Ivanti Security Controls vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

Ivanti and Quest Software are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Ivanti is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.5, while Quest Software is ranked #9 with an average rating of 10.0. Ivanti holds a 2.5% mindshare in PM, compared to Quest Software’s 3.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Quest Software users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Security Controls

Read 4 Ivanti Security Controls reviews

795 Views
795 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

KACE Systems Management App...

Read 39 KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

2,847 Views
1,651 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Ivanti Security Controls

KACE Systems Management App...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2025

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) and Ivanti Security Controls serve overlapping purposes in IT management. KACE SMA excels in comprehensive systems management, while Ivanti Security Controls stands out in security features. Ivanti Security Controls is stronger in security due to its advanced protection capabilities, whereas KACE SMA offers cost-effective, robust management.

Features: KACE Systems Management Appliance provides asset management, software distribution, and patch management tailored for seamless IT management. Ivanti Security Controls offers in-depth patch management, endpoint security, and protection against vulnerabilities. KACE SMA focuses on broad management, whereas Ivanti emphasizes security.

Room for Improvement: KACE SMA could improve its security and compliance features, offer more intuitive reporting, and simplify complex configurations for new users. Ivanti Security Controls could enhance deployment ease, improve customer support responsiveness, and offer more affordable pricing options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: KACE Systems Management Appliance simplifies deployment with an intuitive setup and responsive support, ensuring efficient IT operations. Ivanti Security Controls presents more complexity in deployment with a steeper learning curve, focusing on security-oriented functionalities.

Pricing and ROI: KACE Systems Management Appliance offers a cost-effective setup with a strong ROI by reducing IT operational costs. Ivanti Security Controls requires a higher initial investment due to its dedicated security features but delivers a strong post-deployment ROI through enhanced protection capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

December 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

Ivanti Security Controls

Ranking in Patch Management

12th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

KACE Systems Management App...

Ranking in Patch Management

9th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (3rd), Endpoint Compliance (7th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (12th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Ivanti Security Controls is 2.5%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 3.9%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)	3.9%
Ivanti Security Controls	2.5%
Other	93.6%

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

Chethan R

Windows Security Patching Operation III (Cyber Operations) at CBTS

Has reduced hardware strain through agentless patching and improved asset visibility

This solution does not have capability of managing applications. It is only used for asset management and patch management. Regarding analytics for Ivanti Security Controls, it does not have extensive capabilities. It is a basic tool from Ivanti for scanning and deploying. It does not have analytics features such as EDR or security tools available in the market. It only has capability to check missing patches, find them, and deploy them. When it comes to reports, compliance reports or similar types of reports are not user-friendly. Expertise is required for handling these aspects. The asset management in Ivanti Security Controls needs more visibility. Additionally, it can be improved to handle in-house applications, which currently cannot be installed. It can only handle existing applications, unlike Ivanti's Endpoint Manager. It should have additional features in this area that need improvement.

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Michael Huffman

Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Reliability and adaptability enable efficient application deployment and security management

The best features Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) offers include the scripting function, which stands out to me because I can find specific needs and deploy the applications based on those needs. There was a time when scripting really saved me time by allowing me to find specific registry entries and modify them to patch security vulnerabilities. Scripting has saved us hundreds of hours over the years when patching these vulnerabilities compared to how we did it before. I really enjoy the security features that are enabled to deploy Microsoft and other vendor patches, which stand out to me as key functionalities.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Ivanti Security Controls is an agentless tool which means we do not need to install any agent on the server or endpoint, and through agentless capabilities, it can install software, install patches, and control over the server, including asset management."

"Ivanti Security Controls is a better solution than SCCM."

"What has been most valuable is the ability to manage, restore and install upgrades and applications. We scan PCs and server and receive results."

"Technical support is helpful and responsive."

"When vulnerabilities are exploited so much, it is nice to be able to quickly detect or deploy what is needed within our off-work hours or during work hours without a reboot."

"The software asset management has been a big help, even when it comes to license true-ups. I can use it to find out how many Tivoli we have, and boom, there's the number... And you can actually click on the information about the software and it shows, for example, that these five servers are where it's being reported. If you really want, you can log in to them and validate."

"There is ease of use, and its pricing was a driving factor."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to monitor updates—the software versions—on machines so that we can keep everything compliant."

"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."

"The solution provides us a single pane of glass with everything that we need for endpoint management of all devices. It definitely has made our endpoint management process much easier."

"We can get the majority of what we need with this product and do not have to spend money on something else."

"The ability to push an image to a machine, wake that image up, and just blast a new image to a computer without even having to touch it, and then push the software to that machine. This just made things so much more convenient for us and so much more efficient."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"For the Windows upgrade, the errors we experience are not clear. We see a time out error but do not know the reason. We would like to know the root cause."

"It should be more scalable."

"When it comes to reports, compliance reports or similar types of reports are not user-friendly. Expertise is required for handling these aspects."

"Ivanti Security Controls is a powerful product, but it has quite a steep learning curve."

"We'd love to see support for larger dependencies in the scripting feature."

"I've had some issues with patch catalogue."

"Its dashboard needs improvement. Currently, there is no way to modify the dashboard. There should be more flexibility so that we can create views according to our use case."

"There isn't a lot they need to improve with the solution itself at this point. It is pretty close to providing a single pane of glass for everything that we need for endpoint management specifically on all devices. There is very little that it doesn't provide for us, and for those, we have to go to other methods. There are some of the patching solutions that it doesn't take care of for us. So, we have to do those manually on the devices, and that's really the biggest thing. It doesn't do patching really well for non-Microsoft applications. The major application updates, particularly Windows updates, don't function nearly as well, but, for the vast majority of things, it does just fine. If they could improve in this aspect, that'd be great, but I don't know if they're going to be able to do that."

"The customization of the interface needs improvement for things like end user tickets. While the functionality is good, some of that UI stuff does need improvement."

"I would like for there to be improvement when it comes to Microsoft and Windows updates. It has the ability to do it but the control of it is not there like I have in the Windows Server Update Services. The way KACE does it is still very granular. You don't really see the process like it is in the Windows Server Update Services. I think that would be one of the biggest things that I would like to see KACE really put some work into and really make that a big enhancement."

"The only hiccups we had were some power issues, where the box was a little under-powered early on."

"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."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

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

"Their pricing is per end-point device. There is an initial cost for the license for the server, which is pretty low, and then there is a per end-point device license, which is also fairly low. So, the pricing is still reasonable."

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

"The product is reasonably priced."

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Outsourcing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Government

University

12%

Non Profit

Government

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	15

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Ivanti Security Controls?

Ivanti Security Controls is a powerful product, but it has quite a steep learning curve. There is quite a lot to learn, though it proves to be very powerful if you put in the time to learn how to u...

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What is your primary use case for Ivanti Security Controls?

We are using Ivanti Security Controls for deploying Windows updates to Windows servers.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Ivanti Security Controls?

I am currently working with Ivanti Security Controls as a customer. I think Ivanti Security Controls is an effective product for this purpose. I would give tech support for Ivanti Security Controls...

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

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is that, hands down, it beat all of the others in simplicity and pricing.

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What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

I wish Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) would have a top-down approach since we use orgs; currently, we have to go into each org to deploy applications when we need them all across the...

See all answers

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

My main use case for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is to deploy applications and maintain security, and we use it day-to-day to handle those tasks. With Quest KACE Systems Managemen...

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Comparisons

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 22% of the time

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 17% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 15% of the time

Qualys Patch Management vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 12% of the time

Ivanti Neurons Patch for Intune vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 11% of the time

More Ivanti Security Controls Competitors

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 18% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 13% of the time

BigFix vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 7% of the time

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 6% of the time

Atera vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 4% of the time

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Patch Management

January 2026

Download Ivanti Security Controls product report

Buyer's Guide

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

December 2025

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

No data available

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

Ivanti Security Controls simplifies security with unified and automated prevention, detection, and response techniques that target your biggest attack vectors. It provides the security global experts agree creates the highest barriers to modern cyber attacks, including discovery, OS and application patch management, privilege management, and whitelisting.

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

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

December 2025

Free Report: Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

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