ons, such as batch management and remote help, are costly.
Microsoft Intune's costliness stems from licensing fees and the overhead associated with its management, user experience, and device remediation.
Intune excels in configuration and compliance management for Windows 10, ensuring devices receive timely updates and adhere to organizational standards.
Dynamic groups allow us to set conditions for automatic membership, eliminating the need for user intervention or manual review and ensuring a seamless workflow.
Windows Autopatch is the most valuable because it removes the burden of patch management.
I can see the entire infrastructure and its connections through code.
It helps us automate the workflow of creating many VMs and the TensorFlow key method.
Microsoft Intune is a comprehensive cloud-based service that allows you to remotely manage mobile devices and mobile applications without worrying about the security of your organization’s data. Device and app management can be used on company-owned devices as well as personal devices.
In an increasingly mobile workforce, Microsoft Intune keeps your sensitive data safe while on the move. Microsoft Intune makes it possible for your team members to work anywhere using their mobile devices. Microsoft Intune provides both the flexibility and the control needed for securing all your data on the cloud, no matter where the device with the data is located.
Microsoft Intune Device Management Key Features
With Microsoft Intune Device Management you can:
Mobile Application Management
Mobile application management in Intune is designed to protect your organization’s data at the application level.
With Microsoft Intune Application Management you can:
As part of Microsoft's Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) suite, Intune integrates with Microsoft Entra ID for access control and with Azure Information Protection for data protection. It also integrates with Microsoft 365 Applications.
Reviews from Real Users
Microsoft Intune stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its ability to secure all devices under its management and the flexibility that the solution offers its users.
A computing services manager notes, "Its security is most valuable. It gives us a way to secure devices, not only those that are steady. We do have a few tablets and other devices, and it is a way for us to secure these devices and manage them. We know they're out there and what's their status. We can manage their life cycle and verify that they're updated properly."
The head of IT engineering at a financial services company writes, "The one feature we find most useful is the Mobile Application Manager. There are two types: we have the complete MDM and the Mobile Application Manager (MAM). We don't give our users phones, it is their own personal phone, and we need to allow them to have access to the company details on their phone. We need to create a balance between their own personal data and the company data. We deploy the Mobile Application Manager for them so that we won't be able to interfere with their own personal data."
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.
VMware Aria Automation is a cloud management tool that allows companies to simplify their cloud experience through a modern automation platform. The solution is designed to deliver self-service clouds, multi-cloud automation with governance, and DevOps-based security and infrastructure management. It helps organizations improve IT agility, efficiency, and productivity through its various features.
VMware Aria Automation has multiple use cases that include the following:
VMware Aria Automation Features
VMware Aria Automation has various features that allow users to easily perform operations. Some of the solution's capacities include:
VMware Aria Automation Benefits
VMware Aria Automation offers its users various benefits. Some of the biggest advantages that the solution brings to companies that utilize it include:
Reviews from Real Users
Awais J., CTO/CEO at a tech services company, likes VMware Aria Automation because it saves a lot of time, provides more visibility, and has extensive automation capabilities.
An IT consultant at a government rates VMware Aria Automation highly because the product gives you flexibility to analyze and consume resources.
We monitor all Configuration Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.