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KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs SUSE Manager comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

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

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Ranking in Configuration Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
335
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (2nd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
KACE Systems Deployment App...
Ranking in Configuration Management
17th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SUSE Manager
Ranking in Configuration Management
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
4.0
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 6.9%, down from 10.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is 1.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Manager is 3.5%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune6.9%
SUSE Manager3.5%
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA)1.3%
Other88.3%
Configuration Management
 

Featured Reviews

AkashKamble - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr MacOS specialist engineer at Cyber24
Enables management of multiple operating systems with a single license
The best feature is that it's a Microsoft product, so if anything goes wrong, we get quick support for anything required. Remote system functionality allows us to sit anywhere and take control of any device via remote management. We can enhance security for clients' laptops with built-in Microsoft Defender, which is available with the Microsoft Intune license. We use it for reporting purposes through endpoint analytics. When pushing scripting, there are two types available: remediation script and reservation script. Through endpoint analytics, you can push defender policies to clients. It helps with reporting, inventory updates, and monitoring tenant status health.
MH
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
User interface and deployment efficiency save time and reduce staff needs
The best features KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) offers include the ease of operation and the ability to create images for deployment. When I say ease of operation, the user interface is easy to create the images, and the people deploying do not have to have access to the appliance in order to deploy images. KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester. This has saved our team hundreds of man hours and reduced it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA.
DK
Unix Administrator at emaratech
Supports a wide range of operating systems but integration challenges persist
From an integration perspective, it is difficult to integrate with Jira or any ticketing tool, which is challenging. We didn't try that, but we opened a case with SUSE support, and they said that it requires consultation for this new use case. In terms of support, both response time and knowledge-wise, they need to improve.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature for us is the security, including risk analysis and patch management."
"The policy and compliance monitoring of devices and the software deployment are most valuable."
"Autopilot is the most valuable feature."
"The features of Microsoft Intune that I appreciate the most are its user-friendly interface and robust security options."
"We are able to deliver applications fast to our mobile workloads so that users can make use of it instantly."
"In terms of technical support, you will get an immediate response."
"Overall, I would rate Microsoft Intune as eight out of ten."
"Intune's most valuable features are the device, compliance, and configuration policies."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester, saving our team hundreds of man hours and reducing it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA."
"Its ticketing is pretty good."
"SUSE Manager is valuable for managing systems, patching, and utilizing SaltStack connectivity for various installations and other routines."
"What I appreciate best about SUSE Manager is that it supports most of the Linux flavors."
"SUSE Manager is the best solution for maintaining the Linux environment"
"Regarding SUSE Manager, one of the most valuable features is the logical volume manager and file management, which allows for expanding files whenever we need more space on disk for the files and HANA."
"When it comes to managing both Red Hat and SUSE environments, it provides the support for live patching, which is something I really, really appreciate."
"SUSE Manager allows you to control Red Hat servers, SUSE Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Open SUSE, and Ubuntu, which is something new that other tools do not support."
"SUSE Manager helps to optimize operations at a reduced cost."
"The setup is straightforward."
 

Cons

"Microsoft Intune lacks the ability to provide seamless remote assistance or remote control."
"Intune lags all of its competitors in terms of report generation."
"They need to integrate more with security options."
"It would be awesome if Microsoft opened their API so we could filter more properties. If we have to do anything outside of Intune that requires a third-party solution to talk back to it, we're very limited in what we can do. Trust your people. We promise not to break your stuff. Open it up just a tiny bit wider."
"I personally work in a Samsung Android environment and there's a lot more feature support in other EMMs."
"Customer service used to be better. In the last couple of years, support has not been very good, even with Premier and Premium support. It's been very hit-or-miss."
"Intune could be improved by organizing different solutions, like Defender and Sentinel, into a single package. This would allow us to focus on security while Microsoft manages other areas. Having a unified solution would drive better management of various sectors. Although the Intune user experience is good, we should continue enhancing it."
"There is no catalog for mobile access management (MAM) security."
"I have heard feedback that the imaging is slow. It takes somewhere around an hour to image one PC."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing one SDA to service several different departments."
"The initial stage is a bit complex, but after that, everything runs seamlessly."
"From an integration perspective, it is difficult to integrate with Jira or any ticketing tool, which is challenging."
"We sometimes have server issues and need to restart the service."
"The initial setup of SUSE Manager is quite complex."
"It can be complex and difficult for users who are new to Linux and don't have any technical expertise."
"The initial stage is a bit complex, but after that, everything runs seamlessly."
"I really would like to have a broader library of VCP's or playbooks that I can deploy."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's a part of Microsoft 365 and E5 licenses. Microsoft's strategy of making every feature in Microsoft Intune paid needs optimization. Remote control is one of the basic features, not a luxury feature, yet we must pay for it. I"
"There is a license needed for this solution and it is either included in one of the enterprise license agreements. Microsoft licensing is a mathematical institute, it could be quite complex. We tend to ask specialized organizations to research what the most profitable way it would be for us to use licenses in the organizations."
"The price could be better."
"It is not expensive."
"We don't get Intune as a separate module. Most of the time, we use it within an enterprise agreement like E3 or E5. Those licenses are at a good price, but what is annoying is that every single year they go higher."
"It's affordable. In comparison to the competitors, the price depends on what features you need from Intune, but it's affordable. There are no hidden costs, but there are some features that go for a premium price. Those are the add-ons for which you have to pay extra."
"The cost is handled through our Office 365 license, so I have yet to be able to compare it directly with other tools in its class."
"It is reasonable. When you have Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license, it is already licensed in that license. So, you could say it is free."
Information not available
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
8%
No data available
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business124
Midsize Enterprise53
Large Enterprise167
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
The pricing for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is straightforward, and the setup was easy.
What needs improvement with Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing ...
What is your primary use case for Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
Our main use case for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is to deploy workstations as well as lab machines. We u...
What needs improvement with SUSE Manager?
The integration of some functions on cybersecurity could be improved if possible, along with features that can be hel...
What is your primary use case for SUSE Manager?
The use case for SUSE Manager is for several tasks such as bringing up the instances for SAP HANA, bringing them down...
What advice do you have for others considering SUSE Manager?
I have experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. I mostly work with SUSE Linux, but we have a couple of servers with ...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
No data available
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Information Not Available
Day & Zimmermann, Cisco, CEMEX, L.B. Foster, Adient, Istanbul Technical University, 7Pixel, University of Maine System, Guerbet
Find out what your peers are saying about KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs. SUSE Manager and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.