Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac [EOL] vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

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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 Linux, UNI...

Read 4 Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac [EOL] reviews

100% willing to recommend

KACE Systems Management App...

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95% willing to recommend

Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNI...

KACE Systems Management App...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 4, 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) and Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac are competing solutions in patch management. Ivanti Patch has the upper hand in feature richness and support for specific systems, while KACE SMA stands out in cost-effectiveness and ease of use.

Features: KACE SMA provides comprehensive inventory management, automated patch deployment, and asset tracking. Ivanti Patch offers robust patching capabilities tailored for Linux, UNIX, and Mac, along with extensive system support and security, making it ideal for non-Windows environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: KACE SMA offers an easy deployment with a range of intuitive management services suitable for diverse IT environments. Ivanti Patch, while more complex in deployment, delivers detailed support customized for Linux, UNIX, and Mac systems.

Pricing and ROI: KACE SMA delivers competitive pricing and strong ROI, offering extensive management capabilities at a lower initial cost. Ivanti Patch, although higher in price, provides significant ROI through advanced patching strategies and enhanced security for diverse system environments.

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

Buyer's Guide

Patch Management

September 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 Linux, UNI...

Average Rating

9.0

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 (11th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (12th)

Featured Reviews

KarthikU

Linux admin at Ameex Technologies

With good website development capabilities, the solution also provides exceptional stability

The initial setup is straightforward. The time taken for deployment for the website depends on the website code files and database. It may take four hours to eight hours for a single site to migrate from another solution. We used to do the migration from the cloud only and not on-premises. For deployment, we used to compress the code files, and using SFTP, we used to transfer the files. We then configure the same with that, and after transferring the code files, we used to have the UAT, staging, and production URL. Once everything is fine, we will switch the DNS for the live website. For the deployment and maintenance, we need support from the client's side and from the management side to make the DNS switch. We also need help from third-party vendors to provide access.

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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

"Compared to other software options, this is not exactly a cheap solution, however, the value you get is good, and therefore it's worth the cost."

"The tool is a stable product."

"Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, and Mac helps to ensure that everything is up to date."

"The solution is easy to implement."

"The website development section is the most valuable feature of the solution."

"In terms of the amount of time KACE saves us, it's weeks of work on a monthly basis, and we're able to do things in a day that used to take us about a month to do."

"Pretty much all of the features are valuable. The inventory is very helpful to be able to keep track of our devices. The deployments make it easy to deploy new software packages or upgrade packages. The help desk is also a great tool for tracking problems and problem tickets."

"The most valuable feature is the imaging of computers through the SDA... Being able to do that so quickly with the SDA, and to then use the SMA for reinstalling software, has been huge for our productivity."

"This solution makes it easy to control assets and upgrade all types of software."

"The initial setup is relatively easy."

"There is one place for a lot of different things. If somebody has a problem with their computer, they will put in a ticket. From there, we will know who it is and the assets assigned to them, because there is one place to go look for what we are talking about and with whom we are talking. Just having one place for everything is really convenient. For example, we are able to deploy software to hundreds of computers. We don't need to go to each individual device."

"KACE’s knowledge-based articles are very good."

"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

"The solution can be quite expensive, compared to other options on the market."

"The tool needs to improve its visual system."

"The better way to improve the solution is by working on an area where it lacks, which includes the migration part."

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

"I have complaints about smart label adaptation and because of this, I recommend a 24 to 48 hour bake-in period."

"We had issues with the tool's support. We are a Dutch firm and everything has to be in Dutch. We were not able to do the alerts. You were required to tweak them a lot to get them in the language that you preferred. The solution's support depended on the person that you got online. Sometimes, the response was fast and other times you needed to wait a long time. The support also depended on the levels of support that you had requested."

"One of the complications is that they don't have 24/7 support, and they're also not in our time zone... Sometimes, no matter how critical my application is, if my production server is down I won't be able to connect with anybody till 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time."

"The K1000 doesn't communicate well with some clients without SMB. There are some issues with getting things to image correctly because they rely on SMB, and SMB is a protocol that is being removed due to security reasons. Organizations are trying to rely less and less on SMB. I know Quest is aware of it. They've talked about having a new version that wouldn't rely on SMB for connection to the clients, but they haven't gotten there yet."

"What could be improved is the possibility to use replicas in a secure way outside our network in order to maintain the machines that never connect to our corporate network."

"The problem is that it's harder to directly emulate a lot of the stuff that the group policies do, using the KACE solution."

"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."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open-source, so we do not need any licensing."

"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."

"We are also saving on the licensing fee, compared to other endpoint management solutions."

"The pricing and licensing are good. It's worth it."

"Licensing is done on a per device basis, so it's dependent on how many agents you've got installed."

"The pricing and licensing are absolutely fair."

"The cost of KACE has been relatively low compared to other systems. Even if those systems have the same cost, they do not do as much of the third-party patching that KACE natively does."

"Based on other solutions that we had implemented, its pricing seems to be quite competitive. It is not inexpensive, but it is also not more expensive than any other solution. They have the standard licensing fees and support fees."

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

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Outsourcing Company

12%

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

University

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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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Patch Management

September 2026

Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac [EOL] report

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Buyer's Guide

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

October 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

HEAT Patch, PatchLink

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac provides comprehensive patch management capabilities tailored for these operating systems, ensuring systems remain secure and compliant without disrupting business operations.

This tool automates the patching process across Linux, UNIX, and Mac environments, addressing security loopholes and compliance requirements efficiently. It significantly reduces manual efforts, lowering risk and enhancing productivity within IT infrastructures by deploying timely updates. Its robust system integration capabilities allow seamless operation within IT ecosystems, ensuring minimal downtime and operational continuity.

What are the key features of Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac?

Broad Platform Support: Ensures a wide range of coverage across multiple operating systems.
Centralized Management: Allows patch activities to be monitored and controlled from a single interface.
Custom Patch Deployment: Facilitates tailored patch deployment strategies.
Security Compliance: Meets strict compliance standards by automating patch processes.
Real-Time Reporting: Offers insights into patching statuses and outcomes instantly.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Increased Security Posture: Reduces vulnerabilities through consistent patching.
Reduced Operational Costs: Minimizes manual task burdens leading to cost savings.
Enhanced System Performance: Boosts performance with streamlined update application.
Improved Compliance: Helps maintain necessary compliance with industry standards.

Industries such as finance and healthcare implement Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac owing to its ability to handle sensitive data securely while ensuring that systems stay updated with the latest patches, meeting strict data protection regulations. This makes it a reliable choice for organizations with critical operational requirements.

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

Information Not Available

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

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