Microsoft Configuration Manager vs ServiceNow Discovery comparison

Microsoft and ServiceNow are both solutions in the Server Monitoring category. Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3, while ServiceNow is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Microsoft holds a 9.7% mindshare in SM, compared to ServiceNow’s 9.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of ServiceNow users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Read 80 Microsoft Configuration Manager reviews

2,915 Views
2,229 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

ServiceNow Discovery

Read 40 ServiceNow Discovery reviews

3,066 Views
1,506 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Microsoft Configuration Man...

ServiceNow Discovery

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 24, 2024

Microsoft Configuration Manager and ServiceNow Discovery compete in IT operations management. Microsoft Configuration Manager has a slight advantage due to its strong integration with Microsoft products and comprehensive management features.

Features: Microsoft Configuration Manager offers application deployment, patch management, and centralized system management, excelling in automation and reporting. ServiceNow Discovery integrates with the ServiceNow platform, providing automated asset management, service mapping, and a single system of record for IT operations.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Configuration Manager needs better integration with non-Microsoft products, improved reporting accuracy, and performance. ServiceNow Discovery could enhance service mapping accuracy, reduce costs, and simplify configuration with better plugin support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Configuration Manager deploys primarily on-premises with hybrid options and offers varying support experiences based on issue complexity. ServiceNow Discovery offers flexibility with Cloud and on-premises deployments, supported with extensive documentation and resources despite occasional integration complexities.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Configuration Manager's high pricing is offset by ROI from automation and productivity gains, though licensing impacts cost. ServiceNow Discovery's cost is justified by its integrated capabilities, with node-based pricing and notable acquisition costs in relation to other solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. ServiceNow Discovery Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. ServiceNow Discovery

December 2024

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Helped 823,875 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Ranking in Server Monitoring

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Configuration Management (3rd), Patch Management (1st)

ServiceNow Discovery

Ranking in Server Monitoring

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Asset Management (5th), Cloud Resource Discovery Services (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Server Monitoring category, the mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 9.7%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow Discovery is 9.2%, up from 7.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Monitoring

Featured Reviews

Abul Fazal

Service Delivery Manager at Almoayyed Computers

Seamless system updates, useful integration, and reliable

The initial setup for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is simple. However, the configuration and management are not simple. Most of my clients are using the on-premise configuration. Cloud deployment is cumbersome because It requires lots of system communication to open from the cloud, and every client has to communicate with the cloud. We follow the Microsoft best practices procedure and white papers for implementation. Which includes single and multiple server deployments. The time it takes for deployment depends on the client's environment, such as the configuration and customization needed. However, the process can typically take two to three weeks to complete.

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RISHI GUPTA

Senior Manager at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Valuable relationship building that discovers and auto-builds to make cleanup easy

Proof of concept for the solution doesn't make much sense. It totally depends on the capability of your partner. Choose the partner very carefully while you plan to use the solution. If you get a very competent and capable partner, then life will be easy. If you have a partner who only does technical implementations, then that won't help you. You need to have CMDB and CSDM experts on the team because the solution is for CMDB and CSDM. If you don't design your data model really well, then the solution will not give you much result. The solution is not fully automated so you still need to make some effort. You have to go through the complete remodeling cycle for non-useful data elimination whenever you add a new LAN segment or new mid-server on a new data center or service. It is a little bit of effort, but it is worth the effort. Based on the necessary but important effort, the solution is rated a seven 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 solution doesn't require any maintenance from our end because it is a cloud-based solution and Microsoft takes care of everything."

"The solution has a very good set of features."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is patch management."

"I like a lot of the reporting capabilities and baseline configurations."

"The product is useful for patch management."

"It works well for the endpoints for the customer I'm consulting. It has a bunch of knobs, and you can tune it to do lots of things."

"This solution helps us by automating the patching of our system."

"Microsoft Configuration Manager gives different tools in one solution."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pros

"It has been stable since deployment."

"I find that the Discovery and scripting features are the most useful."

"The best part about ServiceNow Discovery is that it is included in the ServiceNow suite."

"Stability-wise, I feel it is a good product."

"ServiceNow's Discovery feature is quite significant because it allows for service mapping and integrates with VIN management. It involves adding a business context to servers, routers, switches, and data centers. This means understanding not only what's installed on these systems and how they function together but also recognizing their significance in terms of business applications from the business's perspective and how they impact business processes and capabilities. So when we delve into these aspects and connect them to the essential components, it can help you engage in more meaningful discussions to enhance capacity management practices. In essence, it contributes to the overall IT portfolio, almost functioning as a business platform. This platform is accessible to users who leverage the data to initiate incidents, implement changes, and resolve problems. Consequently, consolidating all configuration items or assets into a unified platform makes sense, especially considering you already have Discovery in place. If the cost is reasonable, the other two components might not provide much value, except for their user-friendliness, which is often less important to leaders compared to the desired outcomes."

"The service management and operations management modules are valuable."

"One highly valuable aspect is the use of service accounts, which automates the process of identifying underlying nodes and associated assets."

"I am impressed with the tool's incident problem change management."

More ServiceNow Discovery pros

Cons

"The solution is a bit heavy on the sources such as RAM or CPU and the software needs to be a bit lighter."

"The analysis is something that can be integrated. Their report analysis can be improved a little bit due to the fact that most of the time complaints policies are saved by the admins. It's something that we need to look into and search for."

"The ability to integrate MDM would be great."

"Microsoft should extend support for additional platforms."

"The solution is crowded with information."

"Initial setup was complex. There's a lot that goes into it."

"The configuration of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager could be improved, it is a bit complicated."

"The availability of technical support could improve."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager cons

"ServiceNow has a constant development environment. Hence they get constant bugs which result in incorrect performance. It should also improve customer service."

"Whenever you try to discover something with the solution, you get errors that are not descriptive enough."

"It creates quite a bit of duplication, so that needs to be fixed."

"On the Software Asset Management part of it, I expect additional reconciliation and Discovery features there."

"Instead of AI, even GenAI should be introduced in ServiceNow Discovery."

"The solution is too high priced."

"What needs improvement in ServiceNow Discovery is the reporting UI because I didn't find it as friendly compared to other tools. Other tools have better reporting UI than what's currently in ServiceNow Discovery. What I'd like to see in the next release of ServiceNow Discovery is more user-friendly out-of-the-box reporting that would be helpful for non-technical users. Some users such as managers would want to just do a few clicks to access the reports and shouldn't be required to do search queries, but right now, reporting in the tool isn't very user-friendly."

"Debugging is a bit tough in ServiceNow Discovery, so debugging should be made very easy."

More ServiceNow Discovery cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is not a license needed to use the solution."

"Pricing and licensing are horrible. You have to not look at dollar value to use SCCM. It's super-duper expensive but it works. The acquisition cost is expensive, it's labor-intensive. But it works."

"When you compare this solution with other tools in the market you might actually find a lot of variation in the pricing and that's why people opt for the other tools rather than Microsoft tools."

"Overall, I think it's fine. It's pretty much in-line because there are ways to offset it with the Office 365 licensing."

"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."

"The price model is different for every client."

"I would rate the cost as eight out of ten."

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

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

"ServiceNow Discovery's licensing is not a very small investment, but it definitely pays off."

"The product is not cheap."

"I would rate the product's pricing a six out of ten. We had availed some discount from the standard pricing. Even then, the tool's pricing is expensive. You have to pay some vendor service fees for the product's implementation."

"It's on a yearly basis. We renew our contract for three years at a time."

"The solution is not inexpensive so pricing is rated a three out of ten."

"There is a subscription for ServiceNow Discovery. It's expensive, but I think it's one of the best solutions on the market, so it's worth it."

"This solution is a paid option within the ServiceNow framework."

"There is a need to make payments every quarter of a year towards the licensing costs of the solution. ServiceNow Discovery is an expensive tool."

More ServiceNow Discovery pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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...

See all answers

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...

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 efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined ...

See all answers

What do you like most about ServiceNow Discovery?

The solution can prioritize the discovery of IP ranges. The product automatically places all Discovery CIs into the correct class within the CMDB.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow Discovery?

The product pricing is fair and reasonable for the value it provides. However, it is important to factor in the ongoing maintenance costs, as the system requires professional upkeep to ensure optim...

See all answers

What needs improvement with ServiceNow Discovery?

The continuous improvement in the quality and customization of the product features would be beneficial, particularly as more customers rely heavily on its capabilities.

See all answers

Comparisons

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 13% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 13% of the time

Tanium vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 8% of the time

BigFix vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 6% of the time

Kaseya VSA vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Configuration Manager Competitors

Tanium vs ServiceNow Discovery

Compared 30% of the time

Lansweeper vs ServiceNow Discovery

Compared 18% of the time

BMC Helix Discovery vs ServiceNow Discovery

Compared 7% of the time

ScienceLogic vs ServiceNow Discovery

Compared 5% of the time

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor vs ServiceNow Discovery

Compared 5% of the time

More ServiceNow Discovery Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager

November 2024

Download Microsoft Configuration Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

ServiceNow Discovery

November 2024

Download ServiceNow Discovery product report

Also Known As

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

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Microsoft

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ServiceNow

Overview

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.

ServiceNow Discovery finds applications and devices on your network, and then updates the CMDB with the information it finds. Discovery is available as a separate subscription from the rest of the Now Platform.

Sample Customers

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

York, National Grid, DXC Technology, experian, BEACHBODY

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. ServiceNow Discovery

December 2024

Free Report: Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. ServiceNow Discovery

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