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OpenText Identity Governance vs OpenText Identity Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

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

OpenText Identity Governance
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
28th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
OpenText Identity Manager
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Identity Management (IM) category, the mindshare of OpenText Identity Governance is 1.2%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Identity Manager is 2.1%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity Management (IM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
OpenText Identity Manager2.1%
OpenText Identity Governance1.2%
Other96.7%
Identity Management (IM)
 

Featured Reviews

GA
IAM Specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Helps to run reports and verify user access but improvement is needed in integration
You can run reports and verify the access each user has. There is a process that runs automatically for access review. It sends an email to the manager and provides a task for the manager to review the users and access. The manager can approve or reject, and then it goes to the application owner for further review. This feature is especially important in large customer environments, as manual review can be challenging. The product allows you to check if a user has two accesses that should not be granted simultaneously. There's an approval process for this scenario. Primarily, it provides information for governance data.
reviewer2401464 - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Updates systems quickly and does not have a limit on the number of users
NetIQ does not have a limit on the number of users. The tool is secure by nature. It can have more than one billion users. Event-based systems know what has to be changed. SQL-based systems can only change using time and date. Event-based systems provide immediate results, while SQL-based systems need time to sync. It is totally different from a security perspective. Event-based systems can update all the systems in seconds or minutes. Other systems do it within 24 hours. The basic event-based system is AI-driven. It has some kind of robotics and programming. Other tools need programming. I like systems that have prebuilt ideas of security. NetIQ has been in the market for a long period. It has all the systems and connectors. There is not much coding. We just need to configure the products. We need not do any programming. I haven't seen any other product that needs only configuration to do the job. Most products in the market are SQL-based. They need programming. Some service providers who sell other products to customers do not sell NetIQ because they can make more money by selling solutions that need more consultancy and programming. More hours lead to more money.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"All three functionalities, access certification, the configuration of duties, and role mining - especially role mining - are very advanced compared with the competition."
"You can run reports and verify the access each user has. There is a process that runs automatically for access review. It sends an email to the manager and provides a task for the manager to review the users and access. The manager can approve or reject, and then it goes to the application owner for further review. This feature is especially important in large customer environments, as manual review can be challenging."
"We’re very satisfied with technical support. Usually we get people with the right knowledge who understand the solution very well."
"I like the queries and find the catalog to be comparatively powerful."
"I really like the separation of the duties. It is the most ambitious model in the server because you have to create all the different rules, especially business rules. You have to check with the client and set different policies and rules, and then, you to have refine them. You will notice what is bad in the company and where the real problem is."
"This solution has been around for a long time. It has had lots of successful deployments and releases."
"NetIQ Identity Governance has improved the security of my company."
"When doing a review you can either make manual or automatic fulfillment to immediately apply the manager's decision to the system, like removing or adding new permissions to the user account."
"NetIQ does not have a limit on the number of users."
"I like the eDirectory feature."
"The most valuable features of NetIQ Identity Manager are the synchronization of different directories, such as Active Directory. We have many Active Directory systems, not only one."
"The main value lies in the simplicity of implementation, as well as its customized look and feel."
"The product is easy to use."
"The access request management has improved significantly in terms of its user interface. What sets it apart from competitors like SailPoint is that it's an event-based solution rather than schedule-based. That's a key differentiator."
"The most valuable features are Password Reset Alerts, Password Sync, and SQL connectors."
"The most valuable feature of NetIQ Identity Manager for identity synchronization is the ability to provide users with all necessary access on day one through automated provisioning, facilitated by approval workflows."
 

Cons

"The initial setup has room for improvement."
"With NetIQ, you have to install two or more products. It would be better if we could install one product and have one server and one dashboard."
"We need more connectors to cloud applications like AWS."
"The product could use more advanced features related to Identity Intelligence."
"NetIQ Identity Governance is not flexible. Sometimes, filtering information to provide users with options, such as selecting the application to which they want to request access, can be challenging. It needs to improve application integration as well."
"Technical support is horrible."
"They haven't really evolved the product to the cloud, so they don't have a cloud solution."
"The solution should provide more connectors in future releases. The solution also should offer more monitoring."
"If it could be operated in such a way that anybody could use it, with just the user interface, and there's no need for programming, then that would be a great improvement."
"NetIQ Identity Manager could improve by updating the user portal, it is out of date."
"It needs some modern features. They should improve and modernize their management interface. It has been created over years and by different persons. You can see different applications, different management consoles for different things. There should be an integrated interface."
"The integrations must be made easier."
"There's no huge thing missing, because it's already comprehensive. Now and then, however, there might be a minor issue."
"Areas for improvement are further enhancing the access granting process to reduce time and improve accuracy."
"We have another system that is using the SAML system, and we also integrate with Active Directory only. If NetIQ Identity Manager can integrate directly, we would not need to use the Active Directory directory."
"The interface is old and outdated, and the design software seems archaic."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I give the cost a nine out of ten."
"In terms of pricing, the tool seems a bit cheaper compared to other SaaS solutions."
"It's expensive relative to the cloud solutions that are out there."
"I would rate the pricing a two out of ten, with one being low price and ten being high price. It is significantly more cost-effective than the major players in the market."
"You just need to be aware that the more systems you connect, the more license fees you have to pay."
"The solution is quite affordable."
"It would easily help them in getting more market and more customers if more consultants knew about their software. If they could keep it free for schools for teaching purposes, it would be good. I had to pay myself to get it and use it for training. Their competitors are giving it for free. I had to pay for it myself. They are losing market to their competitors."
"The price of the solution is a bit high and could be reduced."
"Micro Focus is flexible when it comes to price. The cost varies from customer to customer. There are no additional costs, though. Everything is included."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
16%
Real Estate/Law Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about NetIQ Identity Governance?
You can run reports and verify the access each user has. There is a process that runs automatically for access review. It sends an email to the manager and provides a task for the manager to review...
What needs improvement with NetIQ Identity Governance?
NetIQ Identity Governance is not flexible. Sometimes, filtering information to provide users with options, such as selecting the application to which they want to request access, can be challenging...
What advice do you have for others considering NetIQ Identity Governance?
The solution is worth using because of its flexibility, especially in integrating applications. However, the time required for integration varies based on the quality of documentation provided for ...
What do you like most about NetIQ Identity Manager?
The most valuable feature of NetIQ Identity Manager for identity synchronization is the ability to provide users with all necessary access on day one through automated provisioning, facilitated by ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetIQ Identity Manager?
The pricing depends on whether we buy the solution as a service or a license. The license is expensive. If we buy it as a service for a large number of users, it is the cheapest tool we can get. Th...
What needs improvement with NetIQ Identity Manager?
The tool is used mostly in big systems to understand what is happening. There are not many technicians who know how to use the product. The vendor must provide an easier console for configuring thi...
 

Also Known As

NetIQ Access Governance Suite, Novell Access Governance Suite
Novell Identity Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Western & Southern Financial Group
Sheetz
Find out what your peers are saying about OpenText Identity Governance vs. OpenText Identity Manager and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.