Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager [EOL] vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

Ivanti and Quest Software are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Additionally, 100% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Quest Software users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint M...

Read 4 Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager [EOL] reviews

100% willing to recommend

KACE Systems Management App...

Read 40 KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

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95% willing to recommend

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint M...

KACE Systems Management App...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 4, 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance SMA and Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager EOL are competitive products in the enterprise IT management sector. KACE Systems Management Appliance SMA is generally preferred for its favorable pricing and support, while Ivanti offers a more feature-rich set.

Features: KACE Systems Management Appliance SMA provides strong asset management, patching features, system surveys, and threat detection. Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager EOL is known for extensive patch management and integration capabilities that ensure seamless operation with other security solutions.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: KACE Systems Management Appliance SMA is straightforward to deploy with a generally user-friendly experience. Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager EOL offers dedicated support with a comprehensive deployment framework but may initially require more time for onboarding.

Pricing and ROI: KACE Systems Management Appliance SMA offers competitive pricing with potentially quicker ROI due to lower costs and effective resource use. Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager EOL may require a higher initial investment, resulting in a longer time before realizing ROI and potentially being less cost-effective in the short term.

To learn more, read our detailed Patch Management Report (Updated: August 2026).

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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

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint M...

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

KACE Systems Management App...

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (2nd), Endpoint Compliance (6th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (11th), Patch Management (10th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (12th)

Featured Reviews

PraveenRajan

Director of Infrastructure at Elevate Services

Smoothly handles software patching and scheduling, enabling monthly patch distribution across multiple projects

We face some challenges, particularly with non-domain-joined macOS devices. Patching, updating, and syncing with the server can be tricky for them. So, the major challenges are macOS updates, patching, and backups. And for drawbacks, I wish Patch management was cloud-based instead of hosted on our own server. If Ivanti Patch had a cloud-based option instead of requiring an on-premises server and software. Hosting it in the cloud would simplify management, eliminating dependence on VPNs or other connectivity issues. Similar to Microsoft's EMS licensing, offering a cloud-based solution like Azure Active Directory or Endpoint Management Suite (EMS) would be ideal. EMS allows us to manage policies, batching, and software distribution entirely through the cloud, minimizing server downloads. If Ivanti considered a cloud-based approach, it would be hugely beneficial in today's hybrid work environment, where employees use desktops, laptops, and various locations. It's not just about patching office PCs anymore; mobile workers and backups need seamless access as well. Cloud-based patching would be much easier in a hybrid environment. Imagine updates coming directly from the cloud instead of relying on individual VPN connections. It would streamline the entire process.

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AdityaJain

Security Administrator at EbixCash

Centralized software deployment has simplified endpoint control but needs stronger security alerts

What I like best about KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is that it allows pushing custom-made applications to all computers that have KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) endpoint installed. This makes it easier for the organization to push patches and updates. If I need to push EDR updates, I can use KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), as it automatically updates the EDR on that endpoint, and that is a great feature. Overall, KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) helps streamline my processes by allowing me to check the uptime and downtime of machines, whether they are connected to the internet or not, and how long a machine has been switched off. I can also gather hardware details and software inventory from it. I can show a live demonstration if a video conference can be arranged. Incident resolution capabilities with KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) have improved operational efficiency for system administrators, as it makes it easier to track machines with KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), gather their IP addresses, and push several updates, patches, or software deployments at once. I can design compliances as per my requirements, such as ensuring passwords are reset after 45 days.

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

"It's been doing a lot for us, especially with third-party software patching and scheduling. We create multiple projects for monthly patch distribution and manage it all well."

"Because of the internet gateway, we were able to get clear visibility regarding the status of the endpoint which we needed to do recently when everyone was working from home."

"The product is easy to use, easy to implement, and easy to manage."

"Clear visibility regarding the status of the endpoint."

"When it comes to Ivanti Patch for endpoints, I find peer-to-peer patching valuable. Having a peer-to-peer patching capability is highly beneficial for us."

"KACE has made our life much easier since we got off the Microsoft solution."

"It has also increased the team's productivity, we've been able to create standards where we know that no matter what type of laptop it is, we can image it the same way, it has the same setup for every user, we know we can guarantee that everybody across the state is running the same version of Microsoft Office or products like that, and it has made it to where we are efficient across the board from high-level VP level down to standard user level."

"It is easy to use and pretty intuitive, and because it has a graphical user interface and is easy to use, it really decreases the training time and increases our efficiency in implementing things."

"It is excellent in terms of updating and configuring everything the way we need. For anything more complex, we do professional service engagements, and they're exceptional. For anything less complex, we just need to ask questions. Their support division is extremely good too."

"KACE has made our life much easier since we got off the Microsoft solution. The Microsoft solution was a lot harder to image over different ports and stuff. They would only have this one place where we could do all the imaging. Now, we have a whole building where we can image from. This means that we can image from our storage area, where we have a place to do our imaging. We can also image right at our desks, which is a lot easier."

"Asset management is most valuable. It is essential for all customers. The other features are also useful, but asset management is most important."

"The solution has saved us a ton of time in several areas."

"The single pane of glass for managing devices is helpful because it allows me to perform updates and control things without having to disturb the doctors or nurses."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"Inability to configure a rule-based management."

"The UI must be more user-friendly."

"I'm currently struggling with one of the issues related to Linux or Ubuntu. Ivanti does not support Ubuntu and it has a limitation of CentOS to a specific version, which is CentOS 7, not 8."

"It would be great to have an easier way to patch Linux machines within the product."

"The major challenges are macOS updates, patching, and backups. And for drawbacks, I wish Patch management was cloud-based instead of hosted on our own server."

"The problem is that it's harder to directly emulate a lot of the stuff that the group policies do, using the KACE solution. With regular group policies, you just specify the various settings you want to change on the workstations, and then you specify the workstations and—while it's kind of an ugly mess—it does it. Whereas on KACE, you really have to know what you're doing with scripting to effectively script those exact same changes."

"Paying for the product should come with full and extended training anytime it is needed."

"It took a little bit of time to figure out how to use the KACE Service Desk. I like the way that I'm able to customize it. But when it comes to how our techs are able to use it, it's not as functional as our current solution, which is BMC FootPrints Service Desk."

"There is always room for improvement. An example will be the implementation of granulated permission to run Scripts."

"Imaging becomes a problem when you start to try to go beyond doing more than thirty or forty machines at a time. We initially tried to do that virtually and it just, it wouldn't work."

"They could make the booting solution easier for different things, e.g., easier to insert drivers. They could make it easier to create a new image and put it onto the server. Those would be some nice solutions. They could make it so that somebody who has no knowledge at all can do it. That would be really nice. Because every time, until I get it memorized, I still need to go back to the training, the manual, or Google it to figure it out again. If they would make it a lot easier, to where a nine-year-old could do it, that would be really cool. If they made it easier, I could have more people managing the images on the server, instead of just one or two people."

"There should be a mini toolbox, like the competitors of KACE have, with the small features for KACE administrators. That would make their lives easier. If you are troubleshooting a specific endpoint, remote control is available as is Wake-on-LAN. But if you want to execute some commands, you have to use a third-party tool, the PS tool. If they would integrate those small things, it would make KACE more powerful."

"On the patching, the Systems Management appliance, I noticed whenever there is something new that the vendor has to do, he always has to call KACE for help with it."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In terms of pricing, it is on the expensive side."

"The pricing is fair."

"Licensing is very straightforward. They don't overcomplicate it. This is not a Cisco product where you have to have 30 different licenses just to open the box. It's pretty much set-and-forget. You pay an annual license... The cost is in the mid to upper range, but the ROI exceeds the outside cost, especially once you've had the system for a while."

"Some of the other solutions were just astronomical in price compared with KACE and didn't necessarily have the ease of use either. So, we chose Quest KACE for its easy-to-use features and cost."

"The pricing is great. It's billed annually and it's very reasonable."

"Its pricing model is good for what it offers. Nobody here gives me a hard time about renewing the contract every year. It might be a little cost prohibitive for a smaller company who has to stand up a virtual environment as well as have virtual environment licensing and the hardware. If you have a smaller environment, it might be cost prohibitive. If you only have a couple of hundred computers, you might be more willing to do those manually. In our environment, the cost savings of having KACE far outweigh the licensing costs. We are okay with its pricing model."

"We are a university. So, we have a very good price for the system. I think the price for the system is worth it because of the security patch management. The security patch management is very important for us. The price is very good for KACE SMA, the functionality you get, and the patch management."

"We need it, so we have to pay the price. It is what it is. If you need a gallon of milk, then you have to pay the price for it. You don't want to buy the cheap stuff. You want to buy the stuff that is organic and good for your body, which doesn't have all this other junk in it. You want it clean for your body. Quest has done that for our deployment and management systems."

"It was a very attractive price. This is a huge feature of this product. If you would "credit score" this product versus others out there on the market, this one has a very attractive price."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Construction Company

10%

University

10%

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	16

Questions from the Community

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?

In terms of cost-effectiveness, considering a situation where I want to deploy KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) for just pushing updates, it is completely fine. However, apart from that, I d...

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What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

For improvements in KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), I would want to see it become a standalone software agent. I am curious about why it does not offer EDR functionality. Additionally, the...

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What is your primary use case for Quest KACE Systems Management?

I have deployed KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) around 230 plus PCs, and I use it to push Windows updates and scripts. I have designed various scripts for tasks such as password resets afte...

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Comparisons

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Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager [EOL]

Compared 7% of the time

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus vs Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager [EOL]

Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

Kaseya VSA vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager [EOL]

August 2026

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager [EOL] report

Download Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

August 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

Ivanti Patch for Endpoints, Patch for Endpoints, Shavlik Patch for Endpoints

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager provides a robust solution for managing and automating patch deployment across network devices. It reduces security risks and improves compliance by efficiently updating systems and software with minimal disruption.

Focused on enterprise needs, Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager offers centralized control over patch management. It ensures that network endpoints are up-to-date, enhancing security and operational efficiency. This expertly configured tool uses automation to streamline processes, minimizing manual interventions and reducing the potential for errors. By integrating with current management infrastructures, it facilitates seamless patching workflows, helping organizations maintain a high level of cybersecurity.

What are the most important features of Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager?

Automated Patch Deployment: Streamlines the patch process by automating the deployment of updates.
Compliance Reporting: Provides detailed reports to ensure systems adhere to compliance standards.
Cross-Platform Support: Manages patches for various operating systems and applications.
Scheduling Flexibility: Customizes when patches are deployed to minimize disruption.
Vulnerability Assessment: Identifies and addresses security weaknesses.

What benefits or ROI should users consider?

Enhanced Security: Reduces vulnerabilities by maintaining up-to-date systems.
Operational Efficiency: Saves time with automated processes and reduces manual efforts.
Cost-Effectiveness: Reduces the cost of security incidents and management overhead.
Improved Compliance: Assures adherence to industry regulations with comprehensive reporting.

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager finds application in various industries, including healthcare, finance, and education, where it supports compliance with industry-specific regulations. By automating patch management, each sector ensures its systems are secure and compliant, reducing the risk of breaches and enhancing operational stability.

Ivanti

KACE Systems Management Appliance offers integration capabilities, efficient image deployment, and comprehensive asset management. It supports centralized management across diverse devices and locations, simplifying IT processes and enhancing security.

KACE Systems Management Appliance provides single-pane visibility for endpoint management, mass software deployment, automated patch management, robust scripting, and detailed inventory tracking. It streamlines IT management and improves cyber-security compliance through remote software updates and centralized IT request handling. Despite struggles with scalability and the need for interface improvements, it enables efficient device imaging, script automation, and network management through detailed reporting. Organizations find it effective for software deployment, asset management, and endpoint monitoring, serving thousands of IoT devices and desktops.

What are the key features of KACE Systems Management Appliance?

Integration capabilities: Seamlessly connects with existing IT systems.
Efficient image deployment: Facilitates quick and effective distribution of system images.
Comprehensive asset management: Provides detailed tracking and management of IT assets.
User-friendly helpdesk: Simplifies handling IT requests and issues.
Automated patch management: Ensures devices are up-to-date with security patches.
Robust scripting: Allows for automation of complex IT tasks.
Detailed inventory tracking: Maintains accurate records of all IT assets.

What benefits should users expect from KACE Systems Management Appliance?

Simplified IT processes: Centralized management enhances operational efficiency.
Improved security: Streamlines cyber-security compliance through automated updates.
Flexibility in customizations: Adapts to specific IT environment needs.
Increased productivity: Efficient ticketing and reporting ease organizational operations.
Remote software updates: Ensures all devices are current, reducing security risks.

In healthcare, KACE Systems Management Appliance is used for maintaining device compliance and security standards. Educational institutions benefit from its capabilities to manage large numbers of endpoints across campuses. In finance, it aids in strict compliance requirements through automated patch management and detailed reporting. Retail sectors leverage its asset management features to streamline operations across numerous locations.

Quest Software

Sample Customers

InfoPro Digital, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King

Find out what your peers are saying about Qualys, Microsoft, NinjaOne and others in Patch Management. Updated: August 2026.

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