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Microsoft MDS vs Workspace ONE UEM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 MDS
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Master Data Management (MDM) Software (4th)
Workspace ONE UEM
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (10th), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (8th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (2nd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (14th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

Microsoft MDS and Workspace ONE UEM aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Microsoft MDS is designed for Master Data Management (MDM) Software and holds a mindshare of 8.2%, down 11.3% compared to last year.
Workspace ONE UEM, on the other hand, focuses on Unified Endpoint Management (UEM), holds 10.5% mindshare, down 14.1% since last year.
Master Data Management (MDM) Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft MDS8.2%
Semarchy xDM11.5%
TIBCO EBX9.5%
Other70.8%
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Workspace ONE UEM10.5%
Microsoft Intune22.3%
ManageEngine Endpoint Central7.7%
Other59.5%
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1524357 - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Has supported endpoint management while revealing areas where usability and latency can improve
The couple of times we found issues with technical support from Microsoft for Microsoft MDS, they resolved them. The response time and understanding were adequate, though there was always a language barrier between the teams. The teams we worked with were in Korea, and it was sometimes a language issue.
Vishal Bhatia - PeerSpot reviewer
Trainer/Consultant at Koenig Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Effective product tracking and monitoring enhances daily operations despite needing documentation improvement
The documentation part of Workspace ONE UEM can be confusing. The documentation is not comprehensive compared to other VMware solutions or Microsoft documentation. Most people struggle to connect the dots when looking at the documentation. Even the training material and PowerPoint slide decks that trainers use are sometimes too confusing or overwhelming, with too much content but not enough clarity. The support side has recently become weaker compared to what it used to be with VMware. This is another area that needs improvement. Since working with Workspace ONE UEM from when it was AirWatch, it has improved significantly over the last five years. However, there are still some gray areas and scope for improvement, especially in documentation and workflow between different aspects of the solution.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's very easy to use."
"The tool is easy to use."
"It has been 200% useful in our organization."
"Compared to other databases, it is easier to manage and administer."
"The best thing about it is that it comes with the Microsoft package."
"The beauty with Master Data Services is that it's centralized in one place and the problem with other solutions is that most of them have been created in house."
"The ROI is terrific and it means you can avoid building or purchasing a solution."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its management."
"The most valuable feature is policy-driven control of the devices."
"The most valuable features in VMware Identity Manager for me are the control groups and rules."
"When compared to other products, AirWatch is highly scalable, redundant, reliable, and easily manageable."
"The most valuable feature of VMware Workspace ONE is its reliability."
"The contained browser is a good feature."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"One of the features that I enjoyed most was the integration with Azure AD because I could use VMware Identity Manager to standardize the User Principal Name coming from Active Directory. You have Azure AD Connect to do that. In between, if you have vIDM handling it, you can easily get the synchronization of users into your VM and standardize the User Principal Name. If you require quality assurance for handling it, you can actually count on the vIDM to do so. That was one of the main things I enjoyed about the product."
"The feature with the highest rating for me is its employee management. I can also praise how versatile it is in terms of operating systems. It has good support for multiple operating systems and can easily manage them all. Not just that, but it can also support any kind of tool that can be run on all these operating systems."
 

Cons

"The Microsoft license cost could be lower."
"JMD repositories have records that come in thousands and millions, which takes a long time to process."
"The business rules definition interface could be improved."
"From my understanding, MS, as of 2021, will not maintain the product going forward."
"The Microsoft license cost could be lower."
"Microsoft MDS' language should be simple so everyone can use it easily."
"Stability can be fragile at times. If you are not attentive or make a mistake, it can cause problems."
"There are occasions when the solution maintains SD and we get duplications of MDS."
"There could be improvements to Workspace ONE in terms of the pricing and some security aspects such as data loss prevention."
"The solution's pre-stage enrollment could be improved."
"They do have a good integration, but there is a long way to go as far as integration is concerned. They need to integrate with the cloud solutions a little bit more. We are looking for Azure integration."
"AirWatch doesn't seem to empower IT admins to try new things or get creative with implementations."
"Many of the features that exist in Active Directory do not exist in Identity Manager, which means that people depend on Active Directory."
"The product's stability for certain instances needs improvement."
"The security features could always use improvement, although there has already been a huge improvement from years ago."
"The app installer is something that they should really change. It creates a lot of confusion for the user."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would like to see better pricing."
"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."
"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."
"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."
"The pricing of this solution is good."
"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."
"MDS is a part of the SQL Server enterprise license. I am not aware of any additional costs."
"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."
"It's definitely a bit on the expensive side. It is more for smaller organizations and not large, massive enterprises. I am not sure about any additional costs. As far as we could tell, the billing was what the billing was."
"Our organization has stopped using the solution because it was expensive."
"VMware Workspace ONE licensing price is good with their supportability. The price of VMware Workspace ONE is reasonable. We are using an enterprise license."
"The solution is more expensive than Intune."
"For big users, it's around $500."
"My guess is that its licensing was yearly. There was probably no fee in addition to the standard licensing fee."
"For most of the projects, we use the standard license but for complex ones, we use the older type of processes, integrations, and licenses inside the solution."
"Pricing is an area that could be improved."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Media Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise15
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise58
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft MDS?
More generic related things can be included in the services.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft MDS?
Microsoft MDS was pretty affordable. We implemented the solution without a problem.
What needs improvement with Microsoft MDS?
I cannot really give specifics about disadvantages. From what we have seen, speaking to customers, Microsoft MDS was sometimes a bit slow. The frustration they had was just around usability and use...
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 it easy to control security and manage the usage of mobile apps when you have a ...
How does VMware Workspace One compare with VMware Horizon 7?
VMware Workspace One has a powerful set of helpful features. The solution offers very good documentation, the initial setup is easy, and the product is very stable and reliable. I think the fact th...
What do you like most about VMware Workspace ONE?
The platform provides a stable environment for operations and quickly creates new environments. Additionally, it offers efficient flexibility.
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Master Data Services, Microsoft MDM, Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services, MS MDS
VMware Workspace ONE, VMware AirWatch, Workspace ONE Assist, VMware Identity Manager, Workspace ONE Access, VMware Horizon Air
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ETA a.s., Apeejay Surrendra Group, Blue Star Infotech, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, New Belgium Brewing
Australian Sports Commission, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Lomond School, Merck, United Bank, Medical College of Wisconsin, Latymer Upper School, 2gether NHS Foundation Trust, Dowling Aaron Inc., Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Harrogate Grammar School, Duke University Football, Delta Air Lines, Adventist Health System, Giochi Preziosi, Cramlington Learning Village, Intermountain Healthcare, Safexpress, TAG Aviation
Find out what your peers are saying about TIBCO, SAP, Qlik and others in Master Data Management (MDM) Software. Updated: May 2026.
892,868 professionals have used our research since 2012.