Microsoft Entra ID vs SAP Identity Management comparison

Microsoft and SAP are both solutions in the Identity Management (IM) category. Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.6, while SAP is ranked #16 with an average rating of 9.0. Microsoft holds a 6.9% mindshare in IAM, compared to SAP’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of SAP users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Entra ID

Read 276 Microsoft Entra ID reviews

32,158 Views
6,753 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SAP Identity Management

Read 14 SAP Identity Management reviews

2,499 Views
1,899 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Microsoft Entra ID

SAP Identity Management

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

SAP Identity Management and Microsoft Entra ID are competing solutions in the identity management space. Microsoft Entra ID, with its comprehensive cloud-native approach and advanced security features, appears to have the upper hand for enterprises prioritizing these aspects.

Features: SAP Identity Management provides deep integration capabilities within the SAP ecosystem, offers flexible access policies, and supports custom logic development. Microsoft Entra ID is highlighted for its strong security protocols, seamless integration with Microsoft platforms, and extensive cloud capabilities for advanced threat protection.

Room for Improvement: SAP Identity Management could enhance its ease of deployment and simplify integration processes. Improved user interface design could also be beneficial. Microsoft Entra ID might work on refining legacy system integration and offering more flexible customization options. Enhancements in offline support and broader integration with non-Microsoft services could also be beneficial for some users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Entra ID offers a streamlined, cloud-based deployment model that simplifies installation with effective customer service. SAP Identity Management may involve a more complex deployment due to its customizability and integration needs, yet it is supported by detailed documentation and expert support.

Pricing and ROI: SAP Identity Management may require higher initial setup costs attributed to its extensive integrations and custom capabilities, promising substantial ROI over time. Microsoft Entra ID offers a cost-effective setup with attractive ROI through subscription models, especially favorable for organizations leveraging Microsoft's cloud services.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Entra ID vs. SAP Identity Management Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID vs. SAP Identity Management

April 2026

Download the complete report

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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 Entra ID

Ranking in Identity Management (IM)

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

276

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Authentication Systems (1st), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (1st), Access Management (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (2nd)

SAP Identity Management

Ranking in Identity Management (IM)

16th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

User Provisioning Software (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Identity Management (IM) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID is 6.9%, down from 13.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Identity Management is 2.3%, down from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Identity Management (IM) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Entra ID	6.9%
SAP Identity Management	2.3%
Other	90.8%

Identity Management (IM)

Featured Reviews

Stafin Jacob

Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Practice Lead at Invoke

Identity has become our central gatekeeper and has provided secure single sign-on for all users

Microsoft Entra ID can improve by focusing more on new passwordless methods and becoming a primary adopter. One feature we would like to see is the ability to have security questions for password resets. I know the current capability is phasing out, so we do not have an alternative method yet. Customers who already use security questions require a smoother transition for that capability to be available. My experience with the deployment has had some challenges, particularly around the Microsoft MFA campaigns. The hardest part is moving users from a different MFA provider to the Microsoft MFA provider, as it ultimately depends on user activity. In large enterprises with numerous users across various geographies, this transition takes time. If there are ways to exert more control around that process, it would improve the situation.

Read full review

Fabiano Marques

Sales Executive at Minsait

Identity management enhances connectivity and productivity with streamlined access and robust security, offering time-saving processes and facilitating seamless integration with other BI tools

One area that could be improved with SAP Identity Management, other than support, is user engagement from an implementation perspective. It would be beneficial for SAP to extend their events and workshops that are currently performed for partners to their final customers, as many customers want to know what's new and what else they can do without solely depending on the partners. For SAP support in Brazil, everything is in English, which poses a difficulty for many customers. The support could be improved for the specific needs in Brazil, as many customers have difficulty accessing the support center due to the language barrier. This feedback is specific to Brazil, though it's unclear if SAP receives similar feedback from other countries. It could certainly be enhanced with Portuguese documents, among other improvements.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's definitely both stable and scalable."

"The most significant aspect is the security measures inherent in Microsoft Entra ID, including features such as conditional access policies."

"The most valuable features in Active Directory are the password writeback product and the MDM technology."

"It enhances security, especially for unregistered devices, and it 1000% has security features that help to improve our security posture."

"The tool's most valuable feature is auto logs. It helps with user activity and monitoring. It also assists us with GLBA policies and procedures. Microsoft Entra ID gives a 360 view of what the user has access to, what applications are available to them, when they are logging in and out, etc. It makes knowing what is happening to our tenants incredibly powerful."

"We have about 80 users in the Azure Active Directory right now, however, we know that if it was necessary to scale it for hundreds or thousands of users, it wouldn't be a problem."

"As an end-user, the access to shared resources that I get from using this product is very helpful."

"The implementation of Microsoft Entra ID has impacted my secure access to apps or resources in my environment because it made it easier."

More Microsoft Entra ID pros

"IBM really gives you the power to implement a lot of functionality outside the current implementation if you know how to build the functionality you want."

"The setup process is straightforward."

"Some processes that they used to perform in two to three days now take one to two hours, which has been really beneficial for them regarding the time saved."

"NW IDM is extremely flexible, and with a small amount of effort you can integrate the basic provisioning for most of the commonly used modern systems."

"It provides basic automatic user administration and role provisioning to save time."

"What I like about SAP Identity Management is that it's stable for experienced users and suitable for access management, not just for SAP accounts, but for Active Directory, including file sharing and process sharing."

"What's most valuable in SAP Identity Management is that it's easily an out-of-the-box solution for connectivity with SAP applications. We do not have to do any customizations, and this makes the solution very compatible with most SAP applications. SAP Identity Management is also very user-friendly."

More SAP Identity Management pros

Cons

"Sometimes, level-one support lacks the immediate information needed, causing delays in receiving appropriate support."

"We would like to see more system updates."

"Our organization's approach to defending against token theft and nation-state attacks has not changed significantly since implementing Microsoft Entra ID, as we have a big concern about token theft yet know we cannot do anything."

"Many people believe that the Azure Active Directory is overly complicated and antiquated."

"The quality of support has declined in recent years."

"Microsoft Entra ID could benefit from more fine-tuned rights. It is necessary to prevent granting an application or user broad access rights."

"Adding a new account can be tricky."

"For the end users, it can be confusing if they have worked for another company that had the Authenticator app. It is tricky if they have already had the Authenticator app and then work somewhere else. If they have to download it again and use it again on their phone, it is something that gets complicated. I know how to get through it. They just need to uninstall and reinstall the application, but for them, sometimes, it is confusing."

More Microsoft Entra ID cons

"I believe they could make a lot of improvements on SAP IDM. There is also a lack of startup connectors to different systems, and they could have better cloud integration connectors for SAP IDM."

"A lack of startup connectors to different systems, and could have better connectors for SAP IDM."

"I have encountered issues with the host authentication feature."

"The pricing could be better."

"There are also some issues with the UI, the ACLs and performance - depending on the configuration and Identity DB size."

"It needs to have the SSO for the HANA modules that SAP is releasing."

"What needs improvement in SAP Identity Management is its compatibility with third-party applications. We'd like to get connectors or plugin settings to make it easier to manage other applications, whether SAP or non SAP applications. As SAP Identity Management is not compatible with non SAP applications, some of the clients are looking for other IDM applications such as SalePoint and Saviynt, so this is an issue we've observed in the solution."

"SAP Identity Management can improve risk analysis and authority checks."

More SAP Identity Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution was fairly priced the last time I checked the costs."

"Microsoft has a free version of Azure AD. So, if you don't do a lot of advanced features, then you can use the free version, which is no cost at all because it is underpinning Office 365. Because Microsoft gives it to you as a SaaS, so there are no infrastructure costs whatsoever that you need to incur. If you use the free version, then it is free. If you use the advanced features (that we use), it is a license fee per user."

"Licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis and the cost depends on the number of users."

"I think the pricing is efficient, but the licensing is overly complicated and difficult to understand. There are many tricks in the licensing that weigh against us."

"Previously, only building and global administrators could purchase subscriptions or licenses. Mid-last year, Microsoft made it so users can purchase the license online. Microsoft business subscription is for 200 to 300 users. If you have more than 300 users, you can't purchase the business plan. You have to purchase the enterprise plan. The enterprise plan is for 301 users and above. Pay as you go is also available. If you pay as you go in Azure, you will be billed for whatever you use."

"The price of Azure Active Directory and Amazon AWS, are almost the same, but most people prefer Amazon AWS because they find it's a little cheaper to some extent and an easier platform to use."

"Licenses are based on the usage. There is no cap. It's based on the number of users we provision."

"Microsoft is so expensive. You know it is expensive when a Fortune 100 company like ours is complaining about the cost. That has been a big thing for me. When I really want to use an Azure service, it is very hard for me to justify the cost, especially with Microsoft support."

More Microsoft Entra ID pricing and cost advice

"When evaluating the price of any product, I first look at how it meets my business requirements and if it meets requirements adequately and predictively. Currently, I don't see this from SAP Identity Management, so pricing for it is expensive, in my opinion."

"The licensing cost varies depending on the specific requirements and deployment size."

"I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

14%

Energy/Utilities Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	90
Midsize Enterprise	41
Large Enterprise	161

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?

We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Active Directory?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that going through and being able to use these things is always part of delivering an M365 bundle, so I don't think the experience is great ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Active Directory?

Microsoft Entra ID can be improved by open-sourcing it. You already have Windows Subsystem for Linux, which is open-source Linux in Microsoft. One major shift for Microsoft would be using the commo...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SAP Identity Management?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SAP Identity Management?

The use cases for SAP Identity Management include the logistics company, and we also have a beverage company that is using SAP Identity Management. We did not make the migration for them, but we im...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering SAP Identity Management?

My clients use SAP Identity Management for managing access rights efficiently based on user roles. I have experience with other IAM tools, having worked for Oracle three or four years ago, but I ca...

See all answers

Comparisons

Google Cloud Identity vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 19% of the time

Okta Platform vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 5% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 3% of the time

Ping Identity Platform vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Entra ID Competitors

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs SAP Identity Management

Compared 15% of the time

Symantec Identity Governance and Administration vs SAP Identity Management

Compared 8% of the time

One Identity Manager vs SAP Identity Management

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle Identity Governance vs SAP Identity Management

Compared 5% of the time

ForgeRock vs SAP Identity Management

Compared 3% of the time

More SAP Identity Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID

May 2026

Download Microsoft Entra ID product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP Identity Management

April 2026

Download SAP Identity Management product report

Also Known As

Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator

SAP NetWeaver Identity Management, NetWeaver Identity Management

Interactive Demo

Microsoft

Demo not available

SAP

Overview

Microsoft Entra ID is an advanced identity and access management service offering seamless single sign-on, multifactor authentication, and centralized user access across applications, enhancing security and efficiency for organizations transitioning to cloud-based environments.

Recognized for its centralized management, Microsoft Entra ID significantly boosts organizational security by integrating features such as conditional access and identity protection. It supports a wide array of applications, facilitating a secure transition from on-premises to scalable cloud environments. By adopting robust security measures and flexible identity management, organizations can streamline operations and ensure consistent user experiences. However, challenges like confusing licensing costs, outdated documentation, and limited integration with non-Microsoft applications persist. Enhancements in technical support, interface design, and more granular permissions are needed to address these issues effectively.

What are the key features of Microsoft Entra ID?

Seamless Single Sign-On: Allows users to access multiple applications with one set of credentials.
Multifactor Authentication: Adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple forms of verification.
Conditional Access: Provides adaptive policies to ensure the right access under the right conditions.
Identity Protection: Detects and responds to potential vulnerabilities and threats.
Privileged Identity Management: Controls and monitors access to critical resources.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Microsoft Entra ID?

Enhanced Security: Protects against unauthorized access and data breaches.
Operational Efficiency: Centralizes identity management to reduce administrative tasks.
Scalability: Supports growth by accommodating evolving IT environments.
Cost Management: Facilitates cost control through centralized systems and automated processes.

In healthcare, Microsoft Entra ID facilitates secure patient record access and compliance with industry regulations. Financial institutions rely on it for robust security measures in safeguarding client data. In the education sector, it streamlines access to online resources for students and faculty. Global enterprises benefit from its ability to manage complex identity frameworks across multiple regions, ensuring reliable security amidst increasing cyber threats.

Microsoft

SAP Identity Management provides seamless connectivity and process automation for user provisioning and access governance. It integrates with SAP applications, offering flexible custom logic and native analytics to enhance productivity and system compatibility.

SAP Identity Management addresses user access, provisioning, and lifecycle management within IT environments. By integrating with applications, users automate authorizations and secure systems with authentication. Flexibility in custom logic development aids in creating workflows, supporting seamless access management. Despite its strengths, improvements are needed in UI customization, third-party compatibility, and connector range, particularly in non-SAP applications and cloud integration.

What are the key features of SAP Identity Management?

Integration Capabilities: Supports connection with SAP applications and other systems.
Process Automation: Automates user provisioning and role management to streamline operations.
Access Governance: Enhances security and user administration through efficient access control.
Custom Logic Development: Provides flexibility in developing tailored processes.
Native Analytics: Improves productivity and data accessibility with built-in analytics.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Time Savings: Reduces manual processes leading to efficiency gains.
Enhanced Reporting: Offers improved insights and reporting capabilities.
System Compatibility: Ensures stable integration with various systems.
Improved Performance: Enhances user satisfaction with stable and reliable operation.

In industries like finance, retail, and manufacturing, SAP Identity Management is implemented to manage complex IT environments, ensuring secure authentication and efficient access to essential applications. Companies leverage its capabilities to streamline processes and maintain compliance with industry standards.

SAP

Sample Customers

Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.

State of Indiana, Automotive Resources International (ARI), Alliander N.V., Chemion Logistik GmbH, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH)

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID vs. SAP Identity Management

April 2026

Free Report: Microsoft Entra ID vs. SAP Identity Management

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