Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Perforce Puppet comparison

Microsoft and Perforce are both solutions in the Configuration Management category. Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.1, while Perforce is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.5. Microsoft holds a 13.2% mindshare in CM, compared to Perforce’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Perforce users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 3, 2025

Perforce Puppet and Microsoft Configuration Manager compete in configuration management and system deployment. Microsoft Configuration Manager has an upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set meeting enterprise needs.

Features: Perforce Puppet streamlines server setup, management, and maintenance with robust automation scripts and flexible integrations. It allows remote package installation, centralized file distribution, and user creation. Its declarative nature and organized structure enable efficient configuration management and infrastructure as a code implementation. Microsoft Configuration Manager excels in application deployment, OS imaging, and regulatory compliance. It offers robust reporting, cloud management capabilities, and centralized software update installations.

Room for Improvement: Perforce Puppet could enhance user-friendliness for those less familiar with scripting and boost documentation of advanced features. Improved integration with diverse enterprise software and expanded community support could offer significant benefits. Microsoft Configuration Manager may simplify initial setup processes to enhance usability and could refine the interface to streamline user interaction. Improving the documentation for beginners and making it more intuitive could aid new users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Perforce Puppet facilitates a faster deployment process though initial setup may require scripting expertise. Customer service is strong but could require more technical engagement. Microsoft Configuration Manager, though more complex and potentially slower to deploy, benefits from extensive Microsoft support, providing broad assistance options for users.

Pricing and ROI: Perforce Puppet generally requires lower initial costs, making it appealing for small to medium enterprises with a focus on automation. Microsoft Configuration Manager involves a higher upfront investment which can be cost-effective in the long term for larger organizations due to its scalability and comprehensive features.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Perforce Puppet Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Perforce Puppet

January 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

Microsoft Intune

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 10.1%, up from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 13.2%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Perforce Puppet is 0.6%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Configuration Management

Featured Reviews

Joseph Merusi

Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Everything has worked better since we started using it

Sometimes the syncing is inconsistent. I'm confident that the devices are checking in every eight hours, but sometimes the devices aren't picking up the settings as quickly as I would expect. Some features haven't been updated in a while, and Microsoft doesn't seem interested in developing them. Unless you talk to an engineer, you don't know whether there will be an update. There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now. Some reporting areas still need development. For example, I noticed that the reporting for driver updates is still confusing.

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MikeNelson2

IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government

Deployment recovery works well but requires configuration improvements

While I do not use the product frequently, many issues were due to configuration rather than the product itself. I cannot give an exact recommendation as it is not my area of responsibility. The team that uses it finds it adequate. It is presently good enough for us not to investigate other options. Overall, I rate the product a six out of ten.

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Erik Ableson

Owner at Infrageeks

A stable solution that is more suited for larger companies with mature CI/CD structures and image management processes

Puppet Enterprise is more suitable for clients working up much more structured deployment images they manage internally. Before choosing Puppet Enterprise, users should think seriously about what they're trying to accomplish and ensure they put the right pieces in place. Overall, I rate Puppet Enterprise an eight 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 core management feature in Intune is invaluable to us, especially considering the challenges we often face with System Center when pushing external updates."

"If you need only to load a specific profile and you don't have deep security functionalities, et cetera, Intune is very nice and good."

"I like how Microsoft Intune lets me lock down the email profile and make it accessible only on certain devices."

"The solution’s most valuable feature is its ease of use."

"The policy and compliance monitoring of devices and the software deployment are most valuable."

"We are transforming our flat network by adopting different cloud solutions, and our own applications are hosted in the cloud. Intune ensures our security throughout our entire cloud-based system, improving our security posture."

"Overall, I like Intune as a solution and would rate it nine out of ten."

"Intune device restriction policies enable me to enforce limitations on the device, like blocking the mobile camera or restricting the employees from using and inserting USB devices, including thumb drives and flash drives."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is it's incredibly simple to configure and execute changes in bulk, allowing for seamless deployment. With this solution, you can easily track the status of all modifications and send them with ease, making it a comprehensive and efficient solution for any necessary adjustments."

"Microsoft is being very competitive right now, and they are really investing in a lot of new features to be more competitive in the marketplace."

"Endpoint Manager is valuable to our organization because it allows us to connect to our enterprise from remote locations securely. The most useful feature is its robustness and scalability. It is highly scalable and flexible, allowing us to use it in various environments. Additionally, we can specialize the policies related to each device group. This ensures that each group has access to the applications they need for their work and non-work hours."

"I like the data collection."

"The cloud account management is a valuable feature."

"I have found the solution to be scalable. We have around 50,000 users using the solution."

"This solution captures all the devices in our infrastructure."

"Valuable features include configurations enforcement, compliance data gathering, and deployment of a standardized OS."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pros

"Puppet3 and 4 series provides optimum deployment solutions for infrastructure and applications."

"The versatility is great."

"Puppet Enterprise is a stable solution."

"Puppet Enterprise has good functionalities."

"Anything that we manage through Puppet always runs perfectly."

"The most valuable features are the agent, high load balancing, and overall robustness and features."

"Puppet Enterprise has reduced the time of production changes or environment changes."

"The main purpose for this automation tool would be: deploying, controlling, ordering change for the system and IT Infrastructure."

Cons

"The solution could improve its flexibility."

"I would like to see better integration with Microsoft."

"I rate Microsoft support four out of 10. Support is one area where Microsoft needs to improve a lot. I recently raised a ticket for a Microsoft Azure issue, and it took two and a half weeks for support to reply. They need to improve support across their entire catalog of products."

"Intune should improve the management of non-Microsoft devices. It would be better to manage Mac, Android, and other non-Microsoft operating system devices within the same Intune interface."

"When we implemented Intune, it would have been helpful if Microsoft had provided some videos or data about Intune."

"The synchronization could be improved."

"Sometimes, it takes time to synchronize the policies between the portal and the devices, you don't have a way to estimate how long it will take to deploy. You have some kind of gray area, where it can deploy in 30 minutes or three days."

"Intune could be improved by expanding its third-party patching capabilities for a more comprehensive solution."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"There's no way to say, "I want this maintenance window to be on the second Tuesday of the month." It's strict. This window is this and that's it. You can't fluctuate."

"It is a bit of an old and outdated product."

"Management of Linux devices could be improved."

"The App to upgrades to the server needs to be improved."

"In spite of us being a premier customer we find the support unsatisfactory."

"The main room for improvement is the on-screen display. I think it would be good if some improvements were made."

"The TSM component could be improved."

"Microsoft should extend support for additional platforms."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager cons

"We would like Puppet to add more integration for applications."

"It's a bit of a pain point to make sure that everything works once we've upgraded it because Puppet has been evolving pretty fast."

"There's a lot of scope for enhancement on the DevSecOps side. They should definitely include features for compliance, for both the Linux and Windows side of the devices, as well as for network devices. Compliance is something they need to work on."

"Puppet Enterprise should improve the general extensibility for places where they can't install it."

"Puppet Enterprise is more complex and difficult to configure."

"At the beginning the initial setup was kind of complex."

"The solution has really complex code, you have to understand the Ruby language. However, once you know the code then you can move ahead without any problems."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Most of our clients come to us with licensing already in place. On average, it costs $6 per device per month to add Intune to an Office 365 subscription, but I am not sure."

"We are partners, so we receive some discount. However, from the customer's perspective, Microsoft Intune's pricing is competitive with non-Microsoft technology, and the price is good compared to other market competitors."

"Intune is included with our F3 and E5 licenses."

"Intune's pricing is reasonable considering its benefits and the high costs it helps avoid."

"This cost is approximately $30 USD per user per month."

"The tool is cheaper than our company's other MDM tools."

"There is a license needed to use the solution and we are on an annual license."

"The clients pay for a license and each can have a different type of license, such as an E3 or E5."

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"Pricing is negotiable with Microsoft, depending upon which of their packages you choose."

"The price of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is expensive."

"Its licensing is quite complicated because we are getting the license not only for SCCM but for the full Microsoft package. We don't need to pay for a separate license. We need to have one license that includes everything we need, such as Windows, Microsoft 365, SCCM, encryption, and so on. So, we don't have a specific price for it. Perhaps, it is good that it includes the full suite of licensing of Microsoft. It is expensive, but we are getting a lot of features."

"Along with buying a license for MECM, we also have to buy a service called CMG (Cloud Management Gateway) which is a virtual machine in the cloud with which you can link your MECM to the Azure tenant so as to manage teleworkers."

"Pricing and licensing are a downside of SCCM. It's expensive. I'd have to confirm this, but I think they changed the licensing to core-based instead of socket-based. It's not cheap, because you have to buy the software, you have to buy SQL. Another thing we learned from talking to Microsoft is that they provide you a license for SQL if you run it on the same box as the primary server. If you run it outside that box, you have to buy SQL. Microsoft does recommend you running it on the same box because of performance. But then, in order to run SQL, SCCM, and everything on the same box, you better have some resources. It's an expensive solution. There's no doubt about it."

"SCCM comes with its own version of SQL Server. If you use that SQL Server with SCCM and don't use it for another applications than you get an SQL Server for free."

"The licensing is good because they have various options, depending on what you are looking for."

"I rate the price of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager an eight out of ten."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

"Puppet Enterprise’s pricing is competitive."

"Puppet Enterprise can be an expensive solution for smaller businesses."

"The main thing that we noticed when we switched from the enterprise version to the community version was the difference in cost — the infrastructure is pretty expensive."

"Depending on the size of the organization there is a point when the price of Puppet Enterprise should be lower. However, they provide really good functionality, features, and capabilities."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

26%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

53%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?

Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...

See all answers

What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...

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How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...

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How does Ansible compare to Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM)?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager takes knowledge and research to properly configure. The length of time that ...

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How to choose between ManageEngine Desktop Central and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)?

ManageEngine Desktop Central is very easy to set up, is scalable, stable, and also has very good patch management. Wh...

See all answers

What do you like most about SCCM?

One of the standout features of SCCM is its application management capabilities. It allows us to create packages effi...

See all answers

What do you like most about Puppet Enterprise?

Puppet Enterprise is a stable solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Puppet Enterprise?

Puppet Enterprise can be an expensive solution for smaller businesses.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Puppet Enterprise?

Puppet Enterprise should improve the general extensibility for places where they can't install it.

See all answers

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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 5% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

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Tanium vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

Kaseya VSA vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 2% of the time

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No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

February 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager

February 2025

Download Microsoft Configuration Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

Perforce Puppet

February 2025

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Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM )

Puppet

Overview

Microsoft Intune provides centralized management of mobile devices and applications, ensuring security, compliance, and productivity through integration with Microsoft services like Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory.

Organizations use Intune for managing mobile devices and applications, enhancing security and compliance across platforms. With features like single sign-on, conditional access, and zero-touch deployment via Autopilot, it facilitates efficient operations. Intune's scalability, easy enrollment, and capabilities such as remote wipe support diverse device management, offering robust data protection and efficient operation. Despite its features, improvement areas include reporting, compatibility with non-Microsoft devices, and better support for macOS and Linux devices.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Seamless Integration: Works with Microsoft 365, Azure Active Directory, and System Center for streamlined management.
Conditional Access: Enhances security with policies that restrict access based on conditions.
Autopilot: Provides zero-touch deployment for setting up new devices efficiently.
Mobile Device Management: Enables control over both personal and corporate devices.
Application Deployment: Facilitates app delivery across a range of devices.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Centralized Management: Reduces complexity by managing devices and applications in one place.
Security Enhancement: Protects data with features like remote wipe and compliance monitoring.
Improved Productivity: Enhances efficiency with seamless integration and automation features.
Device Scalability: Supports diverse device management for growing business needs.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure secure and compliant device management. Companies leverage its capabilities to deploy security policies and manage both corporate-owned and BYOD environments, facilitating a unified approach to data protection and compliance.

Microsoft

Microsoft Configuration Manager helps IT manage PCs and servers, keeping software up-to-date, setting configuration and security policies, and monitoring system status while giving employees access to corporate applications on the devices that they choose. When Configuration Manager is integrated with Microsoft Intune, you can manage corporate-connected PCs and Macs along with cloud-based mobile devices running Windows, iOS, and Android, all from a single management console.

New features of Configuration Manager, such as the support of Windows 10 in-place upgrade, co-management with Microsoft Intune, Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise Servicing Dashboard, integration with Windows Update for Business, and more make deploying and managing Windows easier than ever before.

Microsoft

Perforce Puppet provides robust features for configuration management, compatible with Linux, Windows, and UNIX. It simplifies infrastructure management with automation and role-based access control, though it requires mastering command-line operations due to limited GUI.

Perforce Puppet utilizes a hub-spoke architecture to enhance automation across production environments, excelling in provisioning and configuration management for on-prem servers. Its infrastructure as code approach eases deployment and maintenance, supported by community resources for stabilization. Support for diverse devices makes it adaptable for complex configurations, but pricing and integration gaps, especially with Infosec tools, pose challenges for some.

What are the key features of Perforce Puppet?

Remote Package Installation: Centralized server management for remote installations
File Management: Streamlined file operations from a single point
Infrastructure as Code: Simplifies infrastructure maintenance
Scalability: Grows with organizational demands
Role-Based Access Control: Ensures secure user management
Device State Control: Efficient device integration and configuration

What benefits should users expect?

Automation Efficiency: Reduces manual tasks with hub-spoke architecture
Versatility: Supports multiple operating systems
Community Support: Backed by a stable and organized community
Configuration Simplicity: Simplifies and streamlines setup processes

Puppet is implemented across industries for managing production servers, especially in regulated environments. Its security compliance checks ensure adherence to required standards, while public configurations assist in device network integration. Industries benefit from its ability to streamline Linux server automation and explore expansion into Windows systems to meet cross-platform requirements.

Perforce

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad

Los Alamos National Laboratory, GitHub, IP Commerce, Cedexis, Spiceworks, Server Density, Swisstopo, Chockstone, Constant Contact, NICS, Citrix

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Perforce Puppet

January 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Perforce Puppet

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Perforce Puppet and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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