GFI LanGuard vs Microsoft Configuration Manager comparison

GFI and Microsoft are both solutions in the Patch Management category. GFI is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.0. GFI holds a 3.0% mindshare in PM, compared to Microsoft’s 14.8% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of GFI users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

GFI LanGuard

Read 10 GFI LanGuard reviews

1,238 Views
578 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Read 81 Microsoft Configuration Manager reviews

3,738 Views
2,975 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

GFI LanGuard

Microsoft Configuration Man...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Microsoft Configuration Manager and GFI LanGuard compete in the network management and security domain. Microsoft Configuration Manager appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set and integration capabilities, making it more suitable for larger enterprises.

Features: Microsoft Configuration Manager offers application deployment, compliance reporting, and patch management. It excels in monitoring, remote management, and inventory tracking, and is highly effective in deploying standardized operating systems across domains. GFI LanGuard focuses on vulnerability assessment, patch management, and asset tracking, providing valuable insights into endpoint vulnerabilities.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Configuration Manager could improve performance efficiency and provide better integration with non-Windows OS. Users seek enhanced application package deployment and accurate compliance reporting. The solution's complexity remains a concern. GFI LanGuard would benefit from better cloud capabilities, streamlined software removal, and improved rollback features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Configuration Manager offers on-premises and cloud deployment options, although its complexity and setup time are noted drawbacks. Its customer service is generally reliable but may require persistence. GFI LanGuard delivers simpler deployment as an on-premises solution, with users expressing satisfaction in its technical support and online resources.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Configuration Manager is sophisticated but costly, with complex licensing that may require additional purchases like SQL Server. Its robust automation justifies costs for larger enterprises. GFI LanGuard offers competitive and straightforward pricing, delivering good value with effective patch management and vulnerability assessment. While both deliver solid ROI, Microsoft Configuration Manager is ideal for environments leveraging its extensive features, whereas GFI LanGuard suits those seeking cost-effective simplicity.

To learn more, read our detailed GFI LanGuard vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GFI LanGuard vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager

April 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

GFI LanGuard

Ranking in Patch Management

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Ranking in Patch Management

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (6th), Configuration Management (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of GFI LanGuard is 3.0%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 14.8%, down from 18.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

Ted Mbugua

Security Manager at CRAG

Improves network visibility and keeps our products up to date with the latest patches

This is a solution that I recommend. In fact, those without it are at a disadvantage when it comes to managing their network. The biggest lesson that I have learned is in terms of visibility. GFI LanGuard has given me a wakeup call in terms of what is happening on endpoint machines. However, it is more than just having visibility. It is about having control in terms of what you want to block and what you're able to block. It keeps our network stable in that there are no running applications that you don't even know you have. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

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MikeNelson2

IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government

Deployment recovery works well but requires configuration improvements

While I do not use the product frequently, many issues were due to configuration rather than the product itself. I cannot give an exact recommendation as it is not my area of responsibility. The team that uses it finds it adequate. It is presently good enough for us not to investigate other options. Overall, I rate the product a six 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

"I like that the solution can block users from unnecessarily putting devices on the network."

"The most valuable features of GFI LanGuard are the vulnerability assessment, it provides us with substantial insight into what applications are running on the endpoint systems and what vulnerabilities are there in the running applications. The second would be the assets tracking. I'm able to see in the network whether my endpoint server is operating and if all the other IT equipment is running in the environment. Additionally, GFI LanGuard is not heavy on system resources. It gives a competitive advantage over others."

"This product is a great solution at a great price as long as it is only going to be used for a local area network."

"The most valuable feature is that I am able to patch third-party solutions."

"The initial setup was easy."

"The solution is easy to use and integrates well with other operating systems."

"The most valuable features in GFI LanGuard are patch management and vulnerability assessment."

"It is helpful to patch and scan vulnerabilities."

More GFI LanGuard pros

"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."

"I like a lot of the reporting capabilities and baseline configurations."

"The most valuable feature is the graphical-based reports of software updates that have been successful, the ones that have failed, and a summary of where the failures are what security breaches may occur."

"It is a very good solution. It has a good interface and is easy to use. On top of that, it is very reliable in terms of distribution as well as getting the report."

"With the SCCM inventory, we found a lot of rogue applications. We were able to identify them, find out who was running them, and either put them on our application list or remove them."

"It uses detailed descriptions of the workstations, and that is good for me."

"It has the ability to perform mass distribution."

"We are happy with the collaboration of SCCM with Patch My PC, which allows us to do patch work."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pros

Cons

"GFI LanGuard can improve by adding asset tracking."

"GFI LanGuard could improve the rollback feature. If we have installed the wrong we have had some issues with the rollback function. Additionally, more input from GFI LanGuard for the custom software push install."

"GFI LanGuard has some technical limitations with machines."

"This solution is limited to the local area network only and cannot manage remote devices."

"The only drawback with GFI LanGuard is that you cannot directly integrate it from the Outlook email; instead, you have to first log in to the site to make changes."

"When you want to uninstall software from an endpoint, sometimes it becomes very problematic."

"If GFI LanGuard had a cloud version it would be better for people that are working from home."

"The documentation on how to use this solution in a Linux environment is not clear, which is something that should be improved because it is complicated."

More GFI LanGuard cons

"Marketing: Our management doesn't understand that there is a piece of software which helps them automate and manage the entire network, as far as operating systems on computers."

"It needs to be able to load faster during deployment."

"Not everything is readily available, and there are a lot of commands that are only executable via PowerShell."

"It should provide the ability to remotely connect to mobile devices. There are some solutions that are doing that, but with Microsoft Intune, the only way to remotely connect to devices outside the organization and mobile devices is by using TeamViewer. It is pretty strange for a big company like Microsoft to not have something for that."

"It is a bit of an old and outdated product."

"The availability of technical support could improve."

"Troubleshooting in general needs improvement. There's just a ton of logs to go through, and so finding the error log that corresponds with that you're doing can sometimes be difficult."

"Management of Linux devices could be improved."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the pricing of GFI LanGuard a four out of five."

"GFI LanGuard has very fair pricing compared to other similar solutions out there."

"We are a gold partner and we receive favorable discounts. The price of GFI LanGuard is competitive. When you evaluate other solutions, such as ManageEngine."

"GFI LanGuard cost approximately $1,000 annually to use the solution."

"On a scale of one to five, with one being expensive and five being competitive, I would rate the price as a four."

"GFI LanGuard isn't expensive."

"The solution operates on a licensing model that can be expensive."

"Pricing and licensing are a downside of SCCM. It's expensive. I'd have to confirm this, but I think they changed the licensing to core-based instead of socket-based. It's not cheap, because you have to buy the software, you have to buy SQL. Another thing we learned from talking to Microsoft is that they provide you a license for SQL if you run it on the same box as the primary server. If you run it outside that box, you have to buy SQL. Microsoft does recommend you running it on the same box because of performance. But then, in order to run SQL, SCCM, and everything on the same box, you better have some resources. It's an expensive solution. There's no doubt about it."

"The price of SCCM depends on the size of the organization. The price is competitive."

"The price could be better."

"Its price is okay because it is part of our licensing."

"We use the tool's free license. It is expensive."

"For enterprises, there is an annual license required to use this solution. The price of the solution could be cheaper. However, this is mostly because of the exchange rate from the dollar to the Nigerian currency."

"SCCM comes with its own version of SQL Server. If you use that SQL Server with SCCM and don't use it for another applications than you get an SQL Server for free."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Photography Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GFI LanGuard?

The most valuable feature of GFI LanGuard is its email spam feature.

See all answers

What needs improvement with GFI LanGuard?

The only drawback with GFI LanGuard is that you cannot directly integrate it from the Outlook email; instead, you have to first log in to the site to make changes. Instead of directly white listing...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for GFI LanGuard?

Internally, as a user, I use GFI LanGuard for email and web monitoring.

See all answers

How does Ansible compare to Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM)?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager takes knowledge and research to properly configure. The length of time that the set up will take depends on the kind of technical architecture that your org...

See all answers

How to choose between ManageEngine Desktop Central and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)?

ManageEngine Desktop Central is very easy to set up, is scalable, stable, and also has very good patch management. What I like most about ManageEngine is that I can log on to every PC very easily a...

See all answers

What do you like most about SCCM?

One of the standout features of SCCM is its application management capabilities. It allows us to create packages efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined ...

See all answers

Comparisons

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 34% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 24% of the time

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 15% of the time

NinjaOne vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 11% of the time

More GFI LanGuard Competitors

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 13% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 12% of the time

Tanium vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 8% of the time

BigFix vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 5% of the time

AWS Systems Manager vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Configuration Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GFI LanGuard

May 2025

Download GFI LanGuard product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager

April 2025

Download Microsoft Configuration Manager product report

Also Known As

LanGuard

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM )

Overview

GFI LanGuard enables complete patch management of security and non-security patches to Microsoft operating systems, Mac OS X, major Linux distributions and third-party applications. It can also automate patching for all major web browsers too.

GFI

Microsoft Configuration Manager helps IT manage PCs and servers, keeping software up-to-date, setting configuration and security policies, and monitoring system status while giving employees access to corporate applications on the devices that they choose. When Configuration Manager is integrated with Microsoft Intune, you can manage corporate-connected PCs and Macs along with cloud-based mobile devices running Windows, iOS, and Android, all from a single management console.

New features of Configuration Manager, such as the support of Windows 10 in-place upgrade, co-management with Microsoft Intune, Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise Servicing Dashboard, integration with Windows Update for Business, and more make deploying and managing Windows easier than ever before.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

BayView Medical Clinic, FrugalBrothers Software, Zaw, National Theatre, American Red Cross

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad

Buyer's Guide

GFI LanGuard vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager

April 2025

Free Report: GFI LanGuard vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager

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