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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
7.9
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Master Data Management (MDM) Software (3rd)
Workspace ONE UEM
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
101
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (5th), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (7th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (3rd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (11th), 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 13.3%, up 13.0% compared to last year.
Workspace ONE UEM, on the other hand, focuses on Unified Endpoint Management (UEM), holds 14.6% mindshare, down 17.3% since last year.
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
 

Featured Reviews

Satyam Saxena - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced data management and cost effective with flexible integration capabilities
If Microsoft MDS were part of Azure, it would be significantly more helpful. Additionally, integrating fuzzy duplication within MDS itself, rather than relying on SSIS, would streamline operations. The current requirement to store data in Azure tables after processing it in MDS, due to its lack of direct Azure integration, is a drawback.
Ajit Pratap Kundan - PeerSpot reviewer
A tool that needs to improve scalability but is useful to manage user
There is a need for better user lifecycle management within VMware Identity Manager, along with better user governance, including the separation of duties of the users. In my company, we are not able to create a policy for the separation of duties of the users, so it is an area where improvement is required. The official authentication and fingerprint authentication should be part of VMware Identity Manager, and I feel these areas are currently missing. The scalability of the product needs to improve. The product should be tightly integrated with the third-party products because it's not like a customer is going to purchase all the VMware products, as they might have different solutions for different purposes.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The best thing about it is that it comes with the Microsoft package."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its compatibility with ETL tools like SSIS, which simplifies operations for end-users."
"What I like about Microsoft, is that it has a huge database with many users."
"The most valuable feature is the administration console."
"Enables non-technical people to directly interact with the BI system."
"More generic related things can be included in the services."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its management."
"It has been a long-standing tool in our organization since it was free."
"The most valuable features in VMware Identity Manager for me are the control groups and rules."
"App delivery and management platform that's user-friendly, with a good interface. Easy to scale, easy to set up, with good stability."
"It's a tool that can be managed in various departments."
"We've configured single sign-on for two or three enterprise customers, and it works very well."
"The Client Control feature in VMware Workspace ONE is most valuable for managing client devices, including mobile devices and laptops. Another impactful feature is the per-service tooling, allowing access to the data centre on a per-application basis. We use the complete VMware stack, integrating Horizon for application delivery and Carbon Black for endpoint protection. We have outsourced our device management, which streamlines our IT tasks as our supplier handles them competitively."
"The solution has proven to be very stable."
"It is easy to start something and work from scratch."
"It is like any other mobile solution. It gives us the ability to control remotely, and that is what we like. We can wipe out and deploy remotely."
 

Cons

"More generic related things can be included in the services."
"It would be a better option to have an on-cloud version."
"There are occasions when the solution maintains SD and we get duplications of MDS."
"Most of the Microsoft partners, especially digitally, are separate. Personnel are business people, and they do not have technical expertise, so you end up as a company spending a lot of money training your staff and your engineers."
"Stability can be fragile at times. If you are not attentive or make a mistake, it can cause problems."
"The solution could be better integrated into Microsoft's other products."
"If Microsoft MDS were part of Azure, it would be significantly more helpful."
"Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities."
"The mobile SSO doesn't work as well on Android."
"There is no Apple zero-day support for updates."
"it's very dependent on an active directory"
"Pricing is the only challenge right now. The licensing fee should be simplified a little bit. They have kept too many products as add ons. These need to be bundled with the low-cost, standard version. This will help customers in adopting this technology at a faster pace."
"We have experienced some connectivity issues."
"There are some bugs that our team needs to work around. It required some API integration required because visitor integration was not there. For example, we are currently working on a tunnel issue, and VMware doesn't have this solution."
"Lacks a modern enterprise mobility management platform."
"The license could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."
"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."
"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."
"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."
"I would like to see better pricing."
"The pricing of this solution is good."
"MDS is a part of the SQL Server enterprise license. I am not aware of any additional costs."
"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."
"We've purchased various licenses for VMware Workspace ONE, including premium and gold tiers. These licenses include security measures and support for managing telecom expenses like data and voice usage."
"AirWatch would benefit from reducing the license pricing per user per month. Microsoft bundles everything, and then that bundling makes the product free for the customers."
"It is quite expensive, but I think large companies have agreements with these organizations that provide remote monitoring for phones, and they get massive discounts. The public price does not reflect what they pay. You won't get the same pricing if you're buying for 10 employees versus 1,000 employees. On the public price, you get perhaps a 10% discount, but if you're buying 1,000, the discount could be really massive, especially if you signed a contract for a number of years."
"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."
"The pricing and licensing are affordable. They are not too high."
"The solution is more expensive than Intune."
"A person should pay towards the licensing costs of VMware Identity Manager on a yearly or monthly basis, but government and public sector units cannot for a perpetual licensing model."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 is free. Currently, there is no pricing concern with the tool.
What needs improvement with Microsoft MDS?
Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities. It is too slow and does not support automated mapping or AI-based functionalities. Although I created Python scripts for some machine learni...
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 SAP, TIBCO, Microsoft and others in Master Data Management (MDM) Software. Updated: July 2025.
861,803 professionals have used our research since 2012.