Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor comparison

The compared Quest Software and SolarWinds solutions aren't in the same category. Quest Software is ranked #15 in RMM , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 1.6% mindshare in the category. SolarWinds is ranked #17 in CM , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Quest Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Read 38 Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

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102 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Server Configura...

Read 2 SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor reviews

121 Views
77 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

SolarWinds Server Configura...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance and SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor compete in IT management and server configuration monitoring. Quest KACE holds an edge in automation and device management, while SolarWinds is preferred for robust configuration monitoring and handling complex environments.

Features: Quest KACE SMA offers automated patching, comprehensive device inventory management, and strong reporting features. SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor provides real-time configuration change alerts, detailed reporting, and integration capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Quest KACE SMA ensures a straightforward deployment with an easy setup and robust post-deployment support. SolarWinds involves a more demanding deployment process but makes up for it with responsive customer support.

Pricing and ROI: Quest KACE SMA typically involves a higher initial investment due to its extensive features, which can result in significant management cost savings and greater long-term ROI. SolarWinds offers a cost-efficient setup, focusing on monitoring efficiency, providing excellent value for configuration management.

To learn more, read our detailed Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs. SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs. SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor

January 2025

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Helped 849,963 peers since 2012

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

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (6th), Endpoint Compliance (7th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (15th), Patch Management (10th)

SolarWinds Server Configura...

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Configuration Management (17th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Systems Management solutions, they serve different purposes. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is designed for Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) and holds a mindshare of 1.6%, up 0.9% compared to last year.
SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor, on the other hand, focuses on Configuration Management, holds 0.3% mindshare, up 0.2% since last year.

Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)

Configuration Management

Featured Reviews

Scott Tweed

Windows Engineer at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Low maintenance, reliable, and easy to create packages

I like how when you click on the device, it shows you everything that has changed as well as the software versioning. I am really enjoying the inventory aspect of it. The deployment process for both deploying and creating a package is straightforward. I believe the inventory in KACE is superior to SCCM's. I know with SCCM I could do things like remote console into machines via the agent's remote console, but that is not a feature that is provided in KACE. I know that at least in the Systems Management Appliance, I can't get to it. I'm not sure how distribution works, with distribution points. I'm not sure if KACE has that feature. You could use an SCCM to set up distribution points at remote sites so that they don't have to download patches or software from across the country. If you have a DP or something similar, they could pull it down.

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Ravi Khanchandani

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Useful version control, high availability, and scales well

We are in touch with the management of the SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor team, and we have made recommendations to them for quite a few changes. One area that could improve is the configuration download. Instead of only showcasing the differences between the baseline and the current configuration, or a specific version of the configuration, they should show the entire configuration getting downloaded. It could be in the form of a flat file or in the form of a binary file. If it is a flat file, it can use as a reference, and preserved for auditing purposes. That is one area where the product can see quite a lot of improvement. They have a feature where you can download by section, what I mean is, you can download the configuration of the hardware, software, or driver information, or the file folder settings or permissions. It is a section download, but not a complete download. That is one area of improvement. The other area of improvement is specific to the customer use cases. They would like to compare two servers as to what the configuration drift is but not only within the server comparison. For example, I would like to take a server in the DR setup that is in the primary data center to do a comparison between the primary server and the DR server. Currently, the configuration comparison is within the server itself. In a feature release, they could enhance the reporting. However, we have not evaluated this part of the solution extensively.

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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

"The most valuable feature is the ability to monitor updates—the software versions—on machines so that we can keep everything compliant."

"We can get the majority of what we need with this product and do not have to spend money on something else."

"It also does patch management. At the moment, I'm rolling out a new feature update, 20.8.2, and it's a great challenge because we have to deploy it to 1,200 computers in the home office. We want to do it without interrupting production, but KACE is reliable and it's easy to adapt it to my needs for how and when to deploy the feature update."

"There is one place for a lot of different things. If somebody has a problem with their computer, they will put in a ticket. From there, we will know who it is and the assets assigned to them, because there is one place to go look for what we are talking about and with whom we are talking. Just having one place for everything is really convenient. For example, we are able to deploy software to hundreds of computers. We don't need to go to each individual device."

"This solution makes it easy to control assets and upgrade all types of software."

"We're able to deploy software and push out fixes to endpoints faster than ever."

"It is excellent in terms of updating and configuring everything the way we need. For anything more complex, we do professional service engagements, and they're exceptional. For anything less complex, we just need to ask questions. Their support division is extremely good too."

"We use the Systems Deployment appliance. It's our bread and butter. It is every machine that gets imaged here in this building and out through the whole state goes through the SDA. We rely on it completely. There is no manual process of getting a laptop out of a box, plugging it up, turning it on, and waiting for Windows to start. If you were to go to Best Buy and buy a brand new laptop, you spend the next two to three hours just setting it up. We don't do that. We get a laptop, plug it into the network, connect it to the SDA, and within about three clicks, we're done."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor is version control. For example, if we began on the first of the month and we considered that as the configuration of the server, I could set that configuration as my baseline. On a daily basis, if there was the operations team that did, for example, server patching, the tool will maintain all levels of versions."

"The product’s alert feature is good. We receive notifications whenever some failures occur in the configuration."

Cons

"The only hiccups we had were some power issues, where the box was a little under-powered early on."

"It could be designed a little bit more intuitively in terms of administration."

"The GUI needs some work. I love all that it can do, however, it can be just be so cluttered at times."

"The only pain point I have is with their salespeople. They call too often. They're too aggressive in trying to upsell. We know what we need, and we know if we want to expand. I don't mind quarterly calls from them, but sometimes, it is weekly. They need to get their sales team under control. The main goal of their support people and professional services is to make sure they deliver the service, and they deliver it well, whereas their salespeople are so interested in making a sale that they're wasting my time."

"I would like for there to be improvement when it comes to Microsoft and Windows updates. It has the ability to do it but the control of it is not there like I have in the Windows Server Update Services. The way KACE does it is still very granular. You don't really see the process like it is in the Windows Server Update Services. I think that would be one of the biggest things that I would like to see KACE really put some work into and really make that a big enhancement."

"It took a little bit of time to figure out how to use the KACE Service Desk. I like the way that I'm able to customize it. But when it comes to how our techs are able to use it, it's not as functional as our current solution, which is BMC FootPrints Service Desk."

"We'd love to see support for larger dependencies in the scripting feature."

"The labeling process should be more streamlined. It should be easier to do. It gets confusing at times."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

"In a feature release, they could enhance the reporting. However, we have not evaluated this part of the solution extensively."

"The product’s support services and licensing models need improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Their pricing is per end-point device. There is an initial cost for the license for the server, which is pretty low, and then there is a per end-point device license, which is also fairly low. So, the pricing is still reasonable."

"Based on other solutions that we had implemented, its pricing seems to be quite competitive. It is not inexpensive, but it is also not more expensive than any other solution. They have the standard licensing fees and support fees."

"We are also saving on the licensing fee, compared to other endpoint management solutions."

"We pay annually for technical support."

"The cost of KACE has been relatively low compared to other systems. Even if those systems have the same cost, they do not do as much of the third-party patching that KACE natively does."

"Licensing is very straightforward. They don't overcomplicate it. This is not a Cisco product where you have to have 30 different licenses just to open the box. It's pretty much set-and-forget. You pay an annual license... The cost is in the mid to upper range, but the ROI exceeds the outside cost, especially once you've had the system for a while."

"Licensing is done on a per device basis, so it's dependent on how many agents you've got installed."

"We buy consulting fees from Software Factory, then we pay extra for it."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pricing and cost advice

"The price of SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor is not reasonable, it is slightly on the higher side."

"SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor has medium pricing compared to other solutions."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

10%

University

10%

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Quest KACE Systems Management?

My company had bought some new machines. We used the tool to do some basic settings to ship every machine the same way and undertake the Windows deployment. We did the scripted installation. The to...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?

The pricing is in the middle range of the market, not too expensive but not the cheapest either.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

The user interface needs improvement as customers have mentioned they do not like the interface since it is not an SMA-based interface and lacks a manual configuration option.

See all answers

What do you like most about SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor?

The product’s alert feature is good. We receive notifications whenever some failures occur in the configuration.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor?

SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor has medium pricing compared to other solutions.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor?

The product’s support services and licensing models need improvement.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 34% of the time

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Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 11% of the time

BigFix vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 6% of the time

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HashiCorp Terraform vs SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor

Compared 100% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

April 2025

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

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Buyer's Guide

Configuration Management

April 2025

SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor report

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Also Known As

Dell KACE Systems Management

SolarWinds SCM

Overview

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is a comprehensive tool for managing IT endpoints. It facilitates asset management, software distribution, and endpoint tracking while offering remote access capabilities and a centralized help desk.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is designed for organizations that need efficient endpoint management. It offers a range of features like inventory tracking, automated patch management, and ticketing. By integrating with remote access tools such as Bomgar, Quest KACE helps reduce manual tasks involved in managing software updates and system deployments. Although it faces challenges in scalability and requires improvements in integration and reporting, it remains a versatile choice for asset tracking and endpoint administration.

What are Quest KACE SMA's key features?

Asset Management: Streamline the organization and tracking of physical and virtual assets.
Remote Access: Integrates with Bomgar for secure, remote troubleshooting and management.
Software Distribution: Deploy applications across devices efficiently without physical intervention.
Centralized Endpoint Management: Manage endpoints from a centralized console to ensure compliance and optimization.
Automated Patch Management: Schedule and deploy patches to maintain system security and performance.
Help Desk: Integrated ticketing system for tracking and resolving user issues.
Scripting and Reporting: Enhance administrative tasks through automated scripts and detailed reports.

What benefits should users consider?

Improved Productivity: Reduces manual interference with automated deployments and updates.
Labor Savings: Minimizes labor requirements with efficient remote management tools.
Integrated Reporting: Provides actionable insights through comprehensive reports to optimize IT operation.
User-Friendly Interface: Boosts effectiveness due to its intuitive, easy-to-navigate design.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is implemented across industries for managing IT assets and endpoints, particularly where remote management and compliance are critical. It's employed in healthcare, education, and government sectors for efficient patch management, inventory control, and software deployment, aiding organizations in managing security accreditations and centralizing help desk operations.

Quest Software

Network compliance
Network automation
Configuration backup
Vulnerability assessment
Network Insight for Cisco and Palo Alto
Integration with Network Performance Monitor

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs. SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor

January 2025

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