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Microsoft System Center vs SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability 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 System Center
Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software
19th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (13th)
SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Obs...
Ranking in Cloud Monitoring Software
34th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Cloud Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft System Center is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft System Center0.4%
SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability0.4%
Other99.2%
Cloud Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

Carl Palapal - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides comprehensive system management with effective deployment and integration capabilities
The advantages of Microsoft System Center are significant, and I have seen other products as well. As far as advantages are concerned, they have PXE deployment, which is good for deploying operating systems, such as Windows client systems including Windows 10 and Windows 11. Since it is a Microsoft product, all the patches are proprietary, making it easier to deploy. In Microsoft System Center, all the features are integrated already, whereas in ManageEngine, you have to license each feature individually to access those features. The automated features of Virtual Machine Manager are very useful; it automates as long as the policy that I have created is in line with the objective, especially the templates when I'm going to deploy. Regarding endpoint management, Microsoft System Center is very helpful; it has integrated endpoint protection deployment, allowing me to handle endpoint configuration, system deployment, and patch deployment, making it an all-in-one stop shop for managing and configuring end clients. The impact of using Microsoft System Center is significant; it gives me a whole picture of my environment, making it easy to get inventory details regarding applications and hardware, providing full visibility of my setup within the organization.
AshwaniSingh1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Smart alerts have reduced downtime and improved proactive monitoring across environments
SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability could be improved in several ways. It feels slow sometimes, especially when handling large amounts of data. The initial setup and configuration can also be complex for new users. If it were faster and easier to set up with simple dashboards for quick insights, it would be even better. Customer support could be quicker and more responsive with urgent issues. Integration with third-party tools could be smoother, making it easier to connect with other systems we use. The dashboard could also be simpler for quick insights. More guidance or templates for new users would be helpful during onboarding. Report customization is another area that could be improved. While the built-in reports are useful, being able to create more flexible and tailored reports would enhance our experience.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The detail in the alarms is great."
"The deployment and asset management features are the most valuable. These are the product's main features."
"The installation process is easy."
"It can generate KPIs and management reports with monthly presentations on activities and updating the environment (success and failure)."
"The solution is easily available. That's its most valuable aspect."
"System Center helps to create the basis for ITIL alignment."
"The availability performance matrix and the reporting capabilities are the solution's most valuable features."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"The primary use cases are for customers who require complete infrastructure monitoring. I mean IT infrastructure, which includes network devices, security devices, and server environments, whether physical, virtual, or cloud-based. The platform can manage any infrastructure component that needs monitoring."
"The initial setup is straightforward and quick if prerequisites are met, taking only a couple of days."
"I rate my satisfaction with SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability at nine out of ten."
"SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability offers very good community support with many documents and best cases for various situations."
"Reduced downtime and faster issue resolution are significant benefits of SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability; features such as PerfStack, NetPath, and intelligent maps allow organizations to visualize dependencies and pinpoint problems quickly."
"SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability has helped our organization stay on top of network and system performance; it allows us to spot and fix issues quickly, reducing downtime and keeping us happy."
 

Cons

"Most of the documentation is online, however, there are some gaps there. The product documentation still refers back to the 2012 Server. We're pretty much in 2022. There's a ten-year gap there."
"For me, the tool's UI seems to be too old."
"Implementation and integration in the case of multi-tenant environments needs improvement."
"Less server consumption would help, as would better, more flexible reports."
"The solution's dashboard needs improvement."
"Could be more user friendly."
"The disadvantage of Microsoft System Center is related to the many integrated services; if one service is failing, then all features will be affected."
"Something super important that we need is this integration via Intune Configuration Manager."
"Event management features can be added as it has limited capability to ingest events from external sources."
"SolarWinds HCO platform offers various features spanning components, such as network, security, server, virtual, and application components. Common features include dashboarding, reporting, and alerting. These features provide comprehensive visibility, allowing you to see how one area's issues affect others. For instance, if a network issue impacts server performance, this visibility is crucial."
"The solution could improve in areas such as on-premises container monitoring, CICD observability, and providing additional documentation and support files in languages other than English."
"SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability could be improved in several ways. It feels slow sometimes, especially when handling large amounts of data."
"Currently, SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability monitors AWS, Azure, and virtual environments, but it is primarily built on the traditional Orion platform."
"The solution could improve in areas such as on-premises container monitoring, CICD observability, and providing additional documentation and support files in languages other than English."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."
"It's rolled into our enterprise subscription. The entire subscription is around $25,000 a year, however, that covers all the products that we use."
"I know that sometimes there is some reduction in the prices of Microsoft System Center because of the costs of Microsoft SQL Server, which can be advantageous."
"I rate the product price as five to six on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is cheap and ten means it is expensive."
"Microsoft System Center is quite expensive."
"We maximized our license investment."
"The solution's pricing is quite reasonable. It has moved to node-based licensing, simplifying the process. They don't distinguish between different types of nodes, such as server nodes, physical routers, or switches. One node equals one license, making it easy to manage. If you have 500 devices, you need five hundred licenses to get all the features of this unified monitoring platform."
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Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise10
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft System Center?
The disadvantage of Microsoft System Center is related to the many integrated services; if one service is failing, then all features will be affected. For example, with site configuration, when one...
What needs improvement with SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability?
Event management features can be added as it has limited capability to ingest events from external sources.
What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability?
I work day-to-day on SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability ( /products/solarwinds-hybrid-cloud-observability-reviews ). It covers network, server, storage, and networking.
 

Also Known As

MS System Center
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Kassen_rztliche Vereinigung Nordrhein, Magyar Telekom Nyrt., Adeka, QualCare, Aeriandi, UniCredit Bank d.d., Mostar, Allianz Australia Ltd., Grupo Familia
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft System Center vs. SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.