BigFix vs Perforce Puppet comparison

HCLSoftware and Perforce are both solutions in the Configuration Management category. HCLSoftware is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.3, while Perforce is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0. HCLSoftware holds a 4.8% mindshare in CM, compared to Perforce’s 3.9% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Perforce users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Perforce Puppet and BigFix compete in the IT automation and configuration management market. BigFix has an edge due to its comprehensive feature set, while Perforce Puppet is noted for its flexibility and affordability.

Features: Perforce Puppet provides strong automation in configuration management, notable for managing system configurations precisely across diverse environments and features adaptive automation. BigFix stands out with its endpoint management and advanced security features, offering comprehensive IT infrastructure monitoring and compliance management.

Room for Improvement: Perforce Puppet could enhance its user interface for more intuitive navigation and improve documentation for better accessibility to resources. Expanding integration with third-party applications and simplifying the learning curve for beginners would also be beneficial. BigFix could focus on streamlining its deployment processes to reduce complexity and make its solution more user-friendly for non-technical users. It can improve scalability features further and expand its customer support resources.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Perforce Puppet offers a simplified deployment process with a flexible architecture that supports integration across various infrastructures and provides reliable customer support. BigFix offers an extensive deployment model designed for large-scale operations and includes detailed customer service to assist with implementation, though it may present more complexity than Perforce Puppet's approach.

Pricing and ROI: Perforce Puppet generally has lower initial costs, providing quicker ROI for organizations focused on initial expenditure, offering significant value for its price. In contrast, BigFix requires a higher upfront investment but can deliver greater long-term ROI by optimizing IT operations with its expansive feature set and compliance capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed BigFix vs. Perforce Puppet Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

BigFix vs. Perforce Puppet

June 2026

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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

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 4.9%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of BigFix is 4.8%, down from 9.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Perforce Puppet is 3.9%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune	4.9%
BigFix	4.8%
Perforce Puppet	3.9%
Other	86.4%

Configuration Management

Featured Reviews

OluwashileAdeniyi

Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees

Centralized endpoint security has improved and supports hybrid work and BYOD policies

Regarding what I dislike about Microsoft Intune and its downsides, I would say that more Mac controls are needed because we have limited Mac and Linux control. When comparing controls and policies between Windows, Mac, and Linux, Windows has almost everything you can think of, while Mac and Linux have limited types of control. You cannot implement certain things on Mac and Linux that you can on Windows. The limited controls are a major issue. Additionally, if Microsoft could find a way to embed servers into Microsoft Intune, that would be beneficial. Microsoft Intune is not really designed for servers or Windows servers. It is more tailored towards Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating systems. Windows servers are not fully supported. Enterprise organizations usually have both servers and endpoints, which are users' workstations. For servers, most people look for other solutions such as SCCM, which is Configuration Manager. However, SCCM is what Microsoft Intune is trying to replace. Both SCCM and Microsoft Intune belong to Microsoft. Microsoft is trying to transition organizations into Microsoft Intune, the native cloud solution. However, because this update is still in process, servers are not fully compatible with Microsoft Intune and cannot be managed by it. The current policy that has emerged from issues with clients is what they call co-management, which is relatively new, and I do not know if adoption is significant. Many legacy or older customers who have been using these products for decades still have SCCM. When it is time for them to manage their Windows devices, they use what is called cloud attach. Cloud attach is a term whereby your SCCM is connected to your Microsoft Intune. Most people do not know about it, but I have deployed it for several organizations. Cloud attach and co-management work together so that your device is in SCCM, but some policies are pushed from Microsoft Intune. It is like two different solutions working hand in hand. That is what they call co-management. Microsoft Intune does not bring all of your endpoint and security management tools into one place, which is the goal and how it should be. However, as I mentioned, servers are not included. If we talk about end users, Microsoft Intune does bring all your devices together. In a typical enterprise environment, you have end users with workstations, laptops, company-issued phones, and bring your own devices. You can create policies for all of these. However, for the backend, your servers do not have much coverage. Servers are not really covered by Microsoft Intune in that way.

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Ravi Khanchandani

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Long-term partnership improves customer satisfaction and delivers efficient endpoint management

BigFix supports something known as Patch Policies, which allows users to define that whenever critical patches are released, they should get evaluated against machines and automatically deploy them. Their software distribution is very efficient because they use a pull mechanism rather than a push mechanism, allowing each machine to download from the closest repository and install themselves. The same assessment mechanism applies for real-time vulnerability remediation, allowing identification, evaluation, and automatic remediation across machines. Compliance metrics typically measure the patch percentages deployed against the number of endpoints, which could be various device types including virtual machines and mobile devices. Measurements are taken against each device type, looking into compliance percentages for browsers such as Chrome and Edge based on their versions.

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Saufi Salim

Unix Consultant at ExxonMobil

Have managed configurations efficiently with an adaptable tool

I am using Perforce Puppet in the IT industry. I have experience with configuration management tools, specifically Perforce Puppet. I am a user of Perforce Puppet. I have used modular architecture to customize and integrate with my current IT environment. It is flexible and able to address my specific needs. I have worked with event-driven automation, and it helps to identify potential issues when someone manually changes any configuration on the server. Perforce Puppet reinforces the intended configuration that we have set earlier. I recommend Perforce Puppet as it's a good tool for all kinds of business and easy to use. It takes less than three months to learn how to use Perforce Puppet. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Perforce Puppet an eight.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft Intune solutions, especially Microsoft Intune and Microsoft 365, have positively impacted my organization by improving endpoint security, enabling centralized device management, supporting remote work efficiently, reducing manual administrative effort through automation, and enhancing compliance and collaboration across the enterprise environment."

"Everything has worked better since we started using Intune."

"The device profiling which uses the official Outlook email enabled us to control the screenshot feature and prevent copying outside of the organization's application."

"It helps us manage user certificates."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Intune is its scalability."

"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."

"ROI is very high at the end."

"The stability is good."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"We are able to decrease the number of high and critical vulnerabilities by at least 30% in six months, which is a huge improvement and makes the environment more secure."

"BigFix is incredibly fast and accurate in patching, reporting, and remediation."

"It has improved my organization because we can automate a lot of tasks. We went from manually patching machines or doing our best and having very little visibility into it to us being able to set it and forget it and getting really good results on first-pass patching."

"Servers are patched more consistently than they have been previously."

"Between the user groups, the community, the AVP support, the direct access via technical route and the PMR support, half the time I don't even need to do a formal PMR because the solutions from the community resolve whatever issues we're having. It's the best community and support based system I've ever used."

"It is a one-stop tool that allows you to do everything; it supports reporting, vulnerability management, patch management, and configuration, and all things can be done in one tool."

"The most valuable features are patch management, software installation, and asset management."

"With BigFix, in 10 to 15 minutes, you're up and running."

More BigFix pros

"Puppet Enterprise has good functionalities."

"Puppet Enterprise provides an autonomous delivery solution and agent-server architecture that was really helpful on our case for Internet base device management."

"Anything that we manage through Puppet always runs perfectly."

"Puppet Enterprise is a stable solution."

"Puppet Enterprise has reduced the time of production changes or environment changes, freeing our engineers to spend their time on creative, visionary work instead of repetitive tasks."

"Puppet3 and 4 series provides optimum deployment solutions for infrastructure and applications."

"Good tools to automate your servers, the time and effort to learn writing manifest is quiet high but it's worth on the long run"

"I rate the stability of Puppet as ten out of ten."

More Perforce Puppet pros

Cons

"It is not very stable. Sometimes, it works instantly, and sometimes, something goes wrong, and you get stuck there."

"Data leak prevention can be integrated into it. Currently, it does not have data leak prevention."

"Microsoft Intune could improve in reporting data for endpoints and fleets. Enhanced capabilities to run queries and gather specific device data to identify trends or issues would be beneficial. The feature parity for MacOS and handling devices from an MDM perspective is not comprehensive. Consolidation of these functionalities within Intune would simplify processes and finances."

"Although Intune is from the same provider, its integration with other Microsoft products, like Microsoft Defender or Microsoft Purview, could be improved."

"I also hope the cost of Remote Help will decrease because it's a much-needed Intune function."

"I think if you have the money and want something more stable, you should go for AirWatch. I don't think Microsoft is offering the same stability as VMware at this point."

"Areas for improvement in Intune include expanding support beyond Samsung devices to accommodate other Android manufacturers like Redmi and Motorola."

"Intune has limited integration with non-Microsoft solutions."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"The setup was very complex."

"The solution could improve by adding support drivers for different systems and equipment. When you have a lot of different computers if they could fix how to install any updates, firmware, or drivers for different systems or servers it would be good."

"The only thing that I don't like about BigFix is that it does not support other devices such as printer firmware, router firmware, and things like that."

"They don't have a proper mobile device management capability."

"The product should become cloud-based. Also, the peer nesting ability of the product is a little backward."

"The first setup was complex."

"I would like to see more emphasis on using the web console, to have the same power as the full fat client console that they do they now. It's a lighter way to log in and it would be faster for our operators to do their work. The console tends to take a long time for a large number of clients."

"The look and feel of the system are old-fashioned."

More BigFix cons

"The compliance side needs work. Puppet doesn't have much in terms of dealing with compliance."

"There's a lot of scope for enhancement on the DevSecOps side. They should definitely include features for compliance, for both the Linux and Windows side of the devices, as well as for network devices. Compliance is something they need to work on."

"It's a bit of a pain point to make sure that everything works once we've upgraded it because Puppet has been evolving pretty fast."

"Clients with less technical expertise may find Puppet complex to configure. Our team may struggle if technical team members leave the organization, leaving others uncertain about using the tool."

"The solution has really complex code, you have to understand the Ruby language. However, once you know the code then you can move ahead without any problems."

"Puppet Enterprise is more complex and difficult to configure."

"At the beginning the initial setup was kind of complex."

"We would like Puppet to add more integration for applications."

More Perforce Puppet cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"As a partner, we always look for how we can generate more revenue from a consulting point of view, but I do not see any complaints from the customer side regarding pricing, so they are satisfied with it."

"Intune's pricing is reasonable considering its benefits and the high costs it helps avoid."

"We don't get Intune as a separate module. Most of the time, we use it within an enterprise agreement like E3 or E5. Those licenses are at a good price, but what is annoying is that every single year they go higher."

"I don't have any problem as far as cost is concerned. It is bundled with our license."

"I recently got to know that the AD P1 license is compulsory to use Intune Autopilot, which was surprising for me. Earlier, this was not the case. It is the wrong thing to do. We now need to purchase AD P1 licenses for us and for our customers. I would rate it a seven out of ten for pricing."

"Based on the features that it gives, it is cost-efficient. It is not necessarily on the expensive side of the scale. It provides a hefty number of features that any organization would want. It is in a good price range."

"Its price is fair. It's a normal price. It isn't too expensive or too cheap."

"The price for Intune is fair."

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"We have a subscription-based contract with BigFix."

"You get what we call the Platform Edition, which you get for free. The patch service is maybe $0.50 per workstation per month. Then there's the basic server cost, which is about $1.50 per server per month. You also get into Lifecycle which does power management, OSD remote control, and those types of things, and that might be about 10 times the price - which works out to about $13 per server and, maybe $5 per workstation per month."

"So, the pricing is slightly more expensive than the others. I have to keep buying licenses every time I add a new device."

"The price is reasonable, but our customers find it expensive."

"I would stay with the Managed Virtual Server license model, which is a 1-to-1 license per OS whether it is virtual or physical."

"You are charged per server and per workstation when using BigFix. ManageEngine is a lot cheaper than BigFix. There are some additional costs, such as support."

"The license is subscription-based."

"There's not much big cost. We only have to pay the agents' cost for the server, and for the systems."

More BigFix pricing and cost advice

"The main thing that we noticed when we switched from the enterprise version to the community version was the difference in cost — the infrastructure is pretty expensive."

"Depending on the size of the organization there is a point when the price of Puppet Enterprise should be lower. However, they provide really good functionality, features, and capabilities."

"Puppet Enterprise can be an expensive solution for smaller businesses."

"Puppet Enterprise’s pricing is competitive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

17%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	192
Midsize Enterprise	62
Large Enterprise	185

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	67

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	5

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 ...

See all answers

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...

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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 ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for BigFix?

The pricing is pretty good and now follows a subscription model similar to other major software solutions, making it ...

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What needs improvement with BigFix?

I have concerns about BigFix's pricing, which I find to be slightly on the higher side. While it may not be the most ...

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What is your primary use case for BigFix?

I have been working at Tech Data for the last 12 plus years.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Puppet Enterprise?

Regarding the cost, I find it expensive, always. I don't know how much the license would cost per year or per user ap...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Puppet Enterprise?

I don't know what could be improved in Perforce Puppet to make this tool better for the next release. I can't think o...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Puppet Enterprise?

My main use case for Perforce Puppet is for configuration management.

See all answers

Comparisons

Jamf Pro vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 10% of the time

IBM MaaS360 vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 10% of the time

Workspace ONE UEM vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 4% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Intune Competitors

Tanium vs BigFix

Compared 5% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs BigFix

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs BigFix

Compared 4% of the time

Red Hat Satellite vs BigFix

Compared 2% of the time

HashiCorp Terraform vs BigFix

Compared 2% of the time

More BigFix Competitors

BMC TrueSight Server Automation vs Perforce Puppet

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Perforce Puppet

Compared 9% of the time

Red Hat Satellite vs Perforce Puppet

Compared 8% of the time

AWS Systems Manager vs Perforce Puppet

Compared 7% of the time

Quali CloudShell Pro vs Perforce Puppet

Compared 4% of the time

More Perforce Puppet Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

June 2026

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Buyer's Guide

BigFix

June 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Perforce Puppet

June 2026

Download Perforce Puppet product report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

Tivoli Endpoint Manager

Puppet

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

Microsoft

HCLSoftware

Demo not available

Perforce

Overview

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed for device management, security, and compliance. It supports automation and facilitates endpoint management for Windows, iOS, and Android devices, ensuring data protection and efficient policy enforcement.

Microsoft Intune offers seamless integration with tools like Windows Autopilot to automate device setup and deployment. Integrated with Azure Active Directory, it enhances policy management while providing robust reporting and analytics tools for compliance tracking. Despite its intuitive interface aimed at simplifying navigation and device security management, there are challenges such as compatibility issues with Linux and Mac, limited policy support for Android, and demands for better third-party integration. It's widely used for both corporate-owned devices and BYOD scenarios in dynamic IT environments.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Windows Autopilot: Automates device setup for rapid deployment.
Azure Active Directory Integration: Enhances user policy management.
Reporting and Analytics: Improves compliance visibility.
Mobile Application Management: Ensures app security without compromising personal data.
Cloud-Based Management: Allows management from any location.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Time Efficiency: Automation reduces time in policy enforcement and configuration updates.
Enhanced Security: Ensures data protection across corporate-owned and BYOD devices.
Improved Compliance: Advanced reporting tools enhance compliance visibility.
Flexible Management: Cloud-based nature supports management from any location.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure data protection and compliance with regulatory standards. Manufacturing sectors utilize Intune for managing a distributed workforce across global locations, while educational institutions employ it to secure and manage devices in learning environments supporting both students and faculty.

Microsoft

HCL BigFix offers a Unified Endpoint Management platform that enhances security, reduces costs, and simplifies IT operations across hybrid, multi-cloud environments through a centralized control structure.

BigFix streamlines enterprise IT management by integrating infrastructure security, endpoint remediation, and employee experience automation within a single platform. It enables IT Operations and Security teams to function efficiently from a unified control plane, managing over 155 million endpoints. Its robust architecture supports continuous compliance and automated vulnerability remediation, closing the gap between detection and fix. It excels in digital employee experience by ensuring proactive monitoring and utilizing agentic AI for self-healing workflows and intelligent automation, thereby reducing manual efforts and enhancing productivity.

What are BigFix's key features?

Efficient Patch Management: Automates and optimizes patch distribution across platforms.
Compliance Integration: Ensures robust adherence to compliance standards through automated processes.
Scalability: Capable of managing and securing an extensive range of endpoints.
Multi-Platform Support: Provides management for various operating systems through a single console.
Customization Options: Enables API-based customizations and versatile reporting capabilities.

What are potential benefits and ROI factors?

Enhanced Security: Swift vulnerability management reduces risk exposure.
Cost Efficiency: Centralized management minimizes operational complexities and expenses.
Operational Resilience: Maintains compliance and security across distributed environments.
Ease of Management: Simplifies diverse environment management with robust tools.
Boost in Productivity: Reduces manual IT efforts while improving employee experience.

Industries such as telecom, finance, and industrial facilities leverage BigFix for comprehensive patch management, software deployment, and inventory solutions. They benefit from its capacity to support endpoint security, compliance, and diverse operational needs, using it for vulnerability assessment and custom content creation.

HCLSoftware

Perforce Puppet offers automated configuration management and diverse platform support through agent-based functionality, enhancing systems with real-time reporting and efficient process automation.

Perforce Puppet provides comprehensive management for both infrastructure and applications, primarily on-prem servers, enabling automation of server updates, security compliance, and IT operations. It supports Linux and is expanding to Windows, facilitating continuous checks and compliance monitoring. With robust Internet-based features, scalability, role-based access control, and exemplary community support, it streamlines processes like remote package installation, file distribution, and user creation. Using Puppet Forge modules enhances its capabilities despite its steep learning curve and reliance on Ruby and DSL. While GUI limitations necessitate command line proficiency, its integration features and high cost can be a deterrent, prompting some to consider alternatives or the community version.

What are the key features of Perforce Puppet?

Agent-Based Functionality: Provides real-time system management and reporting.
Automated Configuration Management: Streamlines server and network processes with a declarative approach.
Scalability: Adapts to changing infrastructure needs efficiently.
Puppet Forge Modules: Extends capabilities for enhanced performance.
Role-Based Access Control: Ensures secure and organized access control.

What benefits do users gain from Perforce Puppet?

Versatility in Platform Management: Supports diverse environments for seamless integration.
Efficiency in Automation: Reduces manual server configuration tasks.
Community Support: Access to a strong network of developers and users.
Enhanced Security Compliance: Facilitates continuous monitoring and compliance checks.

Perforce Puppet is widely adopted in industries requiring rigorous configuration management and provisioning for on-prem servers. Enterprises automate IT operations and security compliance, applying it initially to Linux servers and progressing to Windows. It aids in public configurations for nodes, enabling efficient network, package, and software integrations while automating configuration and patch management processes.

Perforce

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway

US Foods, Penn State, St Vincent's Health US Foods, Sabadell Bank, SunTrust, Australia Sydney, Stemac, Capgemini, WNS Global Services, Jebsen & Jessen, CenterBeam, Strauss, Christian Hospital Centre, Brit Insurance, Career Education Corporation

Los Alamos National Laboratory, GitHub, IP Commerce, Cedexis, Spiceworks, Server Density, Swisstopo, Chockstone, Constant Contact, NICS, Citrix

Buyer's Guide

BigFix vs. Perforce Puppet

June 2026

Free Report: BigFix vs. Perforce Puppet

Find out what your peers are saying about BigFix vs. Perforce Puppet and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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