Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Zenoss Cloud comparison

Microsoft and Zenoss are both solutions in the Server Monitoring category. Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.2, while Zenoss is ranked #27. Microsoft holds a 5.3% mindshare in SM, compared to Zenoss’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Zenoss users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Read 85 Microsoft Configuration Manager reviews

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1,718 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Zenoss Cloud

Read 8 Zenoss Cloud reviews

1,401 Views
364 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Zenoss Cloud

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2025

Zenoss Cloud and Microsoft Configuration Manager compete in the IT management space. Zenoss Cloud stands out for real-time monitoring and support capabilities, whereas Microsoft Configuration Manager is valued for its extensive features.

Features: Zenoss Cloud offers real-time monitoring, seamless integration across various platforms, and proactive system management. Microsoft Configuration Manager provides in-depth system configuration, automation, and comprehensive software update management.

Room for Improvement: Zenoss Cloud could enhance its documentation to attract larger enterprises, improve its interface for easier use, and provide more native integrations. Microsoft Configuration Manager might benefit from streamlining its initial setup, simplifying user interface navigation, and expanding its cross-platform capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zenoss Cloud offers flexible cloud-based deployment, simplifying setup and management, backed by responsive customer service. Microsoft Configuration Manager requires a complex on-premise setup but supports organizations with extensive documentation and community resources.

Pricing and ROI: Zenoss Cloud provides cost-effective, scalable pricing models conducive to favorable ROI with its cloud-based solution. Microsoft Configuration Manager, despite higher upfront costs due to on-premise infrastructure needs, offers comprehensive features that contribute to long-term operational efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Zenoss Cloud Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Zenoss Cloud

September 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 Configuration Man...

Ranking in Server Monitoring

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Distribution (1st), Configuration Management (3rd), Patch Management (1st)

Zenoss Cloud

Ranking in Server Monitoring

27th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Infrastructure (33rd), Event Monitoring (14th), Network Monitoring Software (76th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (51st), Container Monitoring (9th), Cloud Monitoring Software (39th), AIOps (26th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Server Monitoring category, the mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 5.3%, down from 7.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zenoss Cloud is 1.2%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Monitoring Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Configuration Manager	5.3%
Zenoss Cloud	1.2%
Other	93.5%

Server Monitoring

Featured Reviews

JunedBedrekar

Expert at Tata Consultancy

Have effectively deployed patches and applications while integrating with cloud solutions

The features I find most valuable in Microsoft Configuration Manager are replication and scripting. If I want to get a fetch report for anything, such as hardware-related issues or group policy-related issues, I need to fetch the report by using SCCM's scripting language and remediation part. The inventory collection features of Microsoft Configuration Manager are good because we always prefer the inventory. We do it by using the script language. We use remote management capabilities in Microsoft Configuration Manager. Remote management capabilities are useful if the user is not providing access; we can use the backend users to update the group policy and sync the devices. These are the main features we require.

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ClaudiaChen

Cloud Architect - Senior Technology Architect at Telstra

Generates close to real-time alerts so users can resolve issues, but needs more integration and public cloud monitoring features

As Zenoss Service Dynamics is more for network-centric devices and you want to monitor, for example, a server, its services, IP addresses, and interfaces, if it's a network and you're going to monitor multiple items, you'll be charged multiple times. This is what Zenoss Service Dynamics needs to improve to make sure that customers pay just one fee to monitor the entire server. What I'd like to see in Zenoss Service Dynamics in the future is a public cloud monitoring feature, particularly for the Azure public cloud. Another additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is integration with the Azure public cloud because I know that there are some services from Azure that Zenoss Service Dynamics is currently unable to monitor.

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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

"With the right administrator, application deployment can do wonders."

"The tool's most valuable features include security updates and patch management, which are critical functions for maintaining security. The automated software distribution and the ability to manage deployments are also highly useful. Enforcing compliance with set policies on systems is another key functionality we leverage."

"This solution captures all the devices in our infrastructure."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is the availability of being able to manage the Microsoft estate. It handles many areas, such as asset management and tracking."

"There is a faster time to rollout. If we get a new PC, it can be ready for productivity right away."

"The solution is stable."

"It's a stable product."

"It gives us the ability to set up schedules, according to what our security requirements are, to automate the patching of our servers and desktops."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pros

"The most valuable feature is the flexible discovery mechanism."

"They have also accommodated many state-of-the-art technologies like Docker and ZooKeeper."

"It's easy to use."

"What I like most about Zenoss Service Dynamics is that it monitors the devices and gives close to real-time alerts. For example, in case the device is not available, Zenoss Service Dynamics generates an alert so my team can resolve the issue."

"The product offers good documentation that helps with initial training."

"Its Docker Container concept is mind blowing. It is the first monitoring tool which comes with Docker features."

"The custom built integration is one of the most valuable features because you can see all the especially critical items."

Cons

"I would like to see an agentless version of the solution."

"The solution can be improved by speeding up the synchronizing of the policies on the devices."

"There is a reboot issue with the patching. Sometimes, if patching runs into any issue whatsoever, it doesn't reboot but it doesn't tell you it errored out. It just sits there and we don't find out until the next day whether it patched or not. That was a big issue for us. We're working through that. They added some stuff in there now where you can actually tell reboot is pending. But we still need some kind of notification that if something fails or is pending, we know. We shouldn't have to go in and look. They don't have anything for that right now."

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

"SCCM should strive to enhance the accuracy of its reporting functions in order to avoid any issues with incorrect or inaccurate data."

"Regarding this, I'd like to mention the agent situation. When the agent on an end-user device is not functioning correctly, it can be quite problematic. It would be highly beneficial if there were a self-healing mechanism in place. Essentially, if the agent becomes corrupted or encounters issues, it should be able to rectify itself autonomously. This is particularly critical because, in order to utilize a tool like MECM (assuming you're referring to Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager), we need to deploy agents, known as AsMs, on all the devices we use, such as Windows 10 or Windows Server. Sometimes, when we deploy configurations or updates, they don't apply properly due to agent issues. This issue has been present since we began using MECM around 23 years ago. Unfortunately, there is currently no built-in mechanism for the agent to detect its own problems and initiate self-repair. Microsoft doesn’t have any feature to scan vulnerabilities and hence, they could include those."

"On some hardware, we'd like an easier way to get peripherals attached."

"Management of Linux devices could be improved."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager cons

"It would be ideal if the product offered sound alerts."

"The AI aspect needs to improve."

"The inclusion of a feature to show a graphical view of the network would be a helpful improvement."

"Now it is stable, but they should design threshold parameters in percentage instead of raw values."

"There is room for improvement with the administrative part. They introduced Control Center to manage things in Zenoss 5. The services that Zenoss provides remained the same, but the administrative part, since they introduced Docker, etc., has become a little complex"

"There was a problem with Zenoss and storage monitoring."

"As Zenoss Service Dynamics is more for network-centric devices and you want to monitor, for example, a server, its services, IP addresses, and interfaces, if it's a network and you're going to monitor multiple items, you'll be charged multiple times. This is what Zenoss Service Dynamics needs to improve to make sure that customers pay just one fee to monitor the entire server. What I'd like to see in Zenoss Service Dynamics in the future is a public cloud monitoring feature, particularly for the Azure public cloud. Another additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is integration with the Azure public cloud because I know that there are some services from Azure that Zenoss Service Dynamics is currently unable to monitor."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price could be better."

"The price model is different for every client."

"Microsoft provides a steep price for their enterprise products, but they offer very competitive pricing for their legacy customers."

"Presently, I am using a free trial version."

"SCCM comes with its own version of SQL Server. If you use that SQL Server with SCCM and don't use it for another applications than you get an SQL Server for free."

"Overall, I think it's fine. It's pretty much in-line because there are ways to offset it with the Office 365 licensing."

"The solution operates on a licensing model that can be expensive."

"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."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

"There are additional costs you'll have to pay apart from the license fee for Zenoss Service Dynamics. I can't remember exactly how much my company is paying because I don't handle the finance part, but the cost is paid annually. On a scale of one to five, with one being the cheapest and five being the most expensive, I'm rating the solution three out of five."

"It depends on the customer, what he wants."

"The pricing depends on the environment, the number of services, and the size of the data center. It can go from $100,000 to a million dollars."

"It is very cost-effective compared to the tools I worked with in the past. The company is gaining a lot with respect to the cost factor. It provides agentless monitoring and in a very cheap way."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Performing Arts

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	64

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

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 the set up will take depends on the kind of technical architecture that your org...

See all answers

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. What I like most about ManageEngine is that I can log on to every PC very easily a...

See all answers

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 efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined ...

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

In my experience, I worked with many monitoring software, but the one that gave me the most functionalities of a large-scale company is Zenoss, due to its ability to monitor completely hybrid and a...

See all answers

Comparisons

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 12% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Tanium vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 8% of the time

BigFix vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 5% of the time

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs Microsoft Configuration Manager

Compared 4% of the time

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Zabbix vs Zenoss Cloud

Compared 24% of the time

Nagios XI vs Zenoss Cloud

Compared 23% of the time

Nagios Core vs Zenoss Cloud

Compared 11% of the time

SolarWinds AppOptics vs Zenoss Cloud

Compared 9% of the time

SCOM vs Zenoss Cloud

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager

September 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Zenoss Cloud

September 2025

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Also Known As

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

Cloud Monitoring, Zenoss Service Dynamics

Overview

Microsoft Configuration Manager streamlines IT management with features such as software deployment, patch management, and automation, centralizing operations for Windows environments. Integration with Microsoft products allows efficient oversight of workstations and servers.

Microsoft Configuration Manager provides comprehensive IT management, offering software deployment, patch management, and application pushing. Automation reduces manual tasks, ensuring consistency across systems. Centralized management enables standardized OS deployments, application updates, and configuration integrity. Integration with Microsoft products facilitates seamless operations, while hardware and software inventory, compliance reporting, and remote control functions enhance IT management. Users seek improvements in application deployment for those without deep scripting knowledge and desire better WSUS control, PowerShell and Intune integration, Linux compatibility, and user interface enhancements. Performance improvements are requested for remote user management and third-party application support.

What features enhance Microsoft Configuration Manager?

Software Deployment: Efficiently distribute software across large networks.
Patch Management: Automate and streamline update processes for security and functionality.
Automation Capabilities: Reduce manual effort and enhance consistency in IT tasks.
Centralized Management: Standardize OS deployments and application updates.
Integration with Microsoft Products: Seamless operation with existing Microsoft infrastructure.
Hardware and Software Inventory: Comprehensive tracking for assets and resources.
Compliance Reporting: Ensure compliance with internal and external standards.
Remote Control Functions: Enhance support and troubleshooting capabilities.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Microsoft Configuration Manager?

Decreased Manual Work: Automation reduces time spent on repetitive tasks.
Enhanced Security: Automated patch management keeps systems secure.
Consistent Configurations: Centralized updates ensure uniformity across systems.
Improved Integration: Seamless operation within Microsoft ecosystems boosts productivity.
Comprehensive Oversight: Detailed inventory and reporting tools aid in strategic planning.
Streamlined Support: Remote capabilities improve IT support and user satisfaction.

Microsoft Configuration Manager is widely implemented in organizations to manage Windows workstations and servers. It is essential for deploying operating systems and applications, managing software updates, and conducting hardware and software inventories. The tool is crucial for endpoint and configuration management, ensuring compliance, and automating processes like patching and vulnerability management. Industries such as finance, healthcare, and education rely on Microsoft Configuration Manager to keep systems secure and operational, adapting it to address their specific needs and challenges in maintaining diversified IT environments.

Microsoft

Zenoss Cloud revolutionizes IT infrastructure monitoring with a service-centric approach, prioritizing the overall health of services and applications. Harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AIOps), Zenoss Cloud offers end-to-end visibility across servers, networks, storage, and applications. Real-time monitoring, event correlation, and automated remediation ensure immediate insights and efficient issue resolution. The customizable dashboards empower users to tailor visualizations to their needs, while scalability accommodates diverse infrastructures. Zenoss Cloud guarantees improved application performance, reduced downtime, and enhanced IT efficiency, making it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes, from small enterprises seeking simplicity to large corporations requiring advanced scalability. Experience unified monitoring and proactive management with Zenoss Cloud, a comprehensive solution that transforms IT infrastructure optimization in today's complex environments.

Zenoss

Sample Customers

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

2degrees, Rackspace, State of North Dakota, El Paso Independent School District, NWN Corporation

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Zenoss Cloud

September 2025

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