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Microsoft MDS vs SOTI MobiControl comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 MDS
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Master Data Management (MDM) Software (2nd)
SOTI MobiControl
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Microsoft MDS and SOTI MobiControl aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Microsoft MDS is designed for Master Data Management (MDM) Software and holds a mindshare of 12.3%, down 13.9% compared to last year.
SOTI MobiControl, on the other hand, focuses on Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), holds 6.9% mindshare, up 6.2% since last year.
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
 

Featured Reviews

Pierre Godard - PeerSpot reviewer
Adaptable for various industries and cost-effective
Microsoft MDS isn't getting strong support because Microsoft is focusing more on cloud solutions. Profisee initially made MDS, which Microsoft bought. Profisee now handles the cloud version. There are changes because MDS is the source for master data, and other tools like Dynamics 365 could replace it but aren't promoted for that purpose. I don't have any specific feature requests for MDS when it comes to the next release because Microsoft isn't actively supporting it. Any improvements would probably come from Profisee, the company that acquired MDS. Microsoft still owns MDS but isn't adding new features. Master data management is moving to the cloud or handled on-premises by Profisee MDS.
Sahi Ibrahim SOUMAHORO - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides enterprise mobility and remote control mobile device management
I would like to see some SMS integration so people can send data directly from a mobile phone through SMS when there's no internet. This feature would be good because there are some places in Africa where the internet stability isn't that good. During the voting process, they send the result through SMS. If SOTI can add the functionality where some of the clients can send information offline, via SMS, then that would be a good improvement for some places where there isn't a lot of internet stability.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has a very good feature called Excel plug-in. You just have to install the plug-in, and then it directly connects to the MDS instance where you can maintain and manage your data and publish it right through Excel. You don't need to go to the front end to make any changes. It has easy integration with SQL Server, and you can use SSIS to do the ETLs. It is a part of the Microsoft stack. It works with most of the Microsoft stuff."
"It's very easy to use."
"The backup and restore functionality are the solution's most valuable aspects."
"It has been a long-standing tool in our organization since it was free."
"The tool is easy to use."
"Technical support is very good."
"The most valuable feature is the administration console."
"What I like about Microsoft, is that it has a huge database with many users."
"The installation is very straightforward."
"We use the Lockdown Kiosk Mode feature on all of our devices. We use that so that the operators can't change any settings in the background, and so that the applications they run are immediately available to them. It's a good feature."
"The best feature is its compatibility with various device versions, such as Windows, making it work seamlessly."
"Because we have a custom, business-to-business applications, the solution's deployment features give us the ability to control the deployment of new versions. We can granularly decide which people or which phone receive updates. It's kind of like having your own "app store" and being able to control what you deploy on the phones... You can see how the deployment is happening; if it's going well or not."
"I have experience with technical support. They are quite good. Also, they very quickly understand the issues and what are the requirements from my side. Response time is also good."
"SOTI MobiControl is the right solution for customers who want a reliable and low-cost MDM solution."
"The integration and deployment of features in SOTI MobiControl are very easy and user-friendly."
"It helps in enrolling, managing, and relocating the devices quickly."
 

Cons

"Stability can be fragile at times. If you are not attentive or make a mistake, it can cause problems."
"The Microsoft license cost could be lower."
"JMD repositories have records that come in thousands and millions, which takes a long time to process."
"From my understanding, MS, as of 2021, will not maintain the product going forward."
"In the next version, I would like to see integration with Azure."
"Microsoft MDS isn't getting strong support because Microsoft is focusing more on cloud solutions."
"I do not like using Silverlight and Internet Explorer. The new 2019 version gets rid of that, which is one of the reasons why we are looking to switch."
"The only drawback is that it does not have the matching, merging, and all true MDM components. For these, you have to use another competent called Data Quality Services (DQS). You need to plug it in and use it along with MDS for true MDM. Both of these are integrated together, but you have to do them separately, whereas, in Profisee, there are a couple of screens where you can configure the matching process, create matching rules, and other things, and everything is in one product, which is not the case with MDS. In order to implement a true MDM, you need MDS, DQS, and SSIS. You have to use MDS to store your golden records, DQS to configure and standardize all your rules and matching percentages, and SSIS to load the data to DQS and MDS. At the same time, you also need Melissa Data to clean up your addresses to validate and standardize the addresses. That's the main component of true MDM. It would be good if they can create a true matching component inside MDS and merge MDS and DQS."
"I have used Microsoft Intune but it is more complicated than SOTI MobiControl."
"In the next release, they should make it easier to migrate."
"The documentation could be improved in SOTI MobiControl."
"Maybe if there were tiers, it would be better as then companies could lower the pricing by going to the lower deployment model."
"The quality of the support service is poor. The headquarters are not very responsive. And, the actual quality of the software has its drawbacks."
"SOTI MobiControl's user interface is very tough to handle and should be made more user-friendly."
"In future releases, I would like to see a better configuration of the dashboard."
"Its user interface needs to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."
"I would like to see better pricing."
"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."
"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."
"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."
"The pricing of this solution is good."
"MDS is a part of the SQL Server enterprise license. I am not aware of any additional costs."
"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."
"I thought pricing was kind of high, but I believe that Soti is probably the best out there for this type of software, so there's not much I can do about that. The licensing is annual, per device."
"The pricing is reasonable and the licensing model is very reasonable when compared to some of the competitors in the market. I can speak directly regarding Intune, which is very expensive compared to SOTI."
"The product is reasonably priced at the moment."
"You need to secure a license on a per-device basis."
"There are additional costs if you want to use extra features."
"SOTI's pricing seems to be competitive."
"It is an expensive product."
"Pricing is okay, but when you buy your renewal of licenses - at the end of the period or the year - if you have a lot of devices, obviously, it's going to increase. In the end, it's kind of expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Retailer
9%
Financial Services Firm
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft MDS?
More generic related things can be included in the services.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft MDS?
Microsoft MDS is free. Currently, there is no pricing concern with the tool.
What needs improvement with Microsoft MDS?
Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities. It is too slow and does not support automated mapping or AI-based functionalities. Although I created Python scripts for some machine learni...
What do you like most about SOTI MobiControl?
The most valuable features of the solution are containerization and app control.
What needs improvement with SOTI MobiControl?
SOTI MobiControl currently lacks some DLP features. It would be good if SOTI MobiControl could offer a few functionalities associated with DLP features in the future.
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Master Data Services, Microsoft MDM, Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services, MS MDS
MobiControl
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ETA a.s., Apeejay Surrendra Group, Blue Star Infotech, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, New Belgium Brewing
Citizen Mexico, Sanctuary Housing, PENINSULA HOTELS, East Orange High School, Andrews Distributing, Amey Plc, American Airlines
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, Microsoft, TIBCO and others in Master Data Management (MDM) Software. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.