Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

Ivanti and Quest Software are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Ivanti is ranked #25, while Quest Software is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0. Ivanti holds a 1.1% mindshare in PM, compared to Quest Software’s 5.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Quest Software users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Patch for Configurat...

Read 2 Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager reviews

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270 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Read 38 Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

1,742 Views
1,097 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Ivanti Patch for Configurat...

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance and Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager compete in the system and patch management category. Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager holds an advantage in comprehensive features, while Quest KACE SMA is more favorable in pricing and support.

Features: Quest KACE SMA provides versatile capabilities in asset management, software distribution, and security compliance. Meanwhile, Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager enhances integration and automation of patch management, offering detailed reporting and improved security management. The focus of Ivanti on patch management specialization makes it preferable for those seeking enhanced security features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager benefits from seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure, improving deployment efficiency. Quest KACE SMA offers straightforward setup and reliable customer service, which efficiently addresses issues. While Ivanti provides robust integration techniques, Quest KACE SMA's ease of use and support accessibility give it an operational edge.

Pricing and ROI: Quest KACE SMA presents a competitive pricing structure, appealing to organizations seeking value without compromising essential management features. Its rapid ROI enhances its attractiveness. Although Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager is more costly, it offers long-term benefits with advanced capabilities and integration features. Organizations prioritizing security and automation will find Ivanti worth the investment, despite a higher initial setup cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

March 2025

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Helped 846,617 peers since 2012

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

Ivanti Patch for Configurat...

Ranking in Patch Management

25th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Ranking in Patch Management

10th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (6th), Endpoint Compliance (7th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (15th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager is 1.1%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 5.4%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

Gaurav Chandola

Senior Associate Specialist at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Provides detection logic that tells us which customer will record an update and is less expensive than other solutions

I haven't had experience with customer service and support, however, we did have an advisory case with one of their technical support staff. We were publishing and getting the full metadata for the patch. We were getting the full updates for the patch release. There was confusion as to why we were seeing that in the SCCM, instead of in the full metadata patch. The support person was able to help us in understanding what we were doing wrong, highlighting it could be a certificate issue. We generated a new certificate, and after they were applied, the issue was fixed. Overall, I would rate their customer service and support a five out of five.

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Scott Tweed

Windows Engineer at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Low maintenance, reliable, and easy to create packages

I like how when you click on the device, it shows you everything that has changed as well as the software versioning. I am really enjoying the inventory aspect of it. The deployment process for both deploying and creating a package is straightforward. I believe the inventory in KACE is superior to SCCM's. I know with SCCM I could do things like remote console into machines via the agent's remote console, but that is not a feature that is provided in KACE. I know that at least in the Systems Management Appliance, I can't get to it. I'm not sure how distribution works, with distribution points. I'm not sure if KACE has that feature. You could use an SCCM to set up distribution points at remote sites so that they don't have to download patches or software from across the country. If you have a DP or something similar, they could pull it down.

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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

"This solution is stable."

"The most valuable feature of Ivanti Patch for SCCM is the detection logic."

"The scripting is a very valuable feature, as it saves us time on pushing certain things out to the users, such as software and patches."

"It is excellent in terms of updating and configuring everything the way we need. For anything more complex, we do professional service engagements, and they're exceptional. For anything less complex, we just need to ask questions. Their support division is extremely good too."

"We use the Systems Deployment appliance. It's our bread and butter. It is every machine that gets imaged here in this building and out through the whole state goes through the SDA. We rely on it completely. There is no manual process of getting a laptop out of a box, plugging it up, turning it on, and waiting for Windows to start. If you were to go to Best Buy and buy a brand new laptop, you spend the next two to three hours just setting it up. We don't do that. We get a laptop, plug it into the network, connect it to the SDA, and within about three clicks, we're done."

"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."

"Pretty much all of the features are valuable. The inventory is very helpful to be able to keep track of our devices. The deployments make it easy to deploy new software packages or upgrade packages. The help desk is also a great tool for tracking problems and problem tickets."

"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."

"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."

"I like how when you click on the device, it shows you everything that has changed as well as the software versioning. I am really enjoying the inventory aspect of it."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"In future releases, I would like to see improvements with the feature upgrade for the SCCM, which Microsoft has already integrated. Currently, Ivanti does not give us information about the enablement package."

"We have some problems with patches not installing successfully."

"One of the complications is that they don't have 24/7 support, and they're also not in our time zone... Sometimes, no matter how critical my application is, if my production server is down I won't be able to connect with anybody till 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time."

"We'd love to see support for larger dependencies in the scripting feature."

"I would sure like them to be able to copy and paste out of OneNote. That drives me nuts. You can't copy from OneNote into KACE."

"When we have to do a rebuild on these machines, although it is rare, I would like to be able to do more than 10 at a time. With the current limit, it slows me down because I have to set up 10, then the next 10, and so forth."

"The K1000 doesn't communicate well with some clients without SMB. There are some issues with getting things to image correctly because they rely on SMB, and SMB is a protocol that is being removed due to security reasons. Organizations are trying to rely less and less on SMB. I know Quest is aware of it. They've talked about having a new version that wouldn't rely on SMB for connection to the clients, but they haven't gotten there yet."

"It could be designed a little bit more intuitively in terms of administration."

"Sometimes the information is not as real time as it's supposed to be."

"It is a little bit difficult to use the license compliances because you need to decide when you are using the software catalog if you are using it with their license compliance or the normal software part. Under the inventory, you can use software as a menu link or software catalog. Most of my specialist software is not in the software catalog. When I try to import them, in my license compliances overview, there are cryptic names for this software that I have to import. That is not very good for the reports that I use. When I take them to my bosses, they see cryptic names of software that they don't understand. It would be much better for me if I could use software and the software catalog as well for the license compliances."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We do not have a license with Ivanti, instead we buy just the plugins for the consoles, making it a much less expensive option versus other solutions."

"We are also saving on the licensing fee, compared to other endpoint management solutions."

"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."

"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."

"The cost of KACE has been relatively low compared to other systems. Even if those systems have the same cost, they do not do as much of the third-party patching that KACE natively does."

"We pay annually for technical support."

"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."

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

"It was a very attractive price. This is a huge feature of this product. If you would "credit score" this product versus others out there on the market, this one has a very attractive price."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

20%

Computer Software Company

10%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

10%

University

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What do you like most about Quest KACE Systems Management?

My company had bought some new machines. We used the tool to do some basic settings to ship every machine the same way and undertake the Windows deployment. We did the scripted installation. The to...

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

The pricing is in the middle range of the market, not too expensive but not the cheapest either.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

The user interface needs improvement as customers have mentioned they do not like the interface since it is not an SMA-based interface and lacks a manual configuration option.

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Comparisons

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Compared 66% of the time

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Compared 34% of the time

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Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 10% of the time

BigFix vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 9% of the time

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

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

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Patch Management

March 2025

Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager report

Download Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

March 2025

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

Patch for SCCM, Shavlik Patch for SCCM, Ivanti Patch for MEM

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager is an invaluable plug-in for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MEM) that streamlines patch management by allowing you to publish and manage third-party software patches alongside Microsoft updates, all within a unified workflow. This means you can save both time and effort by eliminating the need for separate tools to manage your patching process. With comprehensive patch coverage for various third-party products, automated deployment, flexible scheduling, real-time reporting, and seamless integration with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, Ivanti Patch simplifies and enhances your patch management.

Ivanti

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is a comprehensive tool for managing IT endpoints. It facilitates asset management, software distribution, and endpoint tracking while offering remote access capabilities and a centralized help desk.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is designed for organizations that need efficient endpoint management. It offers a range of features like inventory tracking, automated patch management, and ticketing. By integrating with remote access tools such as Bomgar, Quest KACE helps reduce manual tasks involved in managing software updates and system deployments. Although it faces challenges in scalability and requires improvements in integration and reporting, it remains a versatile choice for asset tracking and endpoint administration.

What are Quest KACE SMA's key features?

Asset Management: Streamline the organization and tracking of physical and virtual assets.
Remote Access: Integrates with Bomgar for secure, remote troubleshooting and management.
Software Distribution: Deploy applications across devices efficiently without physical intervention.
Centralized Endpoint Management: Manage endpoints from a centralized console to ensure compliance and optimization.
Automated Patch Management: Schedule and deploy patches to maintain system security and performance.
Help Desk: Integrated ticketing system for tracking and resolving user issues.
Scripting and Reporting: Enhance administrative tasks through automated scripts and detailed reports.

What benefits should users consider?

Improved Productivity: Reduces manual interference with automated deployments and updates.
Labor Savings: Minimizes labor requirements with efficient remote management tools.
Integrated Reporting: Provides actionable insights through comprehensive reports to optimize IT operation.
User-Friendly Interface: Boosts effectiveness due to its intuitive, easy-to-navigate design.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is implemented across industries for managing IT assets and endpoints, particularly where remote management and compliance are critical. It's employed in healthcare, education, and government sectors for efficient patch management, inventory control, and software deployment, aiding organizations in managing security accreditations and centralizing help desk operations.

Quest Software

Sample Customers

University of Pittsburgh

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

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

March 2025

Free Report: Ivanti Patch for Configuration Manager vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

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