Checkmk vs Microsoft System Center comparison

Checkmk and Microsoft are both solutions in the Cloud Monitoring Software category. Checkmk is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.4, while Microsoft is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.8. Checkmk holds a 5.3% mindshare in CMS, compared to Microsoft’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Checkmk users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Checkmk

Read 9 Checkmk reviews

3,111 Views
2,760 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft System Center

Read 19 Microsoft System Center reviews

163 Views
87 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Checkmk

Microsoft System Center

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Microsoft System Center and Checkmk are notable contenders in the IT operations management category. While both provide valuable solutions, Checkmk seems to have the upper hand in affordability and multi-platform integration, whereas Microsoft System Center excels in seamless integration within the Windows ecosystem.

Features: Microsoft System Center offers seamless integration with other Microsoft products, robust automation capabilities, and ease of configuration for Windows environments. Checkmk is known for its auto-discovery feature, resource monitoring capabilities, and effective alerting system, making it well-suited for infrastructures requiring comprehensive monitoring.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft System Center needs improved integration outside the Microsoft ecosystem, simpler installation processes, and enhanced cloud monitoring features. Checkmk could improve its integration capabilities, user interface simplification, and expand its documentation to cater to a broader user base, enhancing accessibility and usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft System Center primarily offers on-premises deployment with hybrid capabilities, often requiring substantial support resources which can be costly and less responsive. Checkmk provides both on-premises and cloud options, supported by a user community for simpler issues, though complex problems might require more comprehensive support.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft System Center is perceived as expensive, integrated into enterprise subscriptions, but offers a good return on investment by automating processes and reducing dependencies on third-party tools. Checkmk is more affordable with a pricing model favored in budget-conscious sectors, providing an attractive alternative while still delivering significant ROI through its cost-effective efficiency for multi-platform environments.

To learn more, read our detailed Checkmk vs. Microsoft System Center Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Checkmk vs. Microsoft System Center

March 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

Checkmk

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

12th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (11th), Server Monitoring (5th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (13th)

Microsoft System Center

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Infrastructure (13th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Cloud Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Checkmk is 5.3%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft System Center is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Paolo Sala

Application performance and System monitoring at Agos

A reasonably priced tool for system and application monitoring

The main room for improvement is in the solution's presentation and the integration area. In our company, we use the integration capabilities from ServiceNow. We also have another big monitoring solution in place in our company, which is Dynatrace. At the moment, there doesn't exist an out-of-the-box integration for Dynatrace. I think that the integration and the exporting of the data collected are areas where Checkmk lacks but should try to improve the most. The only implementation of Checkmk that allows high availability is the virtual appliance that has the option for the availability of a different box. Otherwise, you have to find a way to implement it manually with some custom solution, which could be an improvement.

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Ajinkya Mohod

System Security Engineer at Punch Powertrain nv

Makes user management and application management easy for users

Speaking about the impact of the automation feature that impacted our company's operational efficiency, I can say that the complete tool works on automation. You just have to configure it, and it works, especially in areas like auto-patching updates. I suggest that others can definitely go ahead with Microsoft System Center, especially beginners who choose it, can get hands-on experience with it, and acquire a good understanding of how things work. In terms of the value and benefits derived from the use of the solution, I can say that my company's operations have been made simpler because of the product, especially in areas like user management and application management where we have been benefited a lot. I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

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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 most valuable features of Checkmk are its resource monitoring, infra monitoring, and log factor configuration."

"Overall, from one to ten, I rate Checkmk a nine."

"The alerting system in Checkmk really works properly."

"The initial setup of Checkmk was easy...It is a very stable solution."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it has a lot of different pieces, and they all work together...It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"We can monitor multiple sites using the product."

"It's versatile, scalable, and easier to use compared to other solutions like Nagios and OMD."

"Checkmk helps me compare data and foresee issues."

More Checkmk pros

"The installation process is easy."

"Managment Packs for Microsoft-specific products, help us implement the best practices for each product."

"Many processes could be implemented out-of-the-box, and this helped to adopt processes in areas which we lacked."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft System Center is its GUI (graphical user interface)."

"Good for managing and administering the infrastructure."

"We like Microsoft System Center's Operations Manager. That is primarily why we use it."

"The deployment and asset management features are the most valuable. These are the product's main features."

"The features that I have found most valuable are the ease of configuration and the easy discovery of the environment."

More Microsoft System Center pros

Cons

"Checkmk does not work too easily with the PowerStore. I use a PowerShell script as Checkmk runs on Linux and a Windows system, connecting with the Checkmk agent."

"Sometimes we receive alerts, and it can become annoying when you acknowledge an alert. It is very clunky when you acknowledge the alert. The process is not very intuitive, and there are instances where it feels a bit cumbersome to acknowledge an alert."

"Checkmk does not allow running scripts at varying intervals."

"I think that the integration and the exporting of the data collected are areas where Checkmk lacks but should try to improve the most."

"It is easy for tech-savvy people, but newcomers might find it intimidating."

"In Checkmk, the documentation can probably be improved a bit more."

"If an alert is generated for a specific pattern in the log, and if Checkmk catches that log, it will stay there even after the alert is resolved."

"The main challenge for us is that we're moving from Nagios to Checkmk, and we're still getting used to the new way of working."

More Checkmk cons

"The platform performance and responsiveness need improvement. It still demands high computing resources."

"For me, the tool's UI seems to be too old."

"Less server consumption would help, as would better, more flexible reports."

"The solution's dashboard needs improvement."

"They should have some customized solutions or internal development, then maybe it could be easier to use different solutions or some self-developed solution."

"System Center hasn't updated to keep up with the industry. It needs improvements in the user interface, ease of use, and overall product functionality, particularly the cloud-monitoring features. It needs more capabilities to monitor AWS and Azure infrastructure."

"Most of the documentation is online, however, there are some gaps there. The product documentation still refers back to the 2012 Server. We're pretty much in 2022. There's a ten-year gap there."

"Microsoft System Center should be easier to manage. However, it is complex to deploy, so people hesitate to use it. Though it has many features, such as licensing, asset tracking, and software deployment, we mainly use it for Windows updates. It protects many screens and integrates with databases, but it's complex compared to other solutions. Many now use cloud-based products or other tools like Automox to deploy updates and manage vulnerabilities."

More Microsoft System Center cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Checkmk is cheaper compared to other enterprise products."

"The product is affordable."

"Checkmk is a fairly reasonably priced solution."

"We maximized our license investment."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."

"I know that sometimes there is some reduction in the prices of Microsoft System Center because of the costs of Microsoft SQL Server, which can be advantageous."

"Microsoft System Center is quite expensive."

"I rate the product price as five to six on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is cheap and ten means it is expensive."

"It's rolled into our enterprise subscription. The entire subscription is around $25,000 a year, however, that covers all the products that we use."

"Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Checkmk?

The most valuable feature of the solution is that it has a lot of different pieces, and they all work together...It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Checkmk?

I will get more information about Checkmk when the proof of concept is done. It's going to be before the summer. There will be a report about the tool and a recommendation to use it. So far, it loo...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Checkmk?

Checkmk ( /products/checkmk-reviews ) is a monitoring tool, so that's what I will use it for. Right now, it's not in production, but it's in a proof of concept phase. It looks good, so probably, du...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft System Center?

The product's initial setup phase was easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft System Center?

Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft System Center?

Microsoft System Center should be easier to manage. However, it is complex to deploy, so people hesitate to use it. Though it has many features, such as licensing, asset tracking, and software depl...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Checkmk

April 2025

Download Checkmk product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft System Center

March 2025

Download Microsoft System Center product report

Also Known As

No data available

MS System Center

Overview

Checkmk is a powerful tool for monitoring IT infrastructure, providing vital insights on servers, databases, network devices, and custom applications.

Primarily used for supervising IT infrastructure, Checkmk helps organizations ensure service availability by monitoring hosts, processes, load, storage, and network appliances. With support for both Linux and Windows environments across multiple data centers, Checkmk performs compliance checks and preserves historical data for core network devices.

What are the key features of Checkmk?

Auto-discovery: Automatically identifies new hosts and applies monitoring rules.
Custom monitoring: Enhances MySQL performance tracking.
Slack integration: Provides immediate downtime alerts.
Graphical trend analysis: Offers 400 days of trend data.
Multiple site monitoring: Ensures seamless data synchronization through task automation.
Resource and infrastructure monitoring: Configures log factors to fit budget constraints.
System metric imports: Includes servers, SQL, file systems, and application monitoring.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?

Time-saving: Auto-discovery and task automation streamline processes.
Proactive alerts: Immediate downtime notifications optimize response times.
Historical insights: Long-term graphical trend analysis aids strategic planning.
Cost efficiency: Resource monitoring aligned with budget constraints.

Checkmk is deployed extensively in large enterprise environments for monitoring critical infrastructure. It proves particularly useful under conditions of frequent power outages or network issues, helping maintain smooth operations. While the alert acknowledgment process and interface require improvements, and the lack of an agent-less platform complicates server management, the strengths in auto-discovery, integration, and comprehensive monitoring make Checkmk a strong contender for IT infrastructure monitoring.

Checkmk

System Center helps customers realize the benefits of the Microsoft Cloud Platform by delivering unified management. Experience fast time-to-value with out-of-the-box monitoring, provisioning, configuration, automation, protection and self-service.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Kassen_rztliche Vereinigung Nordrhein, Magyar Telekom Nyrt., Adeka, QualCare, Aeriandi, UniCredit Bank d.d., Mostar, Allianz Australia Ltd., Grupo Familia

Buyer's Guide

Checkmk vs. Microsoft System Center

March 2025

Free Report: Checkmk vs. Microsoft System Center

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