BMC Client Management vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

BMC and Quest Software are both solutions in the Endpoint Compliance category. BMC is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.8, while Quest Software is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.3. BMC holds a 2.5% mindshare in EC, compared to Quest Software’s 4.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of BMC users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Quest Software users who would recommend it.

BMC Client Management

Read 7 BMC Client Management reviews

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72 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Read 38 Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

198 Views
110 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

BMC Client Management

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 27, 2024

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) and BMC Client Management compete in the endpoint management category. Quest KACE seems to have the upper hand due to its centralized insight and ease of deployment, although BMC Client Management is recognized for its multi-platform support and compliance capabilities.

Features: Quest KACE SMA offers endpoint management with service desk functionalities, remote management capabilities, and asset overview. It simplifies complex updates and deployment processes. BMC Client Management is noted for robust remote control features and managing compliance and patch management across various OS environments.

Room for Improvement: Quest KACE SMA could enhance scalability and patch management while also improving its aggressive sales approach. BMC Client Management users seek better integration, expanded mobile device management, and a more comprehensive internal vulnerability assessment tool.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Quest KACE supports on-premises and cloud deployments and is praised for its technical support, though support quality varies. BMC Client Management typically involves on-premises and public cloud setups and is appreciated for its customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Quest KACE SMA's expense is justified by its features, saving time and enhancing productivity with flexible device-based licensing. BMC Client Management is considered affordable, with valued flexible licensing and suite options, ideal for comprehensive endpoint management in cost-conscious settings.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC Client Management vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

BMC Client Management vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

BMC Client Management

Ranking in Endpoint Compliance

8th

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Mobile Device Management (MDM) (6th)

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Ranking in Endpoint Compliance

7th

Average Rating

8.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Configuration Management (14th), Patch Management (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2024, in the Endpoint Compliance category, the mindshare of BMC Client Management is 2.5%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 4.1%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Compliance

Featured Reviews

Cristian Testa

Presales Manager Product Manager - Latin America Region at tdi

May 21, 2024

A stable solution that allows you to manage IT clients from receipt to retirement

The initial setup is straightforward and easy to use, but you need to understand the different functionalities and modules. The console version and the Hub application are different, and you need some knowledge to make the process easier. Deployment typically takes about two months. You start with the initial setup and then continue with operations. The deployment process is straightforward. The master installation takes about thirty minutes. After that, you deploy different relays to discover the endpoints and create the credentials and sources to install the agents. Once the agent is installed on an endpoint, you can manage it as needed. The first step is always the installation. BMC Client Management can be deployed both on cloud and on-premises. After the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increased need for remote solutions, so we have customers using both models. In BMC Client Management, I'd rate the initial setup as an eight out of ten.

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Fernando Cezario

Level 2 Support at Tigs

Jan 25, 2024

Helpful for IT asset management and offer a good dashboard

I like the KACE software dashboard so much! It's convenient. I don't need to know technical details like file formats (PDF or whatever) for installation, even for applications like Adobe. Here's how I use it: Let's say I have a license for Adobe and I need to install it on a computer named Julian. I simply open a case, enter the name of the application (Adobe), open the dashboard, and search for the computer named Julian. Once I select the computer, it shows up in the dashboard. Now, in the same case, I can open a large batch of software, select the application (Adobe Acrobat again), and choose the computer named Julian. KACE then deploys the application with minimal errors, usually within one or two minutes. Julian even receives a notification on their computer that the installation process has begun. It's fantastic! Moreover, it helped so much streamline our IT asset management and inventory. Sometimes someone changes the computer assigned to someone else. For example, Juliano had a computer, and then Matos changed it to his own use. I wouldn't know about this change if it weren't for KACE. KACE automatically tracks this information and saves it for me, allowing me to call it up on the dashboard. For example, if I need to find Juliano's computer in the system, I don't need to search through endless spreadsheets. I just search for "Juliano" in KACE. KACE also lists other details like the last login user. So, if I see "Juliano" on KACE but a different user is logged in, that tells me something might be wrong. I find this functionality very helpful for IT asset management.

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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 inventory and patch management tools are very valuable."

"The most valuable features of the solution are its patching capabilities and the help it offers when it comes to use cases, like prompting for the reboot after a certain period of time."

"It's a scalable solution. We have deployed it for customers using 3000 nodes to those using 300,000 nodes."

"BMC Client Management is a stable solution and one of the best in the market. It allows me to manage all recipe endpoints, including iOS, Android, Linux, Unix, and Windows, all within the same solution."

"The most valuable features of the solution are patch management and software license management."

"One feature I like, that was especially valuable during the pandemic, is remote control. Remote control grants administrators and support personnel access to the laptops and PCs of employees (who might be working from home) in order to fix any issues that come up as and when they come up, even without having to wait for a support request."

"The support from BMC Client Management is very good."

"The service desk can be configured and customized to better serve our environment."

"KACE automatically tracks this information and saves it for me, allowing me to call it up on the dashboard. For example, if I need to find Juliano's computer in the system, I don't need to search through endless spreadsheets. I just search for "Juliano" in KACE. KACE also lists other details like the last login user."

"This solution makes it easy to control assets and upgrade all types of software."

"The ability to build scripts right on the deployment center itself, as well as building groups that take those scripts/task chains has been absolutely invaluable and one of the most important parts of my whole environment."

"We can get the majority of what we need with this product and do not have to spend money on something else."

"The most valuable feature is the imaging of computers through the SDA... Being able to do that so quickly with the SDA, and to then use the SMA for reinstalling software, has been huge for our productivity."

"We have our KACE agent deployed on all of our workstations and servers, and it provides us with reports on the hardware and software inventory for those."

"You don't have to be an advanced user. Rather, in terms of ease of use, this product is right where it needs to be."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"The solution does not offer the functionality of remote access to users."

"BMC Client Management could improve in the area of integration."

"The solution needs to add whitelisting because many customers request it."

"The on-premises version of BMC Client Management has powerful remote control functionality and decent compliance features, but these features both rely on the discovery tool in order to gain a complete set of insights about the endpoint's environment. Now, BMC's discovery solution depends on having an agent installed in each endpoint and sometimes the agent doesn't work properly, making it difficult to get an accurate understanding of the environment (including special topologies) even with BMC's discovery tool."

"In BMC Client Management, I would like to see more features for executing commands remotely. For example, with SAP, there isn't the capability to execute all the commands available in the console. The latest version includes more endpoints, but they do not cover everything the operations team needs. Additionally, I think improving the hierarchy for managing endpoints is crucial. Extending the endpoint capabilities would be highly beneficial."

"BMC Client Management supports only iOS devices. It would be good if they would support Android as well."

"It would be good if BMC Client Management can perform vulnerability assessment scanning at the endpoint on its own and mitigate that. Then, we wouldn't have to rely on a third party VA tool. I would like to see this application move to being a web-based one."

"The KACE Go Mobile App crashes a lot, and it always has. I would love to see that get fixed because it's very convenient when it does work properly, but most of the time it does not."

"What could be improved is the possibility to use replicas in a secure way outside our network in order to maintain the machines that never connect to our corporate network."

"I think it should have the ability to have the applications automatically update. It would be really helpful if this would override what the user might choose to do."

"There may be a good reason why some things are not easily able to be done, yet it needs work to compete with some of the other ticketing systems out there now."

"The problem is that it's harder to directly emulate a lot of the stuff that the group policies do, using the KACE solution. With regular group policies, you just specify the various settings you want to change on the workstations, and then you specify the workstations and—while it's kind of an ugly mess—it does it. Whereas on KACE, you really have to know what you're doing with scripting to effectively script those exact same changes."

"Easier integration would be beneficial."

"There isn't a lot they need to improve with the solution itself at this point. It is pretty close to providing a single pane of glass for everything that we need for endpoint management specifically on all devices. There is very little that it doesn't provide for us, and for those, we have to go to other methods. There are some of the patching solutions that it doesn't take care of for us. So, we have to do those manually on the devices, and that's really the biggest thing. It doesn't do patching really well for non-Microsoft applications. The major application updates, particularly Windows updates, don't function nearly as well, but, for the vast majority of things, it does just fine. If they could improve in this aspect, that'd be great, but I don't know if they're going to be able to do that."

"The GUI needs some work. I love all that it can do, however, it can be just be so cluttered at times."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"BMC Client Management is a high-priced solution, but given its performance and capabilities, I think it offers great value. I don't have the exact number for the yearly licensing costs. I believe there is an additional cost of around two hundred dollars."

"To use BMC Client Management they charge annually per node."

"The solution is low cost."

"BMC Client Management is a very affordable solution. There is one main server license which I believe is around $1,000 per year, and then there is the license for the actual solution. With the solution license, you can opt for a suite license where you get access to all the features and benefits, or alternatively you can buy any of the five main components of the suite license individually."

"Some of the other solutions were just astronomical in price compared with KACE and didn't necessarily have the ease of use either. So, we chose Quest KACE for its easy-to-use features and cost."

"Their pricing is per end-point device. There is an initial cost for the license for the server, which is pretty low, and then there is a per end-point device license, which is also fairly low. So, the pricing is still reasonable."

"Based on other solutions that we had implemented, its pricing seems to be quite competitive. It is not inexpensive, but it is also not more expensive than any other solution. They have the standard licensing fees and support fees."

"We buy consulting fees from Software Factory, then we pay extra for it."

"It is expensive in Brazil."

"We need it, so we have to pay the price. It is what it is. If you need a gallon of milk, then you have to pay the price for it. You don't want to buy the cheap stuff. You want to buy the stuff that is organic and good for your body, which doesn't have all this other junk in it. You want it clean for your body. Quest has done that for our deployment and management systems."

"Licensing is done on a per device basis, so it's dependent on how many agents you've got installed."

"Licensing is very straightforward. They don't overcomplicate it. This is not a Cisco product where you have to have 30 different licenses just to open the box. It's pretty much set-and-forget. You pay an annual license... The cost is in the mid to upper range, but the ROI exceeds the outside cost, especially once you've had the system for a while."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

University

12%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about BMC Client Management?

The most valuable features of the solution are its patching capabilities and the help it offers when it comes to use cases, like prompting for the reboot after a certain period of time.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for BMC Client Management?

BMC Client Management is a high-priced solution, but given its performance and capabilities, I think it offers great value. I don't have the exact number for the yearly licensing costs. I believe t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with BMC Client Management?

In BMC Client Management, I would like to see more features for executing commands remotely. For example, with SAP, there isn't the capability to execute all the commands available in the console. ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Quest KACE Systems Management?

KACE automatically tracks this information and saves it for me, allowing me to call it up on the dashboard. For example, if I need to find Juliano's computer in the system, I don't need to search t...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?

It is expensive in Brazil. Generally, it's considered expensive, especially compared to solutions like Spiceworks.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

Easier integration would be beneficial.

See all answers

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 29% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Mobile Device Management (MDM)

September 2024

Download BMC Client Management product report

Buyer's Guide

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

October 2024

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

BMC Helix Client Management, Helix Client Management, BMC Fromdistance Mobile Device Management

Dell KACE Systems Management

Learn More

BMC

Quest Software

Overview

Client Management automates endpoint management and helps organizations control costs, maintain compliance, and reduce risk. From device acquisition to disposal, Client Management provides an accurate view of hardware installations, ensures device adherence to organizational and industry policies, and supports systems and software currency.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is a comprehensive endpoint and service desk management platform. It supports IT operations with functionalities such as ticketing, patch management, software deployment, and asset management.

KACE provides robust automation for managing software distribution and patch tasks. Organizations depend on it for security updates, system compliance, and centralized control over diverse devices. Integration with tools like Bomgar and ServiceNow enhances its remote support capabilities, while its intuitive interface streamlines IT processes, increasing productivity. Managing thousands of endpoints, it supports accreditation compliance and reports on system status and security.

What are the key features of Quest KACE SMA?

Automation: Streamlines software deployment and patch management.
Asset Management: Offers comprehensive inventory controls.
Integration: Compatible with Bomgar and ServiceNow for enhanced remote support.
System Deployment: SDA simplifies deployment across multiple machines.
Intuitive Interface: Facilitates IT task management from a single pane.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Increased Productivity: Simplifies IT tasks, optimizing resources.
Centralized Control: Manages a wide range of devices from one interface.
Security Compliance: Ensures systems are updated and compliant.
Enhanced Support: Improved remote support through integrations.
Reporting Capabilities: Provides insights into IT operations and status.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is implemented across industries needing robust IT management solutions such as healthcare for compliance and security, education for asset tracking, and corporate enterprises for efficient IT operations. Its multifunctional nature caters to diverse industry requirements, enhancing communication and data management.

Sample Customers

Charter Manufacturing

Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King

Buyer's Guide

BMC Client Management vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

October 2024

Free Report: BMC Client Management vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

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