BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs Microsoft System Center comparison

BMC Helix and Microsoft are both solutions in the Cloud Monitoring Software category. BMC Helix is ranked #48, while Microsoft is ranked #28 with an average rating of 8.5. BMC Helix holds a 0.6% mindshare in CMS, compared to Microsoft’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of BMC Helix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Read 5 BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management reviews

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345 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Microsoft System Center

Read 20 Microsoft System Center reviews

847 Views
525 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Microsoft System Center

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Microsoft System Center and BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management are competing products in the field of IT infrastructure and cloud management. Microsoft System Center is generally favored for its scalability and support, while BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management is distinguished by its rich feature set, making it a considerable choice for many organizations.

Features: Microsoft System Center is recognized for seamless integration with Microsoft services, a comprehensive automation suite, and robust reporting capabilities ideal for Windows environments. It also allows management of multiple hypervisors like VMware and Citrix. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management, on the other hand, offers advanced data provisioning, hybrid cloud support, and a multi-cloud portal for designing blueprints across various environments such as Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud, making it valuable for complex deployments.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft System Center could enhance third-party integration, improve its graphical user interface for non-Windows platforms, and expand its support for non-Microsoft environments. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management could enhance ease of deployment by simplifying its configuration process, broaden its API integration for better interoperability, and improve its user interface for more intuitive navigation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft System Center offers streamlined deployment for Microsoft-centric infrastructures, benefiting from regular updates and extensive support. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management, while more complex in its deployment due to extensive configurations, provides excellent customization and responsive customer service to assist in tailored cloud setups.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft System Center generally presents a lower initial cost, making it attractive for budget-conscious organizations relying on Microsoft infrastructure. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management, although with a steeper upfront cost, offers a potentially higher ROI by improving operational efficiencies within large-scale, intricate cloud environments.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. Microsoft System Center Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. Microsoft System Center

December 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

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

48th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Management (44th)

Microsoft System Center

Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software

28th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Infrastructure (14th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Cloud Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management is 0.6%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft System Center is 0.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft System Center	0.7%
BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management	0.6%
Other	98.7%

Cloud Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Entprssol67

Enterprise Solution Architect at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Helps design blueprints in a cloud environment but the support is a major problem

One of the major problems is that support is not so good. I used to have a support expert in Spain but they left two years ago. BMC doesn't invest a lot in network automation but network automation is a major point in CLM. There aren't any experts here in Europe, maybe they have in America, I don't know. The main problem is the support in Europe. We had a lot of problems with the people who got put on our cases. The agents that we were assigned to were not so capable. They wanted to replicate the problem. If you have an incident, it takes a lot of time to troubleshoot the problem. The incident support is not so good. The technicians don't know the platform well. BMC doesn't want to invest in CLM. Two years ago we had a lot of problems. Maybe BMC realized that CLM is an end of life product.

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Carl Palapal

Sr. Sys. Server & Storage Egineer / Tech .Consultant at CANAR OFFICE SYSTEMS

Provides comprehensive system management with effective deployment and integration capabilities

The advantages of Microsoft System Center are significant, and I have seen other products as well. As far as advantages are concerned, they have PXE deployment, which is good for deploying operating systems, such as Windows client systems including Windows 10 and Windows 11. Since it is a Microsoft product, all the patches are proprietary, making it easier to deploy. In Microsoft System Center, all the features are integrated already, whereas in ManageEngine, you have to license each feature individually to access those features. The automated features of Virtual Machine Manager are very useful; it automates as long as the policy that I have created is in line with the objective, especially the templates when I'm going to deploy. Regarding endpoint management, Microsoft System Center is very helpful; it has integrated endpoint protection deployment, allowing me to handle endpoint configuration, system deployment, and patch deployment, making it an all-in-one stop shop for managing and configuring end clients. The impact of using Microsoft System Center is significant; it gives me a whole picture of my environment, making it easy to get inventory details regarding applications and hardware, providing full visibility of my setup within the organization.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Assesses change impact or completes an audit using multiple dashboard views."

"By allowing end users to request their own services, the request process for systems is much quicker and more accurate."

"You can tie together your public and private cloud infrastructure into a "single pane of glass"."

"Automates Java EE Application Deployment from an SCM system."

"CLM has a multi-cloud portal because they have the resources to implement in various environments in various ports."

"Integrates role-based access control with pre-configured policies for CIS, DISA, HIPAA, PCI, SOX, NIST, and SCAP documentation and remediation."

"Supports unattended installs and image-based, script-based, or template-based provisioning."

"The deployment and asset management features are the most valuable. These are the product's main features."

"Managment Packs for Microsoft-specific products, help us implement the best practices for each product."

"Step-by-step documentation that clarifies the implementation procedure."

"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."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it helps us manage our company's application pool, license pool, application update pool, and OS updates."

"We like Microsoft System Center's Operations Manager. That is primarily why we use it."

"The tool has many valuable features, including license tracking, software deployment, and installation deployment. However, we primarily use it for Windows updates and deployment for Windows servers and desktops. It's a complex product but very well-managed. If you use all the features, they will be valuable to your organization. It allows you to deploy desktops, manage patches, and track various features."

"The features that I have found most valuable are the ease of configuration and the easy discovery of the environment."

More Microsoft System Center pros

Cons

"One of the major problems is that support is not so good."

"The installation and configuration can be tricky due to it being built on Remedy."

"Needs integrations with other providers to provide a custom public cloud environment."

"The solution's dashboard needs improvement."

"System Center hasn't updated to keep up with the industry. It needs improvements in the user interface, ease of use, and overall product functionality, particularly the cloud-monitoring features. It needs more capabilities to monitor AWS and Azure infrastructure."

"For me, the tool's UI seems to be too old."

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."

"Could be more user friendly."

"The platform performance and responsiveness need improvement. It still demands high computing resources."

"The platform's performance could be improved. Additionally, its UI needs to be well-upgraded and work faster."

"Less server consumption would help, as would better, more flexible reports."

More Microsoft System Center cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"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."

"Microsoft System Center is quite expensive."

"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."

"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."

"Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly."

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Comms Service Provider

11%

Transportation Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Microsoft System Center?

The product's initial setup phase was easy.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft System Center?

Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly.

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What needs improvement with Microsoft System Center?

The disadvantage of Microsoft System Center is related to the many integrated services; if one service is failing, then all features will be affected. For example, with site configuration, when one...

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VMware Aria Automation vs BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

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LogicMonitor vs Microsoft System Center

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloud Management

January 2026

Download BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft System Center

January 2026

Download Microsoft System Center product report

Also Known As

BMC CLM

MS System Center

Overview

BMC's cloud management platform drives digital innovation with agile, full-stack service provisioning across cloud and traditional platforms. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management scales easily while integrating with essential compliance and governance policies to reduce risk.

BMC Helix

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

Sample Customers

JDA Software, Morningstar, Orange Business Services, Wipro

Kassen_rztliche Vereinigung Nordrhein, Magyar Telekom Nyrt., Adeka, QualCare, Aeriandi, UniCredit Bank d.d., Mostar, Allianz Australia Ltd., Grupo Familia

Buyer's Guide

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. Microsoft System Center

December 2025

Free Report: BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. Microsoft System Center

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