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Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) vs Microsoft System Center comparison

Google and Microsoft are both solutions in the Cloud Monitoring Software category. Google is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #22 with an average rating of 7.8. Google holds a 1.1% mindshare in CMS, compared to Microsoft’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
Google Cloud's operations s...
Read 10 Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) reviews
  • 1,111 Views
  • 533 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Microsoft System Center
Read 19 Microsoft System Center reviews
  • 248 Views
  • 18 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Microsoft System Center and Google Cloud's operations suite are both leading IT management platforms. Microsoft System Center holds the upper hand for those in the Microsoft ecosystem due to its seamless integration and configuration capabilities, while Google Cloud's operations suite excels in multi-cloud integration, ideal for cloud-native environments.

Features: Microsoft System Center stands out for its strong integration with Microsoft products, extensive automation capabilities, and comprehensive antivirus administration. Its ease of configuration and efficient update deployment cater well to Microsoft-centric environments. Conversely, Google Cloud's operations suite is renowned for its multi-cloud integration, stability, and scalable cloud logging, which require minimal manual handling.

Room for Improvement: System Center needs enhanced integration with non-Microsoft products, optimized resource consumption, and improved reporting capabilities. It must also align better with cloud trends, including AWS and Azure monitoring, and update its documentation. Google Cloud's operations suite should focus on improving application performance monitoring, refining logging analytics, and providing better cost transparency. Increasing automation features could also enhance its usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft System Center is typically deployed on-premises, sometimes in hybrid setups, with variable support experiences. Google Cloud's operations suite offers versatile deployment, encompassing public and private clouds, often running smoothly without support. However, Stackdriver's support and guidance could be more proactive and engaging.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft System Center is perceived as expensive, integrated within enterprise subscriptions, but offers high ROI through operational efficiency. Google Cloud's operations suite employs a usage-based model but needs better cost predictability. Despite a lower perceived cost, Microsoft System Center delivers a greater ROI due to detailed internal management that reduces reliance on third-party solutions.

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Buyer's Guide
Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) vs. Microsoft System Center
June 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

Google Cloud's operations s...
Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software
20th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (27th), Log Management (29th)
Microsoft System Center
Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software
22nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Cloud Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) is 1.1%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft System Center is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

Anand_Patel - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers reliable Ops Agent and logging transport feature with easy third-party integrations
As part of our company, we implemented several changes in our log analytics pattern, including the storage and procurement process. Earlier, before implementing the solution, our company was able to procure only one year of data, but later, we came to the three-year mark. Around 15-20% reduction has been witnessed in the total analytic consumption of our company. The aforementioned result was possible because the solution allowed the creation of a dashboard where factors like storage costs, proportion of logs, and logs presence in a storage bucket or BigQuery can all be checked. Earlier all logs were stored in a raw storage, but currently our company is able to move logs in table bucket that contributes towards cost savings.
Read full review
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.
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

"Google's technical support is very good."
"Our company has a corporate account for Google Cloud and so our systems and clusters integrate really well."
"The most valuable feature is the multi-cloud integration, where there is support for both GCP and AWS."
"The features that I have found most valuable are its graphs - if I need any statistics, in Kubernetes or Kong level or VPN level, I can quickly get the reports."
"It's easy to use."
"We find the solution to be stable."
"Offers a valuable logging transport feature"
"The cloud login enables us to get our logs from the different platforms that we currently use."
More Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) pros
"We like Microsoft System Center's Operations Manager. That is primarily why we use it."
"The detail in the alarms is great."
"System Center helps to create the basis for ITIL alignment."
"The installation process is easy."
"Managment Packs for Microsoft-specific products, help us implement the best practices for each product."
"Good for managing and administering the infrastructure."
"The availability performance matrix and the reporting capabilities are the solution's most valuable 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

"While we are satisfied with the overall performance, in certain cases we must add additional metrics and additional tools like Grafana and Dynatrace."
"The logging functionality could be better."
"It could be even more automated."
"The process of logging analytics can be improved"
"It could be more stable."
"Lacking sufficient operations documentation."
"It is difficult to estimate in advance how much something is going to cost."
"If I want to track any round-trip or breakdowns of my response times, I'm not able to get it. My request goes through various levels of the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and comes back to my client machine. Suppose that my request has taken 10 seconds overall, so if I want to break it down, to see where the delay is happening within my architecture, I am not able to find that out using Stackdriver."
More Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) cons
"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"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."
"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 deployment, we mainly use it for Windows updates. It protects many screens and integrates with databases, but it's complex compared to other solutions. Many now use cloud-based products or other tools like Automox to deploy updates and manage vulnerabilities."
"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."
"They should have some customized solutions or internal development, then maybe it could be easier to use different solutions or some self-developed solution."
"Less server consumption would help, as would better, more flexible reports."
"In Microsoft System Center, it is difficult to follow the steps to create dataflows at times."
"The platform performance and responsiveness need improvement. It still demands high computing resources."
More Microsoft System Center cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost could be lower."
"The cost of using Stackdriver depends on usage."
"We have a basic standard license without any additional costs."
"We maximized our license investment."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"Microsoft System Center is quite expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Google Stackdriver?
If the errors are caught early in the interface, it would be easier for users to manage. The process of logging analytics can be improved.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Google Stackdriver?
I use the solution for logging, defining alerts, and monitoring. Our company's Java and Python logging teams mainly use it.
See all answers
What advice do you have for others considering Google Stackdriver?
The Ops Agent and logging transport feature of the solution have had a major impact on improving application performance. The solution also allows the transport of logs into log buckets, which is h...
See all answers
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
 

Comparisons

AWS X-Ray vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) Logo
AWS X-Ray vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver)
Compared 29% of the time
Datadog vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) Logo
Datadog vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver)
Compared 20% of the time
New Relic vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) Logo
New Relic vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver)
Compared 6% of the time
Prometheus Group vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) Logo
Prometheus Group vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver)
Compared 5% of the time
Dynatrace vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) Logo
Dynatrace vs Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver)
Compared 5% of the time
More Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) Competitors
Veeam Data Platform vs Microsoft System Center Logo
Veeam Data Platform vs Microsoft System Center
Compared 54% of the time
IBM BPM vs Microsoft System Center Logo
IBM BPM vs Microsoft System Center
Compared 46% of the time
More Microsoft System Center Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability
June 2025
Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) reportDownload Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft System Center
June 2025
Microsoft System Center reportDownload Microsoft System Center product report
 

Also Known As

Google Stackdriver, Stackdriver Monitoring, Stackdriver Logging, Google Cloud Monitoring
MS System Center
 

Overview

Real-time log management and analysis

Cloud Logging is a fully managed service that performs at scale and can ingest application and platform log data, as well as custom log data from GKE environments, VMs, and other services inside and outside of Google Cloud. Get advanced performance, troubleshooting, security, and business insights with Log Analytics, integrating the power of BigQuery into Cloud Logging.

Built-in metrics observability at scale

Cloud Monitoring provides visibility into the performance, uptime, and overall health of cloud-powered applications. Collect metrics, events, and metadata from Google Cloud services, hosted uptime probes, application instrumentation, and a variety of common application components. Visualize this data on charts and dashboards and create alerts so you are notified when metrics are outside of expected ranges.

Stand-alone managed service for running and scaling Prometheus

Managed Service for Prometheus is a fully managed Prometheus-compatible monitoring solution, built on top of the same globally scalable data store as Cloud Monitoring. Keep your existing visualization, analysis, and alerting services, as this data can be queried with PromQL or Cloud Monitoring.

Monitor and improve your application's performance

Application Performance Management (APM) combines the monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities of Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring with Cloud Trace and Cloud Profiler to help you reduce latency and cost so you can run more efficient applications.

Google
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

Uber, Batterii, Q42, Dovetail Games
Kassen_rztliche Vereinigung Nordrhein, Magyar Telekom Nyrt., Adeka, QualCare, Aeriandi, UniCredit Bank d.d., Mostar, Allianz Australia Ltd., Grupo Familia
Buyer's Guide
Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) vs. Microsoft System Center
June 2025
Free Report: Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) vs. Microsoft System Center
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud's operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) vs. Microsoft System Center and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
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