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IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence vs Microsoft Identity Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

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

IBM Security Identity Gover...
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
30th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (13th)
Microsoft Identity Manager
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Identity Management (IM) category, the mindshare of IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence is 1.0%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Identity Manager is 2.1%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity Management (IM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Identity Manager2.1%
IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence1.0%
Other96.9%
Identity Management (IM)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1830612 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head, Cybersecurity at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
We use the solution to ensure organizations conform to industry base certifications and best practices
We use the product to ensure organizations conform to industry base certifications and best practices and do not contradict their security policies within the base points they specify in the system, which are used to match everything against their governance use cases I think the product's most…
RameshKumar9 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
Supports reliable identity management and custom policy design
Microsoft Identity Manager can be improved by integrating it with Entra ID as a SaaS application or by having a cloud-based connector, as it is currently limited to on-prem scenarios, and a combination of both would be a great solution compared to competitors such as SailPoint or One Identity Manager. While the initial setup of Microsoft Identity Manager is not completely complex, migrating or upgrading to a new version can be complex and requires multiple backups to ensure it goes smoothly.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Lifecycle management, governance and documentation."
"I would rate the price eight out of 10, with 10 as the best value for money."
"The integration with other Microsoft ecosystems, such as Graph API, is really cool."
"It is a stable product. You will experience some issues with it, but it's a good product."
"The concept is primarily for the people in the business. In business, you can discuss how integrating all the services and resources within the company can bring numerous benefits."
"What makes this solution attractive is the licensing model. Microsoft Identity Manager is included in premium versions of Azure AD and in enterprise agreements such as E3. This makes the solution very attractive to many of our clients who are subscribed to those products."
"The best features of Microsoft Identity Manager are its 100% compatibility with Active Directory, the ability to customize IAM policies as required, and its simplicity in design."
"The integration with other Microsoft ecosystems, such as Graph API, is really cool."
"The product allows us to track the logins easily."
"The most valuable and most interesting feature is the conditional access."
 

Cons

"Self service center is not always easy to understand."
"The solution is a bit pricey for some regions."
"Microsoft Identity Manager could be improved in several areas."
"Microsoft Identity Manager could be more intuitive in terms of interface."
"They have to improve the User Entity and Behavioral Analysis."
"Integration with third parties and enhanced policy management could be improved."
"MIM's reliability could be improved."
"It would be good if Microsoft Identity Manager Maybe could be integrated with Azure Active Directory directly and made as a cloud platform."
"The documentation could be better."
"Some valuable features might go unused because they are not well-documented or connected clearly in user guides."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the price eight out of 10, with 10 as the best value for money."
"My rating for the pricing of Microsoft Identity Manager is average, neither too expensive nor too cheap."
"It is an expensive tool."
"The tool's price is low for my company."
"The solution is expensive."
"The prices can always be improved. I'd rate it a 4 out of 10 in terms of pricing."
"The solution is included in the Microsoft E3 license and premium subscriptions of Azure AD."
"Microsoft Identity Manager comes with the premium or community license. If the customer doesn't have a premium license, the reseller who sells the licenses of Microsoft to the enterprise can extend the license for the client."
"MIM is free with a Microsoft Azure license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Government
13%
Insurance Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Identity Manager?
Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Identity Manager, it has a couple of cloud connectors that can sync directly with the O365 admin center, which is good enough, but Entra I...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Identity Manager?
Microsoft Identity Manager can be improved by integrating it with Entra ID as a SaaS application or by having a cloud-based connector, as it is currently limited to on-prem scenarios, and a combina...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Identity Manager?
The typical use case for Microsoft Identity Manager is to automate Active Directory, where it is responsible for onboarding new employees to on-premises AD or to the cloud based on certain criteria.
 

Also Known As

IGI, IBM Security Identity Manager, ISIM
MIM, Forefront Identity Manager, FIM, MS Identity Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

E.ON Global Commodities
Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Whole Foods Market
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence vs. Microsoft Identity Manager and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,565 professionals have used our research since 2012.