BigFix vs SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor comparison

BigFix vs. SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor

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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 SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor is 1.6%, up from 0.4% 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%
SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor	1.6%
Other	88.7%

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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Akhil Reddy

Software Developer at NOESIS Portugal

Alerting has helped us detect server issues across our environment

The alert mechanism is the biggest advantage of SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor. The customizability of the alerting system is particularly valuable. Whatever devices are in the environment, whether EC2 servers or on-premises servers, all of them can be monitored using this service. I can easily find out what exactly is going wrong in the environment. The clear audit trail aids in troubleshooting and optimization. The tool is effective for detecting unauthorized changes across platforms.

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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

"There are many features in Microsoft Intune. For personal mobile devices, MDM is what I most prefer."

"With these improvements, I estimate we've reduced our patching costs by over $100,000 a month, as the MSP previously had to troubleshoot various issues manually."

"It meets the basic security needs and management needs for most organizations."

"One of the standout features of Intune is its seamless accessibility to work data, eliminating the need to be tied to an office or a desktop."

"What I like most about the tool is that it's now very easy to set up a device for someone to use. It also helps us tremendously in managing security. Before, we used on-premise management with a domain controller. It was difficult to manage security comprehensively. For example, it was hard to know which computers were updated. We weren't able to do that easily with our previous solution."

"The solution has reduced the risk of security breaches by 30%."

"As an IT administrator, I appreciate Intune's ability to implement granular device-level policies for our organization's employees."

"It is a cloud solution, and you can easily scale as your needs grow."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"BigFix allows us to see the data and remediate those vulnerabilities quickly and easily."

"Definitely, without any hesitation, I would recommend that you should implement and use it."

"This has very much improved our organization by saving time to deploy thousands of endpoints to our customers."

"Pre-packaged support for many third-party applications such as Adobe, Google, Mozilla, Sun (Java), WinZip, and others."

"It has one central location to manage all the different platforms that we have such as desktop, Windows Servers, Linux Server, Solaris, AIX and zLinux, and it's great to be able to manage them all from one central location."

"BigFix is a stable solution; you can deploy it and forget about it."

"It has improved reliability upon delivery of software and has also helped reduce software expenses. The extensibility of BigFix helps to create custom solutions where we may have considered purchasing something instead."

"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."

More BigFix 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."

"The customizability of the alerting system is particularly valuable; whatever devices are in the environment, whether EC2 servers or on-premises servers, all of them can be monitored using this service."

"SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor is a good-to-have solution for all customers who are under audit pressure, especially from regulatory authorities."

Cons

"The reports that are generated aren't so great; they don't give a lot of meaning so far."

"Sometimes, the process is unsuccessful when we attempt to reset a device and wipe the data using Intune."

"The solution's app deployment needs to be improved."

"In Microsoft Intune, error messages are an area that has room for improvement. Regarding error messages, I would like to see more detailed logs added."

"We've faced significant pushback with Copilot as our clients aren't seeing a favorable cost-benefit analysis."

"Most of the customers in the business do not use Intune because it doesn't support that much policy for Android."

"Reporting and troubleshooting for the application deployment could be better. It's very difficult to understand."

"It just doesn't handle software updates well at all by itself. You need to be a scripting wizard to make those happen properly, or you use third-party tools. The Windows feature updates are very difficult to implement. I would like to see a proprietary built-in remote control tool. I know that they have Team Viewer integrated, but it is not seamless. It would be nice if they had a seamless remote desktop capability directly from the Intune console."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"BigFix is actually a little bit on the expensive side in Turkey because of the dollar's exchange rate in our currency."

"The tool should be more friendly in terms of Web UI and should be having better vulnerability scanning mechanisms so a third-party application is not required to fulfill that aspect."

"The support of other 3rd party systems could be better."

"I'd like to see better API integration with BigFix."

"Needs to improve Network Access Protection (NAP) technologies to prevent computers with vulnerabilities from gaining access to networks."

"The technical support is usually pretty good. However, I had a ticket that stayed open for a couple of weeks which I didn't get a response to, and when we got the response it wasn't really good."

"While performing integration, we face many issues with IBM solution. We need detailed information about those issues that can help users to mitigate them."

"BigFix could improve its asset management capabilities to discover assets, including hardware."

More BigFix cons

"Some dashboards I observed in Dynatrace are not available in SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor."

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

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

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

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For Microsoft 365 E5 clients, cost is not an issue as this product is one of the benefits."

"Intune is included with our F3 and E5 licenses."

"If you ask the accountant or the finance department, they'll tell you that it is way too expensive, but when I look at the cost and compare it with the value you actually get, it's more than fair."

"I rate Intune five out of 10 for pricing. It's expensive."

"The Intune license model is costly."

"Microsoft Intune is included in the E5 license at no additional cost."

"Previously the price was $4 per month per user. Now it's $2.25 per user per month."

"There is a license required to use the solution. If you're core users in Office 365, for example, you have Outlook email and E3 license, this is only email. You have to buy an EMS license to have Microsoft Intune. It is expensive."

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing one out of ten."

"Its price is very reasonable."

"Compliance, inventory, and licensing are really pricey. They should lower the price. It discourages users from getting onboard."

"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."

"The tool's price continues to go up. The cost per endpoint can vary, ranging from approximately 30 to 80 dollars per year. Compared to other products, pricing is in the middle. You need to buy an additional database license, but most users already have it."

"The product is less costly when compared to other solutions, and this is a good solid solution for what we have paid."

"The price of BigFix could be lower. However, I am always seeking a lower price."

"The price of the solution is high. There are not any additional fees from the standard license."

More BigFix 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

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Construction Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	189
Midsize Enterprise	65
Large Enterprise	185

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

No data available

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 BigFix?

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

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 ...

What is your primary use case for BigFix?

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

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

In general, I think that licensing for SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor is acceptable, and the solution is qui...

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor?

Some dashboards I observed in Dynatrace are not available in SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor. The dashboard f...

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor?

I work only with SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor. My major use case is the monitoring of environment servers ...

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Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor

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Product Reports

Microsoft Intune

Download Microsoft Intune product report

BigFix

Download BigFix product report

Configuration Management

Download SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor product report

SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

Tivoli Endpoint Manager

SolarWinds SCM

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

Microsoft

HCLSoftware

Demo not available

SolarWinds

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

SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor offers a comprehensive solution for tracking and managing server configurations. It provides visibility into configuration changes, helping IT professionals ensure compliance and prevent unplanned downtime.

Designed for IT teams prioritizing server performance and uptime, SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor delivers detailed insights into configuration changes and deviations. By automating the tracking process, it minimizes manual errors and accelerates troubleshooting. Customers rely on it for maintaining compliance with internal policies and external regulations. This tool not only monitors servers but also provides alerts and automated workflows to resolve configuration issues promptly, enhancing efficiency and service delivery.

What are the key features of SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor?

Configuration Change Monitoring: Tracks all server configuration changes in real-time to detect unauthorized or unintended modifications.
Compliance Reporting: Offers detailed reports to ensure compliance with industry standards and organizational policies.
Alerting System: Provides customizable alerts to notify IT teams about critical configuration changes.
Historical Comparison: Allows users to compare current configurations with past setups to identify variances.
Automated Workflow: Simplifies the process of managing and resolving configuration issues with automated tasks.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Improved Uptime: By quickly identifying and rectifying configuration issues, reduces server downtime.
Enhanced Security: Detects unauthorized changes, preventing potential security breaches.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces manual effort and the associated costs with automated monitoring and reporting.
Regulatory Compliance: Facilitates adherence to legal and industry regulations, minimizing compliance risks.

Industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology leverage SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor for stringent compliance requirements and to maintain high performance standards. Its role in swiftly identifying deviations from required configurations makes it invaluable for sectors where data integrity and availability are critical.

SolarWinds

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

Information Not Available

BigFix vs. SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor