Microsoft Intune and HashiCorp Terraform compete in the enterprise IT management category, focusing on device management and infrastructure automation, respectively. Terraform seemingly has the upper hand for multi-cloud environments due to its flexibility and automation capabilities.
Features: Microsoft Intune integrates with the Microsoft ecosystem, offering Conditional Access, endpoint management, and cloud-based administration, all contributing to cost efficiency and flexibility. HashiCorp Terraform excels in infrastructure as code, supporting multi-cloud platforms, automation for consistency, and idempotency, enhancing management of complex environments.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft Intune needs enhancements in advanced reporting, broader support for Linux, and macOS patching. Its reliance on the Microsoft ecosystem and subpar MAM capabilities are also significant drawbacks. Conversely, HashiCorp Terraform requires better state management, a more user-friendly GUI, and improved error messaging to handle dynamic environments more effectively.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Intune benefits from integration within Microsoft 365 services but struggles with initial setup complexity and multi-platform integration, especially for non-Windows devices. Customer service is inconsistent with reports of slow responses. Terraform, being open-source, is easier to deploy for CI/CD tool users and enjoys community support, though it lacks comprehensive formal support.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Intune provides competitive pricing when part of Microsoft 365 bundles, though smaller organizations may find it costly. It enhances productivity by integrating well with Microsoft products. Terraform, as an open-source tool, offers significant cost savings with its free use for infrastructure management, though its enterprise version may involve higher expenses.
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.
They provide mail IDs, a portal, and contact numbers for assistance.
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.
Scalability is effective, and I would rate it a ten out of ten.
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.
Stability has been a concern, particularly around backside stability with unexpected terminations.
Once the configuration is set, there are generally no significant stability issues.
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.
There are potential improvements in the backend stability of HashiCorp Terraform.
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.
I use the open-source version of Terraform, so there is no cost for me.
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.
Terraform modules make it easier to manage complex infrastructure and code within an organization.
Terraform's infrastructure as a code tool facilitates deploying code on tools, and once configured with AWS and local Terraform systems, it can be reused multiple times without much issue.
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.
HashiCorp Terraform is a powerful configuration management solution that aims to provide users with the ability to maximize the ease with which users can perform their configuration management operations. It makes it so that organizations can reliably configure and manage their infrastructure. Terraform is a tool that transforms every user into an administrator and project collaborator. Businesses that use it have at their command a solution that they can use for the entire lifecycle of their infrastructure.
HashiCorp Terraform Benefits
Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by choosing to deploy HashiCorp Terraform include:
HashiCorp Terraform Features
Reviews from Real Users
HashiCorp Terraform is a highly effective solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Two significant advantages it offers are its ability to help users create deployment pipelines that make the deployment process simple and its ability to recover infrastructure fully should something delete or damage it.
Patryk G., the chief technology officer at Translucent Computing Inc, writes, “Furthermore, Terraform enables the creation of a deployment pipeline using tools, such as Atlantis, which automates the process of scanning and deploying the code. This streamlines the deployment process and adds features, such as auditing, risk management, and security scanning to the deployment process. Terraform provides a more organized and secure way of managing infrastructure, compared to the traditional ad-hoc method.”
Rakib M., the chief technology and strategy officer at the White House, says, “One of the other major features of terraform is its ability to act as a Disaster Recovery tool. Since terraform is an Infrastructure-As-A-Service tool, it can be used as part of the rest of the DR toolset to restore affected infrastructure to its original state without any variation.”
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."
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