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KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs SUSE Manager comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

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
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
377
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
19th
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
15th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
4.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 4.4%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is 1.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Manager is 2.6%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune4.4%
SUSE Manager2.6%
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA)1.3%
Other91.7%
Configuration Management
 

Featured Reviews

HA
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
Centralized device management has automated onboarding and improves remote security compliance
One thing I feel Microsoft Intune could improve is troubleshooting visibility. In many cases, when a policy or application deployment fails, the error messages are a bit generic. So, admins still spend time checking logs manually or testing on devices one by one. Compared to the simplicity of deployment, troubleshooting sometimes feels less mature. I also think reporting and real-time monitoring could be stronger. The dashboard gives useful information, but in large environments, many teams still depend on additional tools or scripts for deeper reporting and analytics. If I had to focus on one area first, I would probably choose troubleshooting and reporting. Deployment through Microsoft Intune is generally straightforward, but when something fails, identifying the exact root cause can still take more time than expected. Error messages are sometimes too generic, and admins often have to dig through logs, sync status, or multiple portals to understand what actually happened. I think user experience and policy management could also improve further. Microsoft Intune has become much better over the years, but sometimes the admin portal still feels fragmented because certain configurations open in different sections or redirect to older interfaces. For new admins, especially, it can take time to understand where everything is located. Another thing is policy conflict handling. In larger organizations, multiple device policies, compliance rules, and configuration profiles can overlap. When conflicts happen, the visibility is not always very clear, so admins spend time figuring out which policy actually won or caused the issue.
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.
Shivamp Kachole - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate System Engineer at Dhanyaayai enterprise private limited
Centralized management has transformed how I automate patching and control thousands of Linux servers
I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little complex, especially for new users or those working in disconnected environments. Troubleshooting sometimes requires checking multiple logs, and I believe the user interface could be more intuitive for some advanced tasks. Better built-in troubleshooting guidance and easier repository management would improve the overall experience. Additionally, the official documentation is not comprehensive enough; many commands are missing, and it could benefit from screenshots to help with installation, such as adding clients. I believe that more built-in health checks and clearer error messages would greatly assist not just me but everyone in the organization during troubleshooting. Simplifying the proxy configuration and disconnected environment setup would also save time. Overall, the product is stable and works well once it is configured properly.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The synchronization of Intune with other Microsoft solutions is a valuable feature."
"Intune provides full visibility into all active mobile device users. If their devices are noncompliant with our security policies, I have the flexibility to update them remotely."
"The feature I find most valuable in Microsoft Intune is being able to configure policies and push them directly to mobile phones."
"This product allows us to restrict users who have access to the system, or to Office 365."
"Without Microsoft Intune, it would be extremely challenging, if not impossible, for a large company to send out computers to users and have them set up and ready to use right out of the box in a remote location."
"Technical support has been helpful and responsive and we are happy with the level of service on offer."
"We have ROI because we are retiring AirWatch, so we're spending less and making the most of the free stuff."
"Overall, I like Intune as a solution and would rate it nine out of ten."
"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."
"I'm just an end-user; I'd recommend the solution to others as it has a good balance between pricing and functionality."
"Its ticketing is pretty good."
"The biggest advantage of SUSE Manager is that it centralizes everything—from client registration and patching to automation and compliance."
"One of the most powerful things that I noticed when I arrived was that it was underutilized, and there are all of these automation capabilities that SUSE Manager has, which have saved just so much time for me."
"SUSE Manager helps to optimize operations at a reduced cost."
"SUSE Manager is the best solution for maintaining the Linux environment"
"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."
"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."
"The setup is straightforward."
"For those with a Linux environment, it's a good solution, and I would recommend it."
 

Cons

"Packages on different identity provider platforms that are not supported present challenges for package installation."
"I have experienced downtime, bugs, and glitches. I rate it a seven because when we have bugs or instability in Microsoft Intune, we need to wait for the backend from Microsoft Intune to resolve issues and we can't deliver solutions to clients because we need to wait for action plans and related processes."
"Enhancements for managing MacOS more comprehensively would be beneficial."
"Reporting and troubleshooting for the application deployment could be better. It's very difficult to understand."
"I'm not able to scale because of the issues with macOS management."
"Intune could add more Linux security features and more integration with on-prem devices. The application deployments can also be improved."
"Without changing it, you cannot deploy it, so that's a limitation from the Microsoft Intune side."
"I expect Microsoft Intune to have more features in the cloud because there are two major functionalities that we need to be added. This is software metering and license management. These functionalities, for now, must be on-premise. For this purpose, we have set up a SQL Server and I hope that in near future this option will be in the cloud in Microsoft Intune."
"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."
"I have heard feedback that the imaging is slow. It takes somewhere around an hour to image one PC."
"We sometimes have server issues and need to restart the service."
"The initial stage is a bit complex, but after that, everything runs seamlessly."
"It can be complex and difficult for users who are new to Linux and don't have any technical expertise."
"I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little complex, especially for new users or those working in disconnected environments."
"I really would like to have a broader library of VCP's or playbooks that I can deploy."
"From an integration perspective, it is difficult to integrate with Jira or any ticketing tool, which is challenging."
"The initial setup of SUSE Manager is quite complex."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I am not that aware of the pricing, but as compared to other MDM solutions, Microsoft is providing a lot of things at the organizational level. So, it is quite reasonable as compared to other MDM solutions."
"We have a limited budget for security investments, so Microsoft should consider reducing pricing in our region. This would make investment more viable, especially since larger businesses in other countries can afford it easily."
"We have the business premium licenses for the solution."
"There are licenses required for this solution. We enable licenses on the devices we need to manage."
"There is a cost benefit of using Microsoft Intune because of the packaging with other Microsoft products."
"The product is expensive."
"Our enterprise agreement includes Microsoft Intune at no additional cost."
"The price is reasonable, but they should lower it a bit to make it more competitive. It's cheaper than AirWatch and other products, but I still feel like Microsoft can make a base version or with Exchange online or a la carte only Intune version which will be useful. A customer who doesn't want to go full-fledged E3 or E5 can take out or consume an Intune solution only for their purpose, and we want to target that customer."
Information not available
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
25%
Construction Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Outsourcing Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Energy/Utilities Company
9%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business192
Midsize Enterprise62
Large Enterprise187
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
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?
I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little co...
What is your primary use case for SUSE Manager?
My main use case for SUSE Manager was to configure it for client purposes, specifically for centralized Linux system ...
What advice do you have for others considering SUSE Manager?
For those looking into using SUSE Manager, I recommend spending time understanding the architecture before proceeding...
 

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: September 2026.
914,262 professionals have used our research since 2012.