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KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs SUSE Manager comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

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 Intune
Sponsored
Ranking in Configuration Management
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
377
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (2nd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
KACE Systems Deployment App...
Ranking in Configuration Management
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SUSE Manager
Ranking in Configuration Management
15th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
4.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 4.3%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is 1.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Manager is 2.5%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune4.3%
SUSE Manager2.5%
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA)1.3%
Other91.9%
Configuration Management
 

Featured Reviews

HA
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
Centralized device management has automated onboarding and improves remote security compliance
One thing I feel Microsoft Intune could improve is troubleshooting visibility. In many cases, when a policy or application deployment fails, the error messages are a bit generic. So, admins still spend time checking logs manually or testing on devices one by one. Compared to the simplicity of deployment, troubleshooting sometimes feels less mature. I also think reporting and real-time monitoring could be stronger. The dashboard gives useful information, but in large environments, many teams still depend on additional tools or scripts for deeper reporting and analytics. If I had to focus on one area first, I would probably choose troubleshooting and reporting. Deployment through Microsoft Intune is generally straightforward, but when something fails, identifying the exact root cause can still take more time than expected. Error messages are sometimes too generic, and admins often have to dig through logs, sync status, or multiple portals to understand what actually happened. I think user experience and policy management could also improve further. Microsoft Intune has become much better over the years, but sometimes the admin portal still feels fragmented because certain configurations open in different sections or redirect to older interfaces. For new admins, especially, it can take time to understand where everything is located. Another thing is policy conflict handling. In larger organizations, multiple device policies, compliance rules, and configuration profiles can overlap. When conflicts happen, the visibility is not always very clear, so admins spend time figuring out which policy actually won or caused the issue.
MH
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
User interface and deployment efficiency save time and reduce staff needs
The best features KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) offers include the ease of operation and the ability to create images for deployment. When I say ease of operation, the user interface is easy to create the images, and the people deploying do not have to have access to the appliance in order to deploy images. KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester. This has saved our team hundreds of man hours and reduced it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA.
Shivamp Kachole - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate System Engineer at Dhanyaayai enterprise private limited
Centralized management has transformed how I automate patching and control thousands of Linux servers
I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little complex, especially for new users or those working in disconnected environments. Troubleshooting sometimes requires checking multiple logs, and I believe the user interface could be more intuitive for some advanced tasks. Better built-in troubleshooting guidance and easier repository management would improve the overall experience. Additionally, the official documentation is not comprehensive enough; many commands are missing, and it could benefit from screenshots to help with installation, such as adding clients. I believe that more built-in health checks and clearer error messages would greatly assist not just me but everyone in the organization during troubleshooting. Simplifying the proxy configuration and disconnected environment setup would also save time. Overall, the product is stable and works well once it is configured properly.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Turning the endpoint infrastructure into a highly efficient operation was the best thing that happened to our organization."
"The Autopilot feature is fantastic. It is a Microsoft product, so it deals best with Microsoft operating systems, but it can integrate with iOS, Mac OS, Linux, and Android."
"I haven't used other mobile device management solutions, but compared to SCCM, we eliminate a lot of on-premises infrastructure and maintenance by using Intune."
"The many policies available in Microsoft Intune for managing our devices are valuable."
"Microsoft Intune not only saves costs by reducing the number of personnel needed but also offers a comprehensive solution for managing laptops, applications, security, individual access, and enrollment."
"It is a helpful tool to manage BYOD policies."
"Great for software update needs, operating system version updates, and security policy enforcement."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Intune is having all our devices compliant with our policies."
"Its ticketing is pretty good."
"I'm just an end-user; I'd recommend the solution to others as it has a good balance between pricing and functionality."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester, saving our team hundreds of man hours and reducing it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA."
"SUSE Manager helps to optimize operations at a reduced cost."
"The setup is straightforward."
"What I appreciate best about SUSE Manager is that it supports most of the Linux flavors."
"SUSE Manager allows you to control Red Hat servers, SUSE Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Open SUSE, and Ubuntu, which is something new that other tools do not support."
"The biggest advantage of SUSE Manager is that it centralizes everything—from client registration and patching to automation and compliance."
"For those with a Linux environment, it's a good solution, and I would recommend it."
"SUSE Manager is the best solution for maintaining the Linux environment"
"SUSE Manager is valuable for managing systems, patching, and utilizing SaltStack connectivity for various installations and other routines."
 

Cons

"The mobile management is good for iPhone and iPad, but the Apple Mac management needs improvement. That is probably because Microsoft does not have low-level access to Apple Mac hardware. If you are doing basic things, it is okay, but if you want to image Apple Macs and do things like that, then Jamf is much better."
"Sometimes, updating a client policy is very difficult. This needs to be improved."
"Microsoft support was not very responsive, and it took approximately one and a half months to get on a call to clear what the problem was."
"Onboarding of endpoint devices is not straightforward. The onboarding process was a little heavier than I thought it would be. That's the key improvement area. Obviously, the more control you have over the devices, the better it is."
"Integrating certain group policies can be challenging and may necessitate using on-premises systems to integrate them with Microsoft Intune."
"Microsoft Intune could be improved by enhancing its reporting functionalities (for entry level license)."
"We have spoken to the technical support on a few occasions. They have only ever provided us with minimal information."
"Every day, we see a new feature that we want to apply, but what will be great for Intune is to be able to deploy apps in a simple fashion."
"I have heard feedback that the imaging is slow. It takes somewhere around an hour to image one PC."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing one SDA to service several different departments."
"I really would like to have a broader library of VCP's or playbooks that I can deploy."
"From an integration perspective, it is difficult to integrate with Jira or any ticketing tool, which is challenging."
"It can be complex and difficult for users who are new to Linux and don't have any technical expertise."
"The initial setup of SUSE Manager is quite complex."
"I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little complex, especially for new users or those working in disconnected environments."
"We sometimes have server issues and need to restart the service."
"The initial stage is a bit complex, but after that, everything runs seamlessly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Intune has been incorporated into our Microsoft E5 licenses."
"While I can't provide insights from a business perspective, it's worth noting that the pricing may differ significantly, and the discount we received might not be reflective of standard business rates."
"Microsoft Intune is pretty reasonable. We have difficulty with Azure, which is probably why we have not put many assets in Azure. Everything we put there is very expensive."
"There is a license needed to use the solution and we are on an annual license."
"Microsoft Intune's costliness stems from licensing fees and the overhead associated with its management, user experience, and device remediation."
"It is cheap, but as compared to Google, it is costly. Google is cheaper, but quality-wise, Microsoft Intune is better."
"Intune's pricing is reasonable considering its benefits and the high costs it helps avoid."
"It's affordable. It's cheaper if you have an Office 365, E5, or E3 subscription because everything is there."
Information not available
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
25%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business191
Midsize Enterprise63
Large Enterprise187
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

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 ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
The pricing for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is straightforward, and the setup was easy.
What needs improvement with Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing ...
What is your primary use case for Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
Our main use case for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is to deploy workstations as well as lab machines. We u...
What needs improvement with SUSE Manager?
I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little co...
What is your primary use case for SUSE Manager?
My main use case for SUSE Manager was to configure it for client purposes, specifically for centralized Linux system ...
What advice do you have for others considering SUSE Manager?
For those looking into using SUSE Manager, I recommend spending time understanding the architecture before proceeding...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
No data available
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Information Not Available
Day & Zimmermann, Cisco, CEMEX, L.B. Foster, Adient, Istanbul Technical University, 7Pixel, University of Maine System, Guerbet
Find out what your peers are saying about KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs. SUSE Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.