Microsoft Configuration Manager vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

Microsoft and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Configuration Management category. Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.7. Microsoft holds a 12.3% mindshare in CM, compared to SolarWinds’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Microsoft Configuration Manager and SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager both compete in the configuration management category. SolarWinds seems to have the upper hand in network-focused features, providing a comprehensive suite tailored for network configuration and monitoring.

Features: Microsoft Configuration Manager provides software and OS deployment, hardware and software inventory, and Intune integration for mobile management. It also excels in reporting and compliance data gathering. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager offers network configuration management, real-time fault detection, and automated backups. It is particularly strong in configuration compliance and historical tracking of network changes.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Configuration Manager needs better application package deployment and improved integration with multiple Intune subscriptions. Users have noted challenges with PowerShell integration and high CPU/memory usage. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager could enhance its automation capabilities and ease of report customization. Additionally, integrating with newer technologies like SD-WAN and expanding AI functionalities would be beneficial.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Configuration Manager supports various environments, including on-premises and cloud deployments, but the setup process can be resource-intensive. While support is generally good, response times and first-level expertise could improve. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager mainly offers on-premises deployment and is praised for having responsive and knowledgeable customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Configuration Manager, with its extensive functionality, presents high initial costs and complex licensing, making it more suited for large enterprises. Its bundled pricing structure can lead to cost savings through streamlined IT operations. SolarWinds offers device-based licensing, which can be costly but is valued for its network management capabilities, potentially achieving ROI through enhanced network reliability and management efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

June 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

Microsoft Intune

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 10.3%, up from 9.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 12.3%, down from 13.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is 1.5%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Configuration Management

Featured Reviews

Joseph Merusi

Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Everything has worked better since we started using it

Sometimes the syncing is inconsistent. I'm confident that the devices are checking in every eight hours, but sometimes the devices aren't picking up the settings as quickly as I would expect. Some features haven't been updated in a while, and Microsoft doesn't seem interested in developing them. Unless you talk to an engineer, you don't know whether there will be an update. There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now. Some reporting areas still need development. For example, I noticed that the reporting for driver updates is still confusing.

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MikeNelson2

IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government

Deployment recovery works well but requires configuration improvements

While I do not use the product frequently, many issues were due to configuration rather than the product itself. I cannot give an exact recommendation as it is not my area of responsibility. The team that uses it finds it adequate. It is presently good enough for us not to investigate other options. Overall, I rate the product a six out of ten.

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RajeshB

Server and Network Monitoring Manager at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees

Offers additional functionality, including warranty management

Setting up a solution involves configuring a server and a web console, which is straightforward. Network team coordination is necessary when applying it to devices. This involves creating device connection profiles and ensuring SNMP is enabled. Initially, there were challenges involved in this process, but once the setup was complete, operations proceeded smoothly. All network devices are automatically added to NPM during auto-discovery in SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, including Network Configuration Manager features. Once configuration profile credentials are established in NCM, they are automatically deployed to all network devices. The solution is easy to use and deploy, although initial setup may require coordination and overcoming challenges.

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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

"The security posture is very good. It's very customizable."

"Once it is well integrated with the rest of the environment, it makes everything easy."

"It is very easy to use. It has a very easy interface."

"The central administration con dashboard is very easy to use and provides very good oversight on all that needs to be monitored."

"The most valuable features are the ones that make sure that the deployment is of a standard operating system and the Zero Touch deployment, which is very useful. This allows users to have an out of box experience."

"I particularly appreciate the administration and security features, which can be deployed easily."

"The stability of Microsoft Intune is ten out of ten."

"For the price, the features included with Microsoft are appealing."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"Microsoft Configuration Manager helps with patch management."

"It works well for the endpoints for the customer I'm consulting. It has a bunch of knobs, and you can tune it to do lots of things."

"I like the data collection."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is patch management."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is the software deployment. Additionally, Microsoft integrates most of the other solutions well with one another."

"The most valuable feature is the scalability."

"SCCM is a stable solution."

"It saves a lot of money when you can install things automatically and they are installed the exact same way on every computer."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pros

"It's perfect for network configuration management. It's easy to use."

"The feature that I really enjoy is the ability to script changes across all of your devices."

"It is a stable solution."

"Compared to other vendors, like NetBrain, managing the solution is easy. They made it very user-friendly."

"Configuration pushing, upgrade capabilities, job backup, configuration backup, and real-time configuration change monitoring are highly beneficial features of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."

"The solution's view is very nice, and they have a great customized dashboard."

"Its main functionality is highly beneficial as it centralizes the management of configuration items across the network."

"I use it for monitoring the entire network for the company. We oversee nodes down, we oversee devices heading up to crossing the threshold for CPU usage. We oversee power so power backups on the switches, we oversee if they're down or if they're failing. We oversee any node down or any router from any vendor."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pros

Cons

"There can be delays in the deployment of new policies."

"The platform is incredibly slow and could be more responsive. Specifically, when making changes to security policies, I would like to see those changes take effect more quickly."

"Microsoft Intune could improve in reporting data for endpoints and fleets. Enhanced capabilities to run queries and gather specific device data to identify trends or issues would be beneficial. The feature parity for MacOS and handling devices from an MDM perspective is not comprehensive. Consolidation of these functionalities within Intune would simplify processes and finances."

"If we could remote into a device, it would be great. Currently, we cannot directly connect to the user device. We have to use other tools such as VMware for connecting to devices."

"There are a few security features that are not available in Microsoft Intune, when compared to other products."

"I would like some integration with the Microsoft reporting platform Power BI."

"We would like to see the ability to use multiple personas on a device, similar to Samsung Knox, included in future updates."

"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."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"I would like to see more automation."

"We'd like the solution to make it easier to manage remote users."

"There were misconfigurations by our team rather than issues with the product itself. However, it does seem a bit buggy from time to time, based on what I have heard."

"I'm looking for a single solution for all discovery needs. It fulfills about 40% of the requirements, and I'd like to see the other 60% so that I don't have to keep doing this."

"The App to upgrades to the server needs to be improved."

"The tool's deployment can be cumbersome."

"The solution is crowded with information."

"I want the system to provide some dependency relations. I would also like to see the relationship between different machines."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager cons

"The solution could have better integration."

"Our experience has shown that most of the problems we've had with SolarWinds NCM are related to software issues."

"Its look and feel can be improved. They can also put in more effort into building the THWACK community and use the information about various customer issues and requests to build the new releases."

"The only thing that requires some experience, and training doesn't fix, is how to set up your custom policy-based reports to check compliance."

"The network logs could be improved. When the error logs come across with those false positive alarms in the error logs."

"Improvements are needed in the automatic network mapping function."

"It would be great if they include a network service manager, network performance manager, or a privileged assessment in the next release."

"When we run the SolarWinds NCM jobs at the cellular line, it runs in the morning. They're just not finishing. We're getting false processing."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is cheap, but as compared to Google, it is costly. Google is cheaper, but quality-wise, Microsoft Intune is better."

"The cost of the license and the features are justified for myself as a technical person."

"It's reasonable. They're not giving it away, but it's reasonable."

"All security solutions worldwide are expensive. Microsoft has allowed a small scale of features within Microsoft Intune for cost-efficient solutions. If you want the full suite, you need to invest more to gain better security features."

"Microsoft Intune's pricing is reasonable."

"The Intune license model is costly."

"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."

"Microsoft Intune is expensive."

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"I would rate the cost as eight out of ten."

"The solution is expensive. Microsoft Configuration Manager would likely be considered high-priced for small businesses because they may not fully utilize all of its features and capabilities."

"The price could be better."

"The price model is different for every client."

"We have a support license from Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager and the overall price of the solution is reasonable."

"The license price could be reduced for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager They should make the price more affordable for smaller companies, most companies would be able to use the solution if it was priced better. There are more people on this cloud because you don't have to have either a server room or an on-premise server. You can have one IT person handle this without any local infrastructure."

"There is an annual license needed to use the solution."

"For enterprises, there is an annual license required to use this solution. The price of the solution could be cheaper. However, this is mostly because of the exchange rate from the dollar to the Nigerian currency."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

"With a minimal bundle, we pay about $3000 a year in licensing costs. If you have multiple devices in your network, you must buy the bundle, which is 100% identical for your infrastructure. If you have 15 devices, you need 15 licenses, for example. That's one bundle. You don't pay for anything over and above that."

"In Africa, the cost is a major factor in decision-making for many companies. As a result, some companies may choose cheaper solutions, even if they are open-source, over more expensive ones, such as SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. However, as an engineer, I believe that the functionalities and services offered by SolarWinds justify the cost. Nonetheless, many companies in Africa may still view the prices as unaffordable."

"We have to pay additionally for its support and maintenance."

"Pricing is reasonable and competitive."

"Additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee are inevitable."

"There is a license for the use of this solution and it is priced well, there is a lot of value for the money."

"Available at a moderate price"

"The price of the solution is high compared to other solutions."

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

13%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 ...

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What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?

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How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?

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How does Ansible compare to Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM)?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager takes knowledge and research to properly configure. The length of time that ...

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How to choose between ManageEngine Desktop Central and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)?

ManageEngine Desktop Central is very easy to set up, is scalable, stable, and also has very good patch management. Wh...

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What do you like most about SCCM?

One of the standout features of SCCM is its application management capabilities. It allows us to create packages effi...

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What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

The configuration compliance aspect of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager allows for easy comparison of configu...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

The licensing costs of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager are expensive, but considering its reliability, featu...

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What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager?

Further improvements in automation are needed. Currently, there are limitations in performing tasks without logging i...

See all answers

Comparisons

Jamf Pro vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 12% of the time

Workspace ONE UEM vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 7% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Intune Competitors

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 13% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 12% of the time

Tanium vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 8% of the time

BigFix vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 5% of the time

BMC Client Management vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 2% of the time

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Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Compared 27% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Compared 8% of the time

ManageEngine Network Configuration Management vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Compared 7% of the time

VMware NSX vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Compared 6% of the time

NetBrain vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Compared 5% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

May 2025

Download Microsoft Intune product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager

May 2025

Download Microsoft Configuration Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

May 2025

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager report

Download SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager product report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM )

SolarWinds NCM

Overview

Microsoft Intune provides centralized management of mobile devices and applications, ensuring security, compliance, and productivity through integration with Microsoft services like Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory.

Organizations use Intune for managing mobile devices and applications, enhancing security and compliance across platforms. With features like single sign-on, conditional access, and zero-touch deployment via Autopilot, it facilitates efficient operations. Intune's scalability, easy enrollment, and capabilities such as remote wipe support diverse device management, offering robust data protection and efficient operation. Despite its features, improvement areas include reporting, compatibility with non-Microsoft devices, and better support for macOS and Linux devices.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Seamless Integration: Works with Microsoft 365, Azure Active Directory, and System Center for streamlined management.
Conditional Access: Enhances security with policies that restrict access based on conditions.
Autopilot: Provides zero-touch deployment for setting up new devices efficiently.
Mobile Device Management: Enables control over both personal and corporate devices.
Application Deployment: Facilitates app delivery across a range of devices.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Centralized Management: Reduces complexity by managing devices and applications in one place.
Security Enhancement: Protects data with features like remote wipe and compliance monitoring.
Improved Productivity: Enhances efficiency with seamless integration and automation features.
Device Scalability: Supports diverse device management for growing business needs.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure secure and compliant device management. Companies leverage its capabilities to deploy security policies and manage both corporate-owned and BYOD environments, facilitating a unified approach to data protection and compliance.

Microsoft

Microsoft Configuration Manager helps IT manage PCs and servers, keeping software up-to-date, setting configuration and security policies, and monitoring system status while giving employees access to corporate applications on the devices that they choose. When Configuration Manager is integrated with Microsoft Intune, you can manage corporate-connected PCs and Macs along with cloud-based mobile devices running Windows, iOS, and Android, all from a single management console.

New features of Configuration Manager, such as the support of Windows 10 in-place upgrade, co-management with Microsoft Intune, Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise Servicing Dashboard, integration with Windows Update for Business, and more make deploying and managing Windows easier than ever before.

Microsoft

Before you monitor your network, configure it! A reliable and secure network starts with carefully planned, executed, and monitored network configuration and change management. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) saves time and improves network reliability and security by managing configurations, changes, and compliance for routers, switches, and other network devices from Cisco, Juniper, HP, Dell, Brocade, Aruba, Rukus, and more.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad

United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Air Rarotonga, NetSuite, Thai AirAsia, REA Group, 335th Signal Command, Agilisys, Marine Expeditionary Force

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

June 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

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