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Microsoft System Center vs Zend PHP Engine comparison

Microsoft and Zend are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Microsoft is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.8, while Zend is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 0.9% mindshare in AIS, compared to Zend’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Zend users who would recommend it.
Microsoft System Center
Read 19 Microsoft System Center reviews
  • 189 Views
  • 100 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
Zend PHP Engine
Read 11 Zend PHP Engine reviews
  • 503 Views
  • 210 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Zend PHP Engine and Microsoft System Center serve different purposes, competing in the fields of application development and IT infrastructure management respectively. Microsoft System Center has the upper hand in large-scale enterprise environments due to its comprehensive management capabilities.

Features: Zend PHP Engine includes caching, code acceleration, and runtime performance enhancement. Microsoft System Center provides server management, automation, and monitoring, making it versatile for IT environments.

Room for Improvement: Zend PHP Engine could enhance its enterprise-level management features, expand integration with IT management tools, and refine scalability for very large projects. Microsoft System Center could simplify its user interface, improve integration with non-Microsoft ecosystems, and refine documentation for ease of use.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zend PHP Engine is straightforward in integration with development tools. In contrast, Microsoft System Center, while more complex, offers detailed enterprise-level support and comprehensive deployment models.

Pricing and ROI: Zend PHP Engine is cost-effective, offering immediate affordability through lower setup costs. Microsoft System Center, although more expensive initially, provides long-term value through improved operational efficiency.

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To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft System Center vs. Zend PHP Engine Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft System Center vs. Zend PHP Engine
March 2025
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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 System Center
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
13th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Monitoring Software (24th)
Zend PHP Engine
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Microsoft System Center is 0.9%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zend PHP Engine is 1.6%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

Ajinkya Mohod - PeerSpot reviewer
Makes user management and application management easy for users
Speaking about the impact of the automation feature that impacted our company's operational efficiency, I can say that the complete tool works on automation. You just have to configure it, and it works, especially in areas like auto-patching updates. I suggest that others can definitely go ahead with Microsoft System Center, especially beginners who choose it, can get hands-on experience with it, and acquire a good understanding of how things work. In terms of the value and benefits derived from the use of the solution, I can say that my company's operations have been made simpler because of the product, especially in areas like user management and application management where we have been benefited a lot. I rate the tool a nine out of ten.
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SatyendraGupta - PeerSpot reviewer
The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature
The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature.  A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it. I have been Zend PHP Engine for nine years.  Multiple people are using the solution.  Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.…
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

"Many processes could be implemented out-of-the-box, and this helped to adopt processes in areas which we lacked."
"The availability performance matrix and the reporting capabilities are the solution's most valuable features."
"The installation process is easy."
"System Center helps to create the basis for ITIL alignment."
"The detail in the alarms is great."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"I like the automated features of it that let you schedule those updates and the ability of the product to focus on the specific updates, specific platforms, and products that we're interested in keeping up to date."
"Managment Packs for Microsoft-specific products, help us implement the best practices for each product."
More Microsoft System Center pros
"It offers good support for various types of classes, along with many open source libraries that we can readily utilize in our application development process. This gives us a lot of options when it comes to custom development solutions, without having to worry about licensing or other programming-related issues."
"Zend PHP Engine is more secure than any other framework, and I usually prefer Zend PHP Engine for big applications."
"The cache modules that Zend provides have been able to optimize and accelerate the loading of the pages when there was exponential growth in data volume and quantity of requests. At the same time, the monitoring console allowed us to have a real-time understanding of the resources and to make decisions when they were at the limit."
"Scaling up is an important factor for large projects, and with PHP 7 and its performance improvements, this becomes even easier.​"
"The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature."
"Offers a complete environment to develop PHP applications. It is valuable because it allows you to have a complete stack (PHP, MySQL, Zend Server) enabling the building of a development environment, and to deploy to the production system."
"Zend PHP Engine is a good tool for developing and collecting data, offering strong performance."
"The solution's initial setup process is easy."
More Zend PHP Engine pros
 

Cons

"Less server consumption would help, as would better, more flexible reports."
"Most of the documentation is online, however, there are some gaps there. The product documentation still refers back to the 2012 Server. We're pretty much in 2022. There's a ten-year gap there."
"In Microsoft System Center, it is difficult to follow the steps to create dataflows at times."
"The platform's performance could be improved. Additionally, its UI needs to be well-upgraded and work faster."
"For me, the tool's UI seems to be too old."
"We have some bugs but it's stable. It doesn't break every day. It works. Like other applications, it has a lot of bugs but they're manageable."
"Could be more user friendly."
"The platform performance and responsiveness need improvement. It still demands high computing resources."
More Microsoft System Center cons
"Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features."
"The process of installing and configuring the product is a bit complex and could be improved."
"The solution can be quicker."
"Integration of MVC with ORM tools for PHP is okay, but lacking a short list of decent ORM tools for PHP to choose from; there is ample room for improvement in both areas."
"Zend PHP Engine needs to improve the loading time of its libraries and make it faster."
"A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it."
"The main area that Zend needs to improve is to support asynchronous programming tasks, which is facilitated in PHP 7, but not at the same degree as HHVM.​​"
"The biggest problem with PHP is you have to write lot of conditions or have to use a framework."
More Zend PHP Engine cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product price as five to six on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is cheap and ten means it is expensive."
"Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly."
"Microsoft System Center is quite expensive."
"It's rolled into our enterprise subscription. The entire subscription is around $25,000 a year, however, that covers all the products that we use."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."
"We maximized our license investment."
"I know that sometimes there is some reduction in the prices of Microsoft System Center because of the costs of Microsoft SQL Server, which can be advantageous."
"Zend PHP Engine is not an expensive solution."
"The solution is open source and you just pay for the server cost."
"No problem with pricing and licensing, as tools are open source. You have to consider training cost, mindset setup cost, as part of the TCO."
"Its pricing depends on the number of users."
"The Zend PHP engine is open source technology, so there's no need for us to worry about licensing or other costs."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
13%
University
10%
Government
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft System Center?
The product's initial setup phase was easy.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft System Center?
Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft System Center?
Microsoft System Center should be easier to manage. However, it is complex to deploy, so people hesitate to use it. Though it has many features, such as licensing, asset tracking, and software depl...
See all answers
What do you like most about Zend PHP Engine?
The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zend PHP Engine?
PHP is an open-source solution.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Zend PHP Engine?
Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft System Center
March 2025
Microsoft System Center reportDownload Microsoft System Center product report
Buyer's Guide
Application Infrastructure
March 2025
Zend PHP Engine reportDownload Zend PHP Engine product report
 

Also Known As

MS System Center
PHP Engine
 

Overview

System Center helps customers realize the benefits of the Microsoft Cloud Platform by delivering unified management. Experience fast time-to-value with out-of-the-box monitoring, provisioning, configuration, automation, protection and self-service.
Microsoft

The Zend PHP Engine is designed to optimize PHP code and improve performance, making it a popular choice for web developers. It is easy to use, stable, does not require a lot of code, is open source, and only requires payment for server costs. The initial setup is straightforward, and there is no real need to set up the solution because it's built into the deployment.

Zend
 

Sample Customers

Kassen_rztliche Vereinigung Nordrhein, Magyar Telekom Nyrt., Adeka, QualCare, Aeriandi, UniCredit Bank d.d., Mostar, Allianz Australia Ltd., Grupo Familia
Cisco
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft System Center vs. Zend PHP Engine
March 2025
Free Report: Microsoft System Center vs. Zend PHP Engine
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