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AWS Systems Manager pros and cons

Vendor: Amazon Web Services (AWS)

4.1 out of 5

13 reviews
100% willing to recommend

Pros & Cons summary

AWS Systems Manager analyzes logs for performance insights, predicting usability via spike monitoring. It automates performance testing and cloud monitoring while enabling direct system patching. Its change management tracks AWS account actions, benefiting Kubernetes and AWS ECS. Despite this, it requires enhanced log analysis tools, better integrations, and improved incident management. Patching efficiency and broader OS coverage also need addressing to strengthen Systems Manager's capabilities for tech buyers.

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

AWS Systems Manager provides performance overviews with graph-based analyses of logs, helping to monitor resource usage and predict usability.

It offers a variety of automation options, including the use of the SSM agent for testing automation and monitoring cloud activity.

Change management is a valuable feature that tracks AWS account actions, serving as a centralized control tool, beneficial for Kubernetes and AWS ECS services.

AWS provides Auto Scaling groups that ensure scalability and high availability, organizing parameters hierarchically and handling increasing workloads efficiently.

AWS Systems Manager facilitates infrastructure management and automation, performing compliance checks and managing patches for EC2 instances.

CONS

Systems Manager takes time to complete the patching process, requiring improvements in this area.

There is a lack of sufficient integrations and dynamic configuration management that could be enhanced.

Broader OS coverage in patch management would be beneficial for Systems Manager.

Becoming agentless like Ansible would significantly improve Systems Manager.

The cost of using AWS services can be substantial if not controlled.

AWS Systems Manager Pros review quotes

GC

Senior Cloud Engineer at Prabhav Services

Dec 2, 2024

AWS Systems Manager's most valuable feature is its ability to dynamically export and import values in various AWS accounts

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reviewer2749218

Jefe Arquitectura Empresarial at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Aug 12, 2025

We use the Parameter Store feature to store parameters in all our applications and configurations because it provides a very secure storage solution.

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Cloud/DevOps Engineer at Innovative Technology Systems

Jun 26, 2024

The solution's most valuable feature is the change management option. It tracks every action on my AWS accounts in a centralized way, acting like a control tool for me. This is especially useful when working with Kubernetes and AWS ECS services. Additionally, my colleagues and clients often use the application management tools for configuration, parameters, and installations.

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Configuration Management

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Sr. AWS Cloud DevSecOps Engineer at Manhattan Strategy Group

Jun 28, 2024

It is beginner-friendly with extensive features that can be learned gradually based on the user's needs and tasks.

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reviewer2541582

Principal System Architect at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Sep 6, 2024

I use AWS Systems Manager primarily for infrastructure management and automation. One of its key benefits is managing patches and updates for our EC2 instances, including both Windows and Linux workloads. It can perform compliance checks on all managed workloads, identifying which systems aren't compliant or haven't been patched.

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Cloud Engineer at Epsilon

May 21, 2024

The store organizes parameters hierarchically, making it easier to configure and control versions. It also ensures scalability and high availability, automatically scaling to handle increasing workloads and providing reliable access to configuration data across multiple AWS availability zones.

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SAP Service Delivery Manager at SoftwareONE

May 5, 2023

Has a variety of automation options.

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Sudheer Kumar Jammana

Cloud Operations Manager at Bandhan AMC

May 13, 2024

AWS provides Auto Scaling groups.

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L3 Engineer at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings Limited

Oct 2, 2023

When we do the automation in the cloud, we use the SSM agent. This helps us to test our automation and documents, and monitor the cloud.

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reviewer2245020

Director of Technology at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

Aug 22, 2023

The solution's ability to scale is good.

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AWS Systems Manager Cons review quotes

GC

Senior Cloud Engineer at Prabhav Services

Dec 2, 2024

Every AWS service comes with some associated costs.

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reviewer2749218

Jefe Arquitectura Empresarial at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Aug 12, 2025

The cost is a very important factor to keep in mind because the cost of cloud services, not just AWS cloud, can be substantial if not controlled.

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Cloud/DevOps Engineer at Innovative Technology Systems

Jun 26, 2024

I'd like to see more automation for monitoring and managing things like AWS CloudWatch and AWS Config. It would be a significant improvement if it could automatically handle these tasks and address issues as they arise.

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Configuration Management

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Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Red Hat and others in Configuration Management. Updated: April 2026.

893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Sr. AWS Cloud DevSecOps Engineer at Manhattan Strategy Group

Jun 28, 2024

Ensuring broader OS coverage in patch management could be beneficial for the product.

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reviewer2541582

Principal System Architect at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Sep 6, 2024

It could be agentless if there's room for improvement in the AWS Systems Manager. Currently, you have to install agents, although, for most of the latest EC2 images, the agents come preinstalled. If it could be at the level of Ansible, which is agentless, that would be fantastic. When you compare the solution to Ansible, one of the most widely accepted tools, the agentless feature stands out. So, if the AWS Systems Manager could become agentless, that would be a significant improvement.

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Cloud Engineer at Epsilon

May 21, 2024

One area that could be enhanced is dynamic configuration management. Additionally, improving integration with other AWS services like Lambda and CloudFormation would be beneficial.

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SAP Service Delivery Manager at SoftwareONE

May 5, 2023

Lacks sufficient integrations.

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Sudheer Kumar Jammana

Cloud Operations Manager at Bandhan AMC

May 13, 2024

AWS does not have EKS cluster backup.

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L3 Engineer at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings Limited

Oct 2, 2023

The current challenge is that we can't pull any incidents from other accounts.

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reviewer2245020

Director of Technology at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

Aug 22, 2023

The AWS UIs are not the most intuitive. Also, the usability needs room for improvement.

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Show 3 more reviews (out of 13)

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Product Categories

Product Categories

Configuration Management

Popular Comparisons

Popular Comparisons

Microsoft Intune vs AWS Systems Manager

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs AWS Systems Manager

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs AWS Systems Manager

VMware Aria Automation vs AWS Systems Manager

BigFix vs AWS Systems Manager

Red Hat Satellite vs AWS Systems Manager

HashiCorp Terraform vs AWS Systems Manager

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs AWS Systems Manager

CloudBees vs AWS Systems Manager

Chef vs AWS Systems Manager

AWS CloudFormation vs AWS Systems Manager

BMC TrueSight Server Automation vs AWS Systems Manager

Perforce Puppet vs AWS Systems Manager

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See all alternatives

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