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Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager [EOL] vs OpenText Identity Governance comparison

Microsoft and OpenText are both solutions in the Identity Management (IM) category. Additionally, 75% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of OpenText users who would recommend it.
OpenText Identity Governance
Read 9 OpenText Identity Governance reviews
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  • 754 Comparison Views
88% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager EOL and OpenText Identity Governance are identity management and governance products. OpenText Identity Governance holds an advantage due to its comprehensive features.

Features: Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager EOL offers integration capabilities, extensive identity management functionality, and a robust provisioning and life-cycle management portal. OpenText Identity Governance provides advanced policy management, dynamic grouping, life cycle management, integration modules with IDM solutions, and powerful access review features.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager EOL could enhance its ease of deployment, reduce the need for extensive IT support, and improve user interface customization. OpenText Identity Governance could benefit from simplifying its existing policy configuration processes, enhancing initial setup speed, and increasing its adaptability for smaller organizations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager EOL requires a substantial setup effort and considerable IT support but provides solid implementation assistance. OpenText Identity Governance offers a more streamlined deployment process with strong technical support, enabling quicker implementation and reduced disruptions.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager EOL generally has a lower deployment cost, offering good value for initial investment. OpenText Identity Governance justifies a higher setup cost with enhanced scalability, better long-term ROI, and robust features for managing complex environments.

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Buyer's Guide
Identity Management (IM)
January 2026
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Helped 881,757 peers since 2012

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 Bhold Forefront I...
Average Rating
7.4
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
OpenText Identity Governance
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Identity Management (IM) (27th)
 

Featured Reviews

it_user185919 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user185919
Microsoft Practice Lead at Unify Solutions
The SharePoint-hosted web UI lacks the features one would normally expect but it does have a PowerShell-aware web API.
The biggest limiting factor is that the sync engine cannot be configured for load balancing or redundancy, followed closely by the through-put limitations that apply to the FIM Service connector (management agent) when dealing with high volumes of objects under synchronization. Nonetheless, FIM has been successfully deployed to manage the entire identity life-cycle for very large sites, such as well over one million staff/student identities under management for the Queensland Education Department in Australia. Also, when the "declarative" sync rules requiring "expected rule entries" (EREs) are employed, the sync overhead is further exacerbated. As such this type of sync approach should be avoided in lieu of a code-based rules extension or the "scoped" sync rule capability released with R2.
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GA
GustavoAbaurre
IAM Specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Helps to run reports and verify user access but improvement is needed in integration
You can run reports and verify the access each user has. There is a process that runs automatically for access review. It sends an email to the manager and provides a task for the manager to review the users and access. The manager can approve or reject, and then it goes to the application owner for further review. This feature is especially important in large customer environments, as manual review can be challenging. The product allows you to check if a user has two accesses that should not be granted simultaneously. There's an approval process for this scenario. Primarily, it provides information for governance data.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Comms Service Provider
12%
Real Estate/Law Firm
10%
Educational Organization
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
 

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about NetIQ Identity Governance?
You can run reports and verify the access each user has. There is a process that runs automatically for access review. It sends an email to the manager and provides a task for the manager to review...
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What needs improvement with NetIQ Identity Governance?
NetIQ Identity Governance is not flexible. Sometimes, filtering information to provide users with options, such as selecting the application to which they want to request access, can be challenging...
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What advice do you have for others considering NetIQ Identity Governance?
The solution is worth using because of its flexibility, especially in integrating applications. However, the time required for integration varies based on the quality of documentation provided for ...
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Comparisons

No data available
One Identity Manager vs OpenText Identity Governance Logo
One Identity Manager vs OpenText Identity Governance
Compared 18% of the time
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs OpenText Identity Governance Logo
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs OpenText Identity Governance
Compared 14% of the time
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs OpenText Identity Governance Logo
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs OpenText Identity Governance
Compared 13% of the time
Saviynt vs OpenText Identity Governance Logo
Saviynt vs OpenText Identity Governance
Compared 11% of the time
OpenText Core Secure Access vs OpenText Identity Governance Logo
OpenText Core Secure Access vs OpenText Identity Governance
Compared 10% of the time
More OpenText Identity Governance Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager [EOL]
January 2026
Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager [EOL] reportDownload Microsoft Bhold Forefront Identity Manager [EOL] product report
Buyer's Guide
Identity Management (IM)
January 2026
OpenText Identity Governance reportDownload OpenText Identity Governance product report
 

Also Known As

Bhold Forefront Identity Manager, MS Bhold Forefront Identity Manager [EOL]
NetIQ Access Governance Suite, Novell Access Governance Suite
 

Overview

Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager (FIM 2010) enables organizations to manage the entire lifecycle of user identities and their associated credentials. It can be configured to synchronize identities, centrally manage certificates and passwords, and provision users across heterogeneous systems. With FIM IT organizations can define and automate the processes used to manage identities from creation to retirement.
Microsoft

OpenText Identity Governance provides robust access review capabilities, risk analysis, and intuitive dashboards. Its advanced role mining and dynamic grouping ensure efficient access management, supporting compliance through separations of duties.

OpenText Identity Governance enhances access management and auditing processes through features such as role mining, access certification, and separations of duties that support efficient management protocols. Though it excels in stability, scalability, and integration with Identity Management solutions, it requires improvements in installation, Workflow Designer, and cloud application connectors. Addressing stability issues and offering enhanced Identity Intelligence features are essential for competitive edge. The governance tool leverages automated reporting and approval workflows, aiding large environments in streamlining management tasks. Its ability to integrate closely with NetIQ Identity Manager facilitates internal audits, particularly in banking and governmental sectors.

What are the key features?
  • Access Review: Manage permissions efficiently across applications.
  • Risk Analysis: Provides detailed risk assessment to support governance.
  • Advanced Role Mining: Enhance management with refined role assignments.
  • Dynamic Grouping: Enables efficient dynamic access adjustment.
  • Automated Reporting: Streamline compliance and reporting with automation.
What benefits should users look for?
  • Compliance Assurance: Identifies power imbalances, ensuring policy adherence.
  • Performance Integration: Offers seamless compatibility with IDM solutions.
  • Streamlined Governance: Automated processes support efficiency in large environments.
  • Stability and Scalability: Designed to sustain performance in growing infrastructures.

OpenText Identity Governance sees deployment in industries like banking and government, where auditing and access management are critical. It aids in permission management and account discovery, utilized notably in regions such as Chile and Argentina. Organizations benefit from its integration with NetIQ Identity Manager to ensure proper account activation and deactivation, ultimately facilitating sector-specific compliance and auditing tasks.

OpenText
 

Sample Customers

Ministry of Health (MoH) in Saudi Arabia, Vocational Training Council, PKP S.A., Arysta LifeScience, Wiltshire Council, Sats Elixia, MANN+HUMMEL Group, ViveICA, Kotak Group, Sun International, Anel
Western & Southern Financial Group
Buyer's Guide
Identity Management (IM)
January 2026
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