

Microsoft Configuration Manager and ServiceNow Discovery compete in IT system management. Microsoft Configuration Manager appears stronger in patch management and system deployment, whereas ServiceNow Discovery excels in integration and service mapping.
Features: Microsoft Configuration Manager offers strong patch management and software deployment, ensuring a consistent IT environment with automated processes. ServiceNow Discovery integrates with the ServiceNow suite, providing advanced automation and robust service mapping, focusing on IT asset and process integration.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft Configuration Manager could enhance user accessibility, reduce CPU and memory demand, and improve support for non-Microsoft technologies. ServiceNow Discovery faces criticism for cost and limited network discovery capabilities and could benefit from better training resources and expanded plugins.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Configuration Manager provides an on-premises deployment that suits existing infrastructure, but experiences mixed customer service feedback. ServiceNow Discovery offers hybrid and cloud deployment, though complexity and premium pricing challenge smaller entities, with supportive but costly service.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Configuration Manager's high pricing stems from licensing fees and the need for infrastructure like SQL servers, yet it delivers ROI through automation and productivity. ServiceNow Discovery shares an expensive perception due to advanced features, offering value in detailed discovery solutions. Both are considered costly, yet valuable for enhanced capabilities and efficiencies.
Their response time and first-level support quality need improvement.
For technical support from Microsoft, I would rate them a nine.
The 'follow the sun' model, where the time of raising the ticket and where it lands, plays a crucial role.
This rating is because there are features on the tool that never worked and despite calling our support, there were no results.
The product is suitable for our size, handling 800 devices.
Small companies will not be able to afford ServiceNow Discovery from the pricing perspective.
I would rate it as a nine on a scale of one to ten, indicating it is highly scalable.
It receives this rating because it can be difficult to troubleshoot when the discovery is failing.
There were misconfigurations by our team rather than issues with the product itself.
That is not a mistake of the product. It is due to excessive security on the network.
I would rate the stability of ServiceNow Discovery as nine, as we never had downtime.
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.
Improvements are needed for servers. Servers are still not getting it properly, so we could add the servers in Microsoft Configuration Manager for things such as OS deployment and Autopilot as well.
ServiceNow ITOM is particularly not very strong in terms of monitoring capabilities. They do not have any monitoring tool.
A CMDB debugging tool to give indication about the errors that appear would be appreciated.
The areas of ServiceNow Discovery that have room for improvement are getting custom reports on the relationship between CIs that are not on the same table.
The setup cost is considered sufficient.
The pricing for Microsoft Configuration Manager is okay for me.
I think the price of ServiceNow Discovery is cheaper than BMC.
ServiceNow is considered more expensive compared to other products.
The most valuable features I find in Microsoft Configuration Manager are mostly patching, deploying software, deploying images, and running custom scripts.
Remote management capabilities are useful if the user is not providing access; we can use the backend users to update the group policy and sync the devices.
The product valuable for deployment recovery.
The workflows are beneficial as they allow tasks to be assigned to respective teams without the need for coding.
ServiceNow Discovery helps with operations, audits, and allows people to assess how a particular change in infrastructure impacts other components.
ServiceNow Discovery has normal discovery of CIs, as well as horizontal discovery for understanding Service Mapping.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| ServiceNow Discovery | 3.3% |
| Microsoft Configuration Manager | 4.4% |
| Other | 92.3% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 20 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 64 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 16 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 5 |
| Large Enterprise | 23 |
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.
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.
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