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Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Tanium comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 6, 2025

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 Configuration Man...
Ranking in Server Monitoring
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (4th), Patch Management (1st)
Tanium
Ranking in Server Monitoring
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (21st), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (31st), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (26th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Server Monitoring category, the mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 5.3%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tanium is 5.8%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Monitoring
 

Q&A Highlights

it_user460248 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 23, 2017
 

Featured Reviews

MikeNelson2 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
NitinKushwaha - PeerSpot reviewer
Stable product with an ability to build complex roles
We use Tanium as an EDR solution for managing end-user devices and servers The product is granular and can build complex roles compared to other EDR vendors. Tanium's dashboard UI could be similar to CrowdStrike. We have been using Tanium for two and a half years. The product is stable. I rate…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I find the product valuable for deployment recovery and it has done much more than that."
"Provides great insight into the functionalities of the data scope."
"The solution is user-friendly and easy to learn."
"The dashboards have information about our assets."
"The most valuable feature is the scalability."
"You can remote control or RDP. That has been the most valuable because we can go into one console and can get to anything we want. Instead of going to all these different consoles, we centralized everything."
"It does the job and meets our needs. With everybody working remotely these days, we are using this solution to deploy everything. The deployment of PCs is easy."
"The solution is highly scalable."
"Tanium’s linear-chain architecture is valuable."
"Tanium's most valuable feature is its instant discovery aspect."
"When I push a quick update, it's done right away, and I can rescan immediately to confirm completion within minutes."
"I like the fact that you can create patching campaigns depending on the area of your network that you want to address first. I like the ability it has to make several campaigns that work in parallel."
"Tanium's most valuable features are patch management, inventory, and distribution software."
"When I push a quick update, it's done right away, and I can rescan immediately to confirm completion within minutes."
"I find the inventory and compliance features of Tanium to be the most impressive."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the consolidation of all historical data on device endpoints, security drivers, firmware, and Software version gaps."
 

Cons

"I'm looking for a single solution for all discovery needs. It fulfills about 40% of the requirements, and I'd like to see the other 60% so that I don't have to keep doing this."
"It is a bit of an old and outdated product."
"Marketing: Our management doesn't understand that there is a piece of software which helps them automate and manage the entire network, as far as operating systems on computers."
"The tool's deployment can be cumbersome."
"The solution is a bit heavy on the sources such as RAM or CPU and the software needs to be a bit lighter."
"The solution can be improved by speeding up the synchronizing of the policies on the devices."
"It is not easy to get good technical support, especially at level one."
"The operations could be faster and you need some patience with this tool."
"The solution lacks mobility."
"When working with Tanium, there are some older devices that haven't been patched for a long time, and certain patches are not included in Tanium."
"The performance could improve in future releases. We have had performance issues in specialized web environments, but overall I think the problems are less than 2% of the computer systems being used."
"We had some issues with the solution's OS upgrade."
"Most of the time, agent-relative issues have to be more equipped with self-healing features. At times, the agent is there, but for some reason, it doesn't report a status. It gives certain problems that are obviously agent-based."
"Tanium required local admin or root rights on Mac devices, which did not comply with our security policies. This made the solution less suitable for our restrictive environment."
"The reporting could be improved."
"It is not really additional functions, or the features that are needed, rather the complexity would be reduced based on the number of modules required to put together a comprehensive operational security and risk compliance model."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 price could be better."
"The price is competitive and reasonable."
"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."
"As far as I know, it is an annual operating expense license."
"There is an annual license needed to use the solution."
"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."
"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."
"Tanium is a more expensive solution in Latin America than some of the competitors, such as BigFix."
"The product's pricing differs from region to region depending on negotiations and the number of endpoints."
"The solution offers value for money."
"There is an annual license required to use this solution."
"It is higher than some competitors in the market."
"The solution is expensive but it's a good investment."
"It's an expensive solution. It would be nice if the cost were lower."
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Answers from the Community

it_user460248 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 23, 2017
May 23, 2017
I would not waste time in comparision. SCCM is best for Windows mgt.
2 out of 5 answers
JF
Jun 14, 2016
Good morning, what specific information do you seek. I am on the consulting side so we look at Gartner, Forrester, and other sources. I have some information on SCCM and BigFix off hand. Are there specific features you are looking at to compare SCCM and Tanium?
it_user304998 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 14, 2016
Unfortunately we won't have an answer on this, the request is to compare Tanium patch management vs Microsoft Path management (SCCM). We don't play in this space so never bothered to dig in this area. If they are speaking with either Microsoft or Tanium, either one should be able to provide the customer with a comparison between the two vendors. Sent from my iPhone On Jun 14, 2016, at 7:04 AM, Ariel Lindenfeld - Community Manager at IT Central Station > wrote: Hi, Can you help out a colleague with the following question about Endpoint Compliance: ----- Tanium vs SCCM I'm comparing Tanium and SCCM. Has anyone done a comparison of these solutions? Any thoughts about the differences? ----- Please reply to this email with your response or post your answer here. User's background: User at a tech services company with 1000+ employees You've been a member of IT Central Station since September 2015. In a market full of vendor hype, we provide free connections between real users of Endpoint Compliance to share advice and make better buying decisions. Thanks for being part of the community, Ariel Lindenfeld Community Director, IT Central Station IT Central Station 244 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10001 (646) 328-1944 To change notifications, please visit your subscription page or unsubscribe completely from similar emails. um-nqn 101666 gitbdelUmkweEM0dFdtb2svZWFvWlFSVU1yWFdJMHloQnFyYnZSaSs1cG1TbVdMcldCU216ZDRTT0ZMTGVPbmM4SHpDRS0tOGdTTmdTM3VncVp5R0NQM1Y3K3F0QT09--21c2b4f3bf871f4c09d15549779c6a95f54ceb52gitbdel WARNING - CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: ________________________________ The information contained in the e-mail may contain confidential and privileged information and is intended solely for the use of the intended recipient(s). Access for any review, re-transmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in regard and reliance upon this e-mail by persons or entities other than the intended recipient(s) is unauthorized and prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message and any attachments.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Government
12%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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...
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 do you like most about Tanium?
Tanium’s linear-chain architecture is valuable.
What needs improvement with Tanium?
While there is always room for improvement, I am pleased with Tanium.
What is your primary use case for Tanium?
The primary use case for Tanium ( /products/tanium-reviews ) is compliance, patching, and inventory as part of the core functions.
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM )
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
JPMorgan Chase, eBay, Amazon, US Bank, MetLife, pwc, Cerner, Delphi, MGM Grand, New York Life
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Tanium and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.