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Microsoft System Center Reviews

Vendor: Microsoft
3.9 out of 5
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What is Microsoft System Center?

System Center helps customers realize the benefits of the Microsoft Cloud Platform by delivering unified management. Experience fast time-to-value with out-of-the-box monitoring, provisioning, configuration, automation, protection and self-service.
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Microsoft System Center is the #13 ranked solution in top Application Infrastructure solutions and #19 ranked solution in top Cloud Monitoring Software. PeerSpot users give Microsoft System Center an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. Microsoft System Center is most commonly compared to Veeam Data Platform: Microsoft System Center vs Veeam Data Platform.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft System Center
August 2025
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Microsoft System Center mindshare

Product category:
Application Infrastructure
As of August 2025, the mindshare of Microsoft System Center in the Application Infrastructure category stands at 1.0%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft System Center1.0%
Apache Web Server11.3%
IBM WebSphere Application Server11.2%
Other76.5%
Application Infrastructure

PeerResearch reports based on Microsoft System Center reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryApplication InfrastructureAug 29, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonMicrosoft System Center vs IISAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonMicrosoft System Center vs Microsoft .NET FrameworkAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonMicrosoft System Center vs IBM WebSphere Application ServerAug 29, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
Veeam Data Platform4.3N/A94%428 interviewsAdd to research
IBM BPM3.93.4%90%112 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

Key features of Microsoft System Center include seamless integration with Microsoft products, automation capabilities, intuitive GUI, and comprehensive monitoring tools. It provides efficient endpoint management, deployment automation, and tailored updates. Users benefit from ease of configuration, performance tracking, and third-party integrations. It excels in antivirus administration, patch management, and offers insightful reporting. The native Windows tools and pre-installed services simplify usability, while license and software deployment features enhance management efficiency. Its all-in-one design offers extensive inventory visibility.
  • "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."
  • "The tool has many valuable features, including license tracking, software deployment, and installation deployment. However, we primarily use it for Windows updates and deployment for Windows servers and desktops. It's a complex product but very well-managed. If you use all the features, they will be valuable to your organization. It allows you to deploy desktops, manage patches, and track various features."
  • "The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it helps us manage our company's application pool, license pool, application update pool, and OS updates."

Room for Improvement

Microsoft System Center faces various challenges, including complex integration with non-Microsoft products and third-party hypervisors. The installation process is cumbersome, and documentation is outdated. Users find the platform's interface and performance lacking, highlighting a need for better mobile app support and cloud capabilities. Integration with third-party tools and multi-tenancy support needs improvement, alongside more efficient data flow creation. Users also desire enhanced monitoring features for AWS and Azure, as well as more intuitive management and user-friendliness.
  • "The disadvantage of Microsoft System Center is related to the many integrated services; if one service is failing, then all features will be affected."
  • "Microsoft System Center should be easier to manage. However, it is complex to deploy, so people hesitate to use it. Though it has many features, such as licensing, asset tracking, and software deployment, we mainly use it for Windows updates. It protects many screens and integrates with databases, but it's complex compared to other solutions. Many now use cloud-based products or other tools like Automox to deploy updates and manage vulnerabilities."
  • "For me, the tool's UI seems to be too old."

ROI

Organizations experienced significant ROI through Microsoft System Center. They maximize license investments and save team time. Remote support enhances client service, boosting ROI over 50%. Costs are reduced by eliminating third-party management, replacing it with in-house teams. Application pools and upgrades are automated, saving additional expenses. ROI is achieved in about eight months.

Pricing

Microsoft System Center pricing varies, with users often including it in an enterprise subscription around $25,000 annually. While some find it expensive, others rate its affordability between five to seven out of ten, acknowledging yearly licensing costs. Consulting with specialized firms can alter perceptions, and potential cost reductions can occur when bundled with Microsoft SQL Server. License purchases are necessary, with optional support contracts for additional coverage.
  • "Microsoft System Center's licensing is costly."
  • "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."
  • "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."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use Microsoft System Center for infrastructure management, including monitoring server performance and device management. It is utilized for inventory collection, patch and antivirus distribution, application deployment, endpoint protection updates, and security management. The suite supports various environments by providing reporting capabilities, monitoring server functionalities, and managing desktop and server security. It helps IT departments in banks and government bodies with server monitoring and infrastructure administration, enhancing operational efficiency and system upgrades.

Service and Support

Microsoft System Center's customer service and support receive mixed feedback. Users express satisfaction with their knowledge and responsiveness, but others mention issues with delays and insufficient preparedness. Some users avoid using support due to cost, preferring community assistance. Regional challenges and language barriers also affect experience, with some finding it difficult to create tickets. Generally, experiences with Microsoft System Center support vary, with some describing it as acceptable, though needing improvements in timeliness and engagement.

Deployment

Microsoft System Center's initial setup varies in complexity. Some find it straightforward due to Microsoft's documentation, while others experience challenges due to network size or configuration intricacies. Setup times range from days to months, depending on the environment and resources. Expertise in IT is often necessary, with larger teams benefiting from specialized skills. Some implementers engage external partners or community resources for additional support, finding ongoing maintenance manageable once initially configured.

Scalability

Microsoft System Center demonstrates strong scalability, effectively managing diverse environments from small firms to large enterprises. Users confirm its adaptability in handling various workloads, including managing extensive amounts of clients and servers. While some consider its scalability paramount, others prioritize different features, acknowledging the system's complexity. Organizations highlight its ability to integrate across different sites, accommodate numerous configurations, and maintain critical tasks. Despite varied usage, scalability is consistently rated highly for accommodating future growth.

Stability

Microsoft System Center is generally considered stable by various users. Many note its reliability with minimal disruptions, citing manageable bugs as typical of most applications. The stability often relies on proper hardware and implementation, with some recalling only rare instances of issues during updates. Long-term users report comfort with its performance, rating its stability highly. Others mention that Microsoft’s maturity contributes to its dependable performance over extensive usage periods.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Microsoft System Center Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

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Learn more about Microsoft System Center

Microsoft System Center was previously known as MS System Center.

Microsoft System Center customers

Kassen_rztliche Vereinigung Nordrhein, Magyar Telekom Nyrt., Adeka, QualCare, Aeriandi, UniCredit Bank d.d., Mostar, Allianz Australia Ltd., Grupo Familia

Related questions

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Do you think there is a minimum critical threshold that justifies the deployment of the System Center suite?
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Product Categories

Product Categories
Application Infrastructure
Cloud Monitoring Software

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Microsoft System Center Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
Sr. Sys. Server & Storage Egineer / Tech .Consultant at CANAR OFFICE SYSTEMS4.5I've used Microsoft System Center for five years for patch and application deployment; it's feature-rich and integrates well, though complex to install. It's stable and scalable, but support and service dependencies can be challenging.
System Security Engineer at Punch Powertrain nv4.5I use Microsoft System Center for managing applications and upgrades in my company, finding its management features valuable. However, improvements are needed in its UI and third-party integration. It achieves cost savings by automating application management previously outsourced.
Engineer Specialist at Telekom Slovenije4.0We use Microsoft System Center to maintain desktops and laptops. It's well integrated into the Microsoft environment and enhances our remote support capabilities, providing over 50% ROI. However, performance, UI speed, and AI features need improvement.
IT Lead at 04.5We use Microsoft System Center primarily for managing Windows updates and deployments on servers and desktops. Although it has valuable features like license tracking and software deployment, it's complex to manage and deploy compared to cloud-based solutions like Automox.
Director at Ingenia4.0I use Microsoft System Center for business intelligence data management due to its ease of use with pre-installed services. However, creating dataflows can be challenging, requiring SQL steps for simplification. Improvement in dataflow creation is needed.
System Engineer at Gulf4.0At my previous job in a bank's IT department, we needed a solution to monitor servers and hardware infrastructure, including CPU usage and activities. Microsoft System Center's GUI was valuable, but its pricing could be improved.
ESM Product Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees2.5We use Microsoft System Center primarily for infrastructure monitoring, appreciating its Operations Manager. However, it needs improvements in the user interface, ease of use, and cloud-monitoring capabilities, especially for AWS and Azure infrastructure, to stay current with industry standards.
Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Analyst at Daiichi Sankyo Brasil Ltda5.0We use Microsoft System Center to manage patches, antivirus distribution, and application compatibility within our environments. It effectively integrates with Intune for remote users. We haven't found significant areas for improvement and have noticed time savings as ROI.