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Sunil Satyanathan - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical solution leader at Kyndryl
Real User
Highly stable, beneficial managing capabilities, and priced well
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is the availability of being able to manage the Microsoft estate. It handles many areas, such as asset management and tracking."
  • "Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager could improve the integration."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager to manage our client's Microsoft estate. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is the availability of being able to manage the Microsoft estate. It handles many areas, such as asset management and tracking.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager could improve the integration.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager for approximately 10 years.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Configuration Manager
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Configuration Manager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is highly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is good.

How are customer service and support?

The support for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is good.

How was the initial setup?

We did not face any challenges with the initial setup of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. The time it takes to do the deployment depends upon the size of the environment. Smaller deployments don't take more than a week and very large deployments can take up to three to six months.

What about the implementation team?

The support staff needed for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager depends upon the size of the deployment. However, we do not require a large number of people to support it. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Microsoft comes with an end-to-end package that can include Office 365 and many other applications put together, it makes it a very integrated system for people to use.

We have a support license from Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager and the overall price of the solution is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Abul Fazal - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager at Almoayyed Computers
Real User
Easy to implement with good patching and has lots of new features in the pipeline
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft is being very competitive right now, and they are really investing in a lot of new features to be more competitive in the marketplace."
  • "We'd like the solution to make it easier to manage remote users."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for client management, especially for day-to-day operational activities, like access management or software deployment.

What is most valuable?

The main key feature that we find the most valuable is the patching. The remote desktop is a very useful feature as well. The software deployment aspect is helpful too. These are the three core features from which we see the customers really benefit if they have a System Center Config Manager. This is especially true for enterprise organizations here.

Microsoft is being very competitive right now, and they are really investing in a lot of new features to be more competitive in the marketplace. 

What needs improvement?

We are okay with all the available features.

In the future, we're looking for tighter integration with cloud solutions like Windows Intune. It is already there, however, it's still in need of some improvements. It's not straightforward in terms of the administration on offer. 

We'd like the solution to make it easier to manage remote users.

It offers a very difficult cloud gateway when it comes to cloud management.

The solution does need a lot of configuration and fine-tuning, so a company will need a dedicated person who's knowledgeable in the product to manage it.

A few people complained that SCCM is very complex without CPS, depending on the SQL database, and when using SQL as a backend service. Sometimes updating the dashboard and getting the reports, can be slow. They're not getting an instant update on the database. That is where most of the customers tend to complain. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution since version 2.0 or something close to that. It may be at least 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't have very many issues in SCCM. It's not a plug and play software, however. From time to time it does require fine-tuning. You need the right management and administrative people in place to manage the product. This is essential in order to keep it running correctly.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have clients in both the private and public sectors. 

The solution requires fine-tuning and configuration tweaks. In order to scale it, you will need a knowledgeable person to manage the process.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support from Microsoft has been good. We've been satisfied with their level of service.

How was the initial setup?

We don't find the initial setup to be complex. We've done many implementations a this point, and we find it to be straightforward. Our team is very much experts at this point. They know all the processes and they go through everything step by step. 

In terms of how long it takes to deploy the solution, this question is very tricky. It's all dependant on the customers, and their environment as well as the customer's readiness to proceed. If it's a POC, where I don't have any dependencies on the customer side, that everything will be within the private network, isolated environment, I can handle a deployment within two days. We can install, configure, and make everything ready in that short amount of time simply because we don't have customer dependencies.

You do need to have the correct people in place to manage it once it's up and running. They need to be experienced and dedicated to the product.

What about the implementation team?

We're an integrator and service provider here in Bahrain, so we have done more than a couple of installations, so where our team is very confident in our ability to implement the solution on behalf of our clients.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We're actually looking at ServiceNow as a potential product to use in the future.

What other advice do I have?

We are a Microsoft gold partner.

We're noticing many users in our country moving away from Microsoft and towards AWS.

We tend to use the latest solution, or something close to that. We always are trying to keep it up to date in all the customer database and systems. Whenever there is the latest update available, we update everything immediately for our customers. The latest version may be 19.06.

While all the customers we have are currently on-prem, we are looking for cloud-based solutions going forward, due to the fact that our customers tend to gravitate towards the cloud. They are like looking for something they can easily manage. That's all clients, irrespective of whether they are in the office or are our mobile users. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. I really like the product, however, there's always room for improvement.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Configuration Manager
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Configuration Manager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PeerSpot user
Systems Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Useful for easy patch management and software deployment
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool's most valuable features are easy patch management and software deployment."
  • "The tool's deployment can be cumbersome."

What is most valuable?

The tool's most valuable features are easy patch management and software deployment. We use it because it is a Microsoft product, which makes it more secure and easier to use.

Microsoft Configuration Manager makes it easier to control remote desktops. It supplements other products. 

What needs improvement?

The tool's deployment can be cumbersome. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Configuration Manager's stability is very good. I rate it an eight out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

We don't contact Microsoft directly for support. We get support through a third-party vendor. 

How was the initial setup?

I rate the product's ease of deployment a four out of ten. 

What about the implementation team?

A contractor helped us with the product's deployment. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer & System Administrator at Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics
Real User
Top 20
Provides software and hardware inventories and helps users to monitor the assets in the organization
Pros and Cons
  • "The dashboards have information about our assets."
  • "The solution is crowded with information."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to monitor our servers and clouds. We also use it for software and hardware inventories.

What is most valuable?

Hardware and software inventories help us discover the resources and assets in our organization. The dashboards have information about our assets. We use the reports for decision-making. The tool gives good information about our resources in the organization.

What needs improvement?

The solution is crowded with information. It is complicated to search for things.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for almost six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is excellent. I have had no problems. I rate the product’s stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have around ten users in the organization. The product serves only the environment where we install the agent for each client. We have almost 2000 clients. I rate the product’s scalability a nine out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation is easy. It took three to four hours.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Since we are a government organization, money is not an issue. There's an agreement between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Microsoft.

What other advice do I have?

I will recommend the tool to others. It is helpful for organizations. Overall, I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Hussein Taha - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Enterprise System Administrator at Nafeza
Real User
Great at collecting data and can mitigate any potential vulnerabilities or threats
Pros and Cons
  • "Provides great insight into the functionalities of the data scope."
  • "Management of Linux devices could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution to apply new group policies.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution was particularly helpful for patching the OS, and for the VM in our environment. With 10 branches, we have a huge number of VMs. Using ECM, we can download the new patches one by one, apply and then restore them. It saves us a lot of time. 

What is most valuable?

The valuable feature is the ability to gain all the data you need. We can collect data and get insight into the functionalities of their scope. As system administrators, we get a summarized report for each site with the installed version of the OS for all PCs in our environment. We know which meet the requirements and which don't. For those that don't, we can mitigate any potential vulnerabilities or threats.

What needs improvement?

I think managing Linux devices could be improved. It would help our colleagues and other departments like the dev opps, who only use Linux machines to quickly patch their VMs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support could be improved. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. We have six users. 

What other advice do I have?

It's important to keep the database going at all times to avoid any interruption of the service. The implementation must be very well designed because you have to know the scope of your workload and that should be addressed in the action plan before proceeding with the deployment. 

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Lead at HCL Technology
Real User
A stable systems management software product with useful package deployment and application deployment features
Pros and Cons
  • "The major features of this product are the reporting tools. The most valuable features are package deployment and application deployment. Security management is also good because any vulnerability will be identified, and you can fix it. It's the best tool because you never know what kind of client you will have. For example, you may have your offices in low bandwidth remote areas. But it's achievable because it accommodates the bandwidth that you have available. Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is an excellent reporting tool for your environment. If you want to know the details about the hardware configuration, software configuration, what is causing a problem, or when a new feature update comes in for Windows, even that goes on SCCM itself. A lot of deployment stuff."
  • "It would be better if reporting were more user-friendly. I would like to see an upgrade in the reporting structure in the next release. At the moment, you have to use an SQL query or configure it to pull reports through the graphical user interface. Their updates could be more regular. I think Mircosoft updates it every six months. They are also moving many things to Intune, and Microsoft decided to move the deployment solution there. I think SCCM is getting old, and Intune is new."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager for application deployment, patch deployment, and many other things. If you have any script that needs to be deployed to all the devices, you can do it with this solution. 

How has it helped my organization?

If you have this solution in your environment, it's a win-win situation. You can deliver anything that the customer requires. If the efficacy is somewhere around 80 to 90%, everything isn't well because some devices aren't coming online because of bandwidth issues or they aren't compliant. 

However, if we have 80% to 90% efficacy, we can achieve compliance. The compliance we reached was around 95%, but that 5% was probably due to a decommissioned device or one that wasn't in the environment. So, for efficacy, delivery, and reporting, this is one of the best tools.

What is most valuable?

The major features of this product are the reporting tools. The most valuable features are package deployment and application deployment. Security management is also good because any vulnerability will be identified, and you can fix it. It's the best tool because you never know what kind of client you will have. For example, you may have your offices in low bandwidth remote areas. But it's achievable because it accommodates the bandwidth that you have available.

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is an excellent reporting tool for your environment. If you want to know the details about the hardware configuration, software configuration, what is causing a problem, or when a new feature update comes in for Windows, even that goes on SCCM itself. A lot of deployment stuff.

What needs improvement?

It would be better if reporting were more user-friendly. I would like to see an upgrade in the reporting structure in the next release. At the moment, you have to use an SQL query or configure it to pull reports through the graphical user interface. 

Their updates could be more regular. I think Mircosoft updates it every six months. They are also moving many things to Intune, and Microsoft decided to move the deployment solution there. I think SCCM is getting old, and Intune is new. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager for about seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is very stable. It's very reliable, and it's a proven product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is difficult for the inexperienced. But if you know how to use these tools, scalability is also good. When Intune matures, you can also use it together with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager to scale and co-manage the environment.

How are customer service and support?

Microsoft support is good, but it does take time. There are two types of support provided by Microsoft, paid and unpaid. The paid option offers a real-time system, and they help because we have to pay in dollars. Sometimes it takes two or three days to get to the submission. I cannot comment much because we only had a few cases and had to connect with them. Usually, these issues are related to some upgrades and some tool-related issues. Although it's good, I think Microsoft support could be better because they still take too much time.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment process is very simple. It's not difficult because it gives you a variety of features. You have to create a collection or a group, and you deploy it. It's very slow and dependent on the network. 

A single person can install and deploy this solution. If you have an application already created and tested, that's fine. If you do not have one, then you have to build the application and test it. If everything goes fine, you can simply deploy it to the list of people you want to target. I wouldn't say that you need many people, but it depends on your operation and how you manage your environment.

The deployment time depends on the location it's going to, the bandwidth, and more. You can configure a time for the application to replace the policy or when the machine will replace its policies in the configuration settings. Suppose I'm an administrator and deploying something on your device; your machine will not get turned on. I will go ahead and update the application evolution cycle and machine policies so that it happens automatically. Once the 30 minutes clock starts, it'll update, and once it refreshes, it will see something I sent, and it'll start downloading it. 

Downloading is always completely dependent on how fast your internet is. Once the package is downloaded, you can simply go ahead and install it. Small packages will take about an hour at most to deploy. For bigger packages, it's completely dependent on the internet because this tool does only one job. It's like a postman as it takes one thing from you and gives it to the other person.

There are periodic updates, and the maintenance is also done. The patch update service is critical and has a significant impact.

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is suitable for small businesses. If you have fewer offices and fewer users, then the efficacy of this product is very high. If the company doesn't have a system for a long time or doesn't have many employees or environmental issues, they can open Intune and have a cloud-based solution and get all the features together there.

You can stage your content, and you can share where you have no connectivity. You can go ahead and do the whole deployment and a lot of things. Intune is still improving, but SCCM has a feature of all this deployment and all other things.

So I would say that SCCM has a stronghold and is still relevant. It's an excellent product, but Intune will take it over in a few years. But not entirely because they will coexist. They are working in an environment simultaneously, hand in hand, but I think the market will move more toward Intune (if it's not moving already).

I would advise potential users to take a structural approach. They should know the customer's requirements, the number of users, and the locations. They need to have the setup, create a cache, and then binary and secondary options for these deployments. But if you're using a cloud-based solution, you don't have too much worry about it because everything will come from the internet. 

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager an eight.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
HuaLiu - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Support Engineer at SGM
Real User
Automatically apply patches, is stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of this solution is its ability to deploy patches to nearly all applications."
  • "SCCM should strive to enhance the accuracy of its reporting functions in order to avoid any issues with incorrect or inaccurate data."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of the solution is to deploy patches, and applications, and upgrade our client operating systems.

How has it helped my organization?

Without the solution, we would have to manually install all patches and software and upgrade our operating system with the help of our support team, which would take a long time. With SCCM, this process is automated, making it a highly valuable feature.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is its ability to deploy patches to nearly all applications.

What needs improvement?

SCCM should strive to enhance the accuracy of its reporting functions in order to avoid any issues with incorrect or inaccurate data.

Microsoft could supply an installation guide to make setup easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and we have not had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

We have 100,000 people using the solution.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. We can call the hotline or use the website to generate the tickets.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

Maintenance for the solution is easy.

I recommend the solution to others.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1777911 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Consultant
Works very well for the endpoints, and you can tune it to do a lot of things
Pros and Cons
  • "It works well for the endpoints for the customer I'm consulting. It has a bunch of knobs, and you can tune it to do lots of things."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

It is used only for endpoints. We are trying to decide if it is useful for server-based evaluation as well. Like everybody else, we want to track what software is deployed. We have a one-half deployment of this product now, and I'm not sure if it's useful for what we want to do, which is server-based. It is designed to detect any PC. Thousands of people are using it this way, and it's not a new thing, but some people also seem to use the product for server-based detection, and it looks like there are modules you can download for Linux and other things to make it work beyond just the endpoint, which is what I am after.

What is most valuable?

It works well for the endpoints for the customer I'm consulting. It has a bunch of knobs, and you can tune it to do lots of things. 

It is designed to detect any PC. You can do it agent-based, or you can do it by some other method. If it is agent-based, then as long as the PC has the Endpoint Manager agent on it at the time when the batch job runs, it detects the hardware and software and puts it in the database. 

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been consulting in this space for five years. It has been used by the customer for years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I don't have enough data on that. While I've been observing it, it has been stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

When you buy it, you license it with a total number of devices to be managed, and that's a wall. When you hit the wall, you're going to need more licenses. So, you can scale right up to the spot where you have hit your boundary on licensing. To that boundary, it scales just fine.

How are customer service and support?

I don't have any experience with their support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

This client uses seven or eight different things to perform this function of discovery. They use two different things for networks, and they use a hodgepodge of things to track VMware and Virtual Data Images (VDIs) and basically back of the envelope to track things that are on servers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

As far as I know, it is an annual operating expense license.

What other advice do I have?

You may need complementary products to handle the holes not envisioned by SCCM.

For what it was designed to do, I would rate it a nine out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Configuration Manager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Configuration Manager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.