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Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Qualys Patch Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
2.9
Microsoft Configuration Manager enhances ROI and productivity with efficient software management, despite challenges in Mac support.
Sentiment score
5.6
Qualys Patch Management delivers high ROI, reducing vulnerabilities and costs, enhancing security, and improving efficiency despite its higher price.
With Microsoft Configuration Manager, these processes are automated and managed, reducing the time required by roughly 40 to 50 percent.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
With Qualys, we can save around 70 percent of time and between 30 to 40 percent of money.
Information Security Manager at BARC India
We have a 50 percent return on investment due to reduced operational complexity and increased efficiency in patching and detection.
Information Security - Manager at Infosys
We have achieved significant time savings of 90 percent, primarily due to comprehensive oversight and visibility of security issues.
Manager Information Security at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Configuration Manager support is effective but varies; some prefer premium options or using Microsoft's documentation for solutions.
Sentiment score
7.3
Qualys Patch Management's customer service is responsive and helpful, despite occasional delays and reliance on the knowledge base.
Their response time and first-level support quality need improvement.
Systems Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
For technical support from Microsoft, I would rate them a nine.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The support team is experienced and responsive.
Senior Security Consultant at CyberNxt Solutions LLP
The support team is responsive and provides detailed information.
Vulnerability Management Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Whenever we raise a request and mention the priority of the ticket, they respond immediately via email or call.
Security Consultant at Onity
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Configuration Manager is scalable, integrates with Intune, but can be costly compared to other solutions, effective for many.
Sentiment score
8.4
Qualys Patch Management is highly adaptable, efficiently managing global networks with seamless integration and dynamic scaling, despite licensing limitations.
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.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The product is suitable for our size, handling 800 devices.
IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government
It scales efficiently across different machines globally, ensuring patches are deployed smoothly.
Senior Information Security Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Qualys Patch Management is a globally scalable product, easily handling increasing workloads and users.
Information Security Manager at BARC India
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.
Lead Product Manager ASM at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.5
Microsoft Configuration Manager is highly stable, reliable, and well-rated by users when infrastructure is properly managed and updated.
Sentiment score
7.6
Qualys Patch Management is stable, highly rated for reliability, with occasional minor issues often due to network conditions.
There were misconfigurations by our team rather than issues with the product itself.
IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government
I would rate the stability of Qualys Patch Management nine point five out of ten.
Information Security Lead at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
The stability of Qualys Patch Management is impeccable.
Sr Cyber Security Manager at BARC India
Overall, it is reliable.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Enhancements in UI, performance, cloud integration, automation, and non-Windows support could significantly improve Microsoft Configuration Manager.
Qualys Patch Management needs better integration, ease of use, and support while addressing pricing, reporting, and functionality issues.
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.
Systems Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
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.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Overall, Microsoft Configuration Manager is a powerful and reliable platform.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
There is a limitation where Qualys may not always offer solutions for remediation, particularly for end-of-life or end-of-service applications.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
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.
Sr Security Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
For critical options, they could make them red, green for medium, and blue for less significant options.
Cyber Security Specialist at UBS Financial
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Configuration Manager offers integrated solutions with flexible pricing, justifying costs through automation and management features, enhancing ROI.
Qualys Patch Management offers robust features at a competitive price, with volume discounts improving affordability for smaller environments.
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.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The setup cost is considered sufficient.
IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government
The pricing for Microsoft Configuration Manager is okay for me.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
We get many more features at the same price as other solutions such as Microsoft SCCM.
Senior Security Consultant at CyberNxt Solutions LLP
However, it can be a bit expensive sometimes, and I think clients can be shocked when they see the price.
Lead Product Manager ASM at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
The pricing is reasonable and less expensive than the previous tool.
Technical Lead - Security Operations at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Configuration Manager streamlines deployment and management with automation, integration, inventory, and security, reducing manual effort and ensuring consistency.
Qualys Patch Management offers automated patching, risk prioritization, and real-time insights, enhancing security efficiency and usability across platforms.
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.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The most valuable features I find in Microsoft Configuration Manager are mostly patching, deploying software, deploying images, and running custom scripts.
Systems Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
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.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
We leverage this functionality to deploy scripts that adjust registry values, effectively patching vulnerabilities and enhancing the security of our machines.
Senior Information Security Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
We have been able to apply workarounds for zero-day vulnerabilities efficiently.
Senior Security Consultant at CyberNxt Solutions LLP
It provides insight into the organization's security posture and keeps databases updated with new CVEs.
Cyber Security Engineer at Techensglobal
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Configuration Man...
Ranking in Patch Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
Software Distribution (1st), Server Monitoring (6th), Configuration Management (3rd)
Qualys Patch Management
Ranking in Patch Management
1st
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 7.8%, down from 14.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Patch Management is 3.3%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Qualys Patch Management3.3%
Microsoft Configuration Manager7.8%
Other88.9%
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

NS
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Centralized endpoint control has streamlined deployments and improved security compliance
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. These features make endpoint management efficient and scalable. The feature I rely on the most day-to-day is software deployment and patch management. It keeps endpoints updated and secure with minimal manual effort. Inventory and compliance monitoring are also important, but daily deployments are critical. Microsoft Configuration Manager has had a significant positive impact on our organization in several ways: improved efficiency, enhanced security and compliance, standardization, scalability, and visibility reporting. Overall, Microsoft Configuration Manager has helped us save time, reduce risk, improve operational efficiency, and maintain strong control over our endpoints. One of the biggest impacts Microsoft Configuration Manager has had on efficiency is the reduced manual work for software deployment and patching. For example, deploying a new application or security updates to hundreds or thousands of devices previously required several days of manual effort, including running scripts, checking devices individually, and validating installation. With Microsoft Configuration Manager, these tasks are automated and managed, allowing deployments to complete in hours rather than days. We also have automated reporting for deployment success and compliance which saved the IT team significant time that used to be spent gathering and reconciling inventory data from multiple tools.
AN
Cyber Security Specialist at UBS Financial
Patch management process becomes more efficient and cost-effective while significantly improving vulnerability remediation rates
Regarding improvements in Qualys Patch Management, I did not quite understand the downsides they were expecting. Initially, I was confused about where to find and how to use the available features. It was challenging to identify the options we could employ and why we were using them. However, once I gained hands-on experience, I was able to identify the tool's particular features, making it easier for us to use it. The initial phase had some difficulty with the user interface. I would them to improve user training. They have used many colors, which can be confusing, so they should use specific colors for specific options. For critical options, they could make them red, green for medium, and blue for less significant options. This would make it easier for a beginner to recognize which buttons are dangerous to click. Such adjustments can help new users learn the solution faster.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise66
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

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 the set up will take depends on the kind of technical architecture that your org...
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. What I like most about ManageEngine is that I can log on to every PC very easily a...
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 efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Patch Management?
Qualys reduces risk for us and our clients by upwards of 50% when we arrive at a client site with no previous software installed. If they have other software they were using and then transition to ...
What needs improvement with Qualys Patch Management?
The interface could benefit from improved user experience and quality of life improvements. The dashboard could be more intuitive, as this is a common concern for applications with extensive point-...
What is your primary use case for Qualys Patch Management?
Our clients vary greatly because we support many other technologies, such as Microsoft 365. Our clients can range from fewer than 100 to up to 2,000 or 3,000 devices.
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM ), Microsoft SMS
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Qualys Patch Management and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
884,076 professionals have used our research since 2012.