

Microsoft Configuration Manager and Qualys Patch Management are competitive solutions in the patch management category. Microsoft Configuration Manager takes the lead with its integration capabilities within Microsoft ecosystems, while Qualys Patch Management stands out for its asset visibility and risk-based approach.
Features: Microsoft Configuration Manager offers extensive tools for application management, patch deployment, and compliance reporting, facilitating seamless application deployment and system inventory monitoring. Qualys Patch Management focuses on automated patch scheduling, robust vulnerability scanning, and integration with VMDR, providing comprehensive security coverage and detailed asset reporting.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft Configuration Manager could improve with more intuitive application package deployment, enhanced PowerShell integration, and better performance efficiencies. It also needs enhancements in cloud capabilities and support for non-Microsoft systems. Qualys Patch Management requires improved third-party application support, quicker vulnerability resolution, and a more robust reporting mechanism. Pricing and user-friendliness are areas for enhancement to boost adoption.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Configuration Manager's deployment is noted for complexity but benefits from vast online resources and community support, with strong integration in on-premises and hybrid cloud environments. Qualys Patch Management, deployed in public and hybrid clouds, offers flexible scalability and requires streamlined integration for enhanced customer satisfaction. Both provide robust support networks, with Microsoft benefiting from extensive community forums and Qualys praised for efficient customer service.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Configuration Manager is seen as a costly but comprehensive solution, with high initial setup costs justified by its feature set and integration capabilities, offering significant ROI through automation and reduced IT overhead. Qualys Patch Management, while also expensive, provides competitive pricing with substantial ROI via reduced vulnerability risks, becoming more cost-effective with deployment scale, particularly for smaller environments.
With Microsoft Configuration Manager, these processes are automated and managed, reducing the time required by roughly 40 to 50 percent.
With Qualys, we can save around 70 percent of time and between 30 to 40 percent of money.
We have a 50 percent return on investment due to reduced operational complexity and increased efficiency in patching and detection.
We have achieved significant time savings of 90 percent, primarily due to comprehensive oversight and visibility of security issues.
Their response time and first-level support quality need improvement.
For technical support from Microsoft, I would rate them a nine.
The support team is experienced and responsive.
The support team is responsive and provides detailed information.
Whenever we raise a request and mention the priority of the ticket, they respond immediately via email or call.
In our organization, which has grown by adding more endpoints, remote users, and hybrid devices, Microsoft Configuration Manager has managed to handle the increased workload without requiring major changes on our side.
The product is suitable for our size, handling 800 devices.
It scales efficiently across different machines globally, ensuring patches are deployed smoothly.
Qualys Patch Management is a globally scalable product, easily handling increasing workloads and users.
If a client has purchased licensing for ten thousand assets and exceeds that, Qualys continues to scan those additional assets, which ensures the client's coverage.
There were misconfigurations by our team rather than issues with the product itself.
I would rate the stability of Qualys Patch Management nine point five out of ten.
The stability of Qualys Patch Management is impeccable.
Overall, it is reliable.
A better command line interface for Microsoft Configuration Manager would be an additional feature I would to see in the future to make it closer to a perfect score.
I can suggest that Microsoft Configuration Manager should get the Autopilot feature because Autopilot is the main part of Intune, and nowadays everybody is using Autopilot.
Overall, Microsoft Configuration Manager is a powerful and reliable platform.
There is a limitation where Qualys may not always offer solutions for remediation, particularly for end-of-life or end-of-service applications.
It would be better if Qualys Patch Management identifies whether the process has failed at the first instance and provides a retry button or retry mechanism, allowing retries for failed patches.
For critical options, they could make them red, green for medium, and blue for less significant options.
The cost is reasonable considering the enterprise-level features, but it scales depending on the number of managed devices and the inclusion of Intune for co-management.
The setup cost is considered sufficient.
The pricing for Microsoft Configuration Manager is okay for me.
We get many more features at the same price as other solutions such as Microsoft SCCM.
However, it can be a bit expensive sometimes, and I think clients can be shocked when they see the price.
The pricing is reasonable and less expensive than the previous tool.
If I want to get a fetch report for anything, such as hardware-related issues or group policy-related issues, I need to fetch the report by using SCCM's scripting language and remediation part.
The most valuable features I find in Microsoft Configuration Manager are mostly patching, deploying software, deploying images, and running custom scripts.
In my experience, the best features of Microsoft Configuration Manager are software deployments and updates, OSD, hardware and software inventory, compliance and configuration baseline, reporting and monitoring, and integration with Intune hybrid management.
We leverage this functionality to deploy scripts that adjust registry values, effectively patching vulnerabilities and enhancing the security of our machines.
We have been able to apply workarounds for zero-day vulnerabilities efficiently.
It provides insight into the organization's security posture and keeps databases updated with new CVEs.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Qualys Patch Management | 3.3% |
| Microsoft Configuration Manager | 7.8% |
| Other | 88.9% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 20 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 66 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 15 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 8 |
| Large Enterprise | 25 |
Microsoft Configuration Manager streamlines IT management with features such as software deployment, patch management, and automation, centralizing operations for Windows environments. Integration with Microsoft products allows efficient oversight of workstations and servers.
Microsoft Configuration Manager provides comprehensive IT management, offering software deployment, patch management, and application pushing. Automation reduces manual tasks, ensuring consistency across systems. Centralized management enables standardized OS deployments, application updates, and configuration integrity. Integration with Microsoft products facilitates seamless operations, while hardware and software inventory, compliance reporting, and remote control functions enhance IT management. Users seek improvements in application deployment for those without deep scripting knowledge and desire better WSUS control, PowerShell and Intune integration, Linux compatibility, and user interface enhancements. Performance improvements are requested for remote user management and third-party application support.
What features enhance Microsoft Configuration Manager?Microsoft Configuration Manager is widely implemented in organizations to manage Windows workstations and servers. It is essential for deploying operating systems and applications, managing software updates, and conducting hardware and software inventories. The tool is crucial for endpoint and configuration management, ensuring compliance, and automating processes like patching and vulnerability management. Industries such as finance, healthcare, and education rely on Microsoft Configuration Manager to keep systems secure and operational, adapting it to address their specific needs and challenges in maintaining diversified IT environments.
Qualys Patch Management optimizes patching and vulnerability remediation through automation and intelligence insights, accelerating the process by 43% and improving patch rates by 90%. Its integration with CMDB and ITSM tools speeds up ticket closures by 60%, effectively reducing the attack surface while freeing IT and security resources. This cloud-based solution bridges the IT-security gap, making it essential for cybersecurity.
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