Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

IIS vs Microsoft System Center comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.7
Network authentication improved, offering affordability and ROI, though user-friendly enhancements for IIS novices are needed.
Sentiment score
8.3
Microsoft System Center boosts efficiency, saves costs through automation and internal task handling, achieving ROI in eight months.
It should be more user-friendly overall, because unless you know how IIS works as a Microsoft product, a system admin cannot just manage it.
Systems Engineer at Atos
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Users report mixed experiences with Microsoft support, often favoring community resources, but praise premium plan responsiveness.
Sentiment score
4.9
Microsoft System Center support is appreciated but criticized for slow response times, regional dependencies, and cost concerns.
There are typically no significant issues.
IT System Administrator at Bouri
Microsoft provides a lot of online documentation to consult before speaking to an expert.
Relationship Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
I would rate the support from Microsoft very high because I definitely got all the help during the testing time of the development kit while we were configuring features on our on-premises server.
Systems Engineer at Atos
As a partner, I cannot create a ticket directly; I have to involve the end user's email to create one, so using the Software Assurance ID to create a ticket directly is not possible, making it very challenging for me.
Sr. Sys. Server & Storage Egineer / Tech .Consultant at CANAR OFFICE SYSTEMS
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
IIS scalability is mixed; effective with clustering and load balancing, but larger scales may need extra infrastructure or cloud migration.
Sentiment score
7.5
Microsoft System Center is highly scalable, managing thousands of endpoints efficiently, yet requires careful resource consideration for optimal performance.
Cloud solutions may have better scalability options compared to IIS.
Chief Technology Officer at EVtech
It depends on the server environment and the presence of a UPS for power backup.
IT System Administrator at Bouri
I would rate the scalability of IIS as a six, mainly due to integration issues since it cannot integrate with other environments.
Relationship Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Microsoft System Center is scalable, allowing integration even if I have different sites.
Sr. Sys. Server & Storage Egineer / Tech .Consultant at CANAR OFFICE SYSTEMS
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
IIS is praised for enterprise stability, though occasionally challenged by application pool interactions and non-Microsoft technology compatibility.
Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft System Center is valued for its maturity and stability, performing reliably with manageable bugs and efficient update resolutions.
It was secured for us, as we launched the product, and people were accessing it from India and Virginia, and we had no problem.
Systems Engineer at Atos
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
Relationship Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
You can check the memory consumption and the number of crashes.
Senior System Integrations Architect at bs-team
 

Room For Improvement

IIS struggles with compatibility, security, usability, and integration issues, inconsistent performance, costly licensing, and limited technical support.
Microsoft System Center needs improved third-party integration, simplified installation, enhanced performance, user interface updates, and better documentation.
It should be more user-friendly because unless you know how IIS works as a Microsoft product, a system admin cannot just manage it.
Systems Engineer at Atos
If I compare IIS to other web servers such as Apache, which can be deployed in other environments like Linux, I find IIS is mostly used for simple things.
Relationship Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Integrating Copilot could help automate processes or assist in identifying where to make actions or take actions on the server.
Chief Technology Officer at EVtech
The disadvantage of Microsoft System Center is related to the many integrated services; if one service is failing, then all features will be affected.
Sr. Sys. Server & Storage Egineer / Tech .Consultant at CANAR OFFICE SYSTEMS
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise users find IIS cost-effective within Windows but some see high licensing fees compared to Linux alternatives.
Microsoft System Center is pricey, with annual fees and potential savings from SQL Server, rated 5-7 on affordability.
If you have a Windows license, there is no additional cost for IIS.
IT System Administrator at Bouri
We never had any pricing issue, but I don't know if it is competitive or not.
Systems Engineer at Atos
 

Valuable Features

IIS offers seamless Microsoft integration, robust management, enhanced security, resource efficiency, user-friendly interface, and robust web hosting support.
Microsoft System Center offers comprehensive endpoint management with integration, automation, monitoring, and ease of use in Windows environments.
IIS is free.
Senior System Integrations Architect at bs-team
It is easy to publish websites with SSL, and it integrates well within the local environment and cloud.
IT System Administrator at Bouri
Entra ID functions as the security front-end for all user management and identity management with Azure.
Chief Technology Officer at EVtech
In Microsoft System Center, all the features are integrated already, whereas in ManageEngine, you have to license each feature individually to access those features.
Sr. Sys. Server & Storage Egineer / Tech .Consultant at CANAR OFFICE SYSTEMS
 

Categories and Ranking

IIS
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Application Server (4th)
Microsoft System Center
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
14th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Monitoring Software (28th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 10.2%, down from 12.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft System Center is 1.9%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IIS10.2%
Microsoft System Center1.9%
Other87.9%
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

Krishnakumar Natarajan - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Engineer at Atos
Designs and manages multiple websites while ensuring data backup and disaster recovery
I have experience with AWS, and I am most familiar with the server environment, as we just use the server environment and then use Microsoft products on an AWS environment. I have experience with Windows Server IIS, which I ran on my own on-premise data center. The website was developed and then hosted, and through IIS, we managed the servers. The manageability within the IIS environment is not very difficult. For server management, you need to ensure data backup, data restore, and you have a DR configured to keep the database intact. It was done on-premises, so I had no problem doing that. If you have to go to the cloud, then you should have the storage connected to the IIS server and also have a DR set up for that. I didn't use Microsoft Azure tools, but since it is a Microsoft product, Azure has all the portability, so you don't have to worry about compatibility on the cloud. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this solution a 10.
Carl Palapal - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Infrastructure solutions are best for your needs.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Transportation Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better - IIS or NGINX Plus?
IIS is a flexible, secure, and manageable web server to host anything on the web. IIS’s scalable and open architecture can handle the most demanding tasks. From media streaming to web applications,...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IIS?
For the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for IIS, as a Microsoft product, I didn't think much about separately purchasing an IIS product as it is part of Microsoft Windows. We bought a developmen...
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...
 

Also Known As

Windows Server IIS
MS System Center
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute
Kassen_rztliche Vereinigung Nordrhein, Magyar Telekom Nyrt., Adeka, QualCare, Aeriandi, UniCredit Bank d.d., Mostar, Allianz Australia Ltd., Grupo Familia
Find out what your peers are saying about IIS vs. Microsoft System Center and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.