Ivanti Security Controls vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

Ivanti and Quest Software are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Ivanti is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.5, while Quest Software is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.5. Ivanti holds a 2.2% mindshare in PM, compared to Quest Software’s 3.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Quest Software users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Security Controls

Read 4 Ivanti Security Controls reviews

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1,459 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

KACE Systems Management App...

Read 40 KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

5,031 Views
2,817 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Ivanti Security Controls

KACE Systems Management App...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance and Ivanti Security Controls both operate in the IT management solution space, with KACE offering strong asset management and software distribution, while Ivanti excels in security and patch automation.

Features: KACE Systems Management Appliance is noted for its comprehensive asset discovery, inventory management, and intelligent patch management capabilities, promoting automation of IT tasks and efficient use of available resources. Ivanti Security Controls shines with its robust vulnerability scanning, patch management, and emphasis on security compliance, making it an appealing choice for security-conscious organizations.

Room for Improvement: KACE Systems Management Appliance could improve by offering better integration capabilities with third-party security applications, optimizing resource usage to streamline performance, and enhancing UI intuitiveness for ease of navigation. On the other hand, Ivanti Security Controls needs to focus on simplifying its setup process for quicker implementation, improving existing customer support to offer broader assistance, and enhancing reporting capabilities for better data insights.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: KACE Systems Management Appliance is commended for its straightforward deployment process and responsive customer service, qualities that appeal to teams with limited resources. Ivanti Security Controls, while offering comprehensive deployment models that cater to complex configurations, requires more setup time initially but is noted for its specialized support that helps overcome steep learning curves.

Pricing and ROI: KACE Systems Management Appliance offers predictable pricing models with a faster return on investment, stemming from its extensive feature set and user-friendly operation. While Ivanti Security Controls may involve a higher initial cost, it provides valuable long-term benefits through enhanced security measures and risk reduction, justifying the investment for organizations prioritizing security.

To learn more, read our detailed Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

June 2026

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Helped 906,852 peers since 2012

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

Ivanti Security Controls

Ranking in Patch Management

12th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

KACE Systems Management App...

Ranking in Patch Management

9th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (2nd), Endpoint Compliance (6th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (11th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Ivanti Security Controls is 2.2%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 3.3%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)	3.3%
Ivanti Security Controls	2.2%
Other	94.5%

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

Chethan R

Windows Security Patching Operation III (Cyber Operations) at CBTS

Has reduced hardware strain through agentless patching and improved asset visibility

This solution does not have capability of managing applications. It is only used for asset management and patch management. Regarding analytics for Ivanti Security Controls, it does not have extensive capabilities. It is a basic tool from Ivanti for scanning and deploying. It does not have analytics features such as EDR or security tools available in the market. It only has capability to check missing patches, find them, and deploy them. When it comes to reports, compliance reports or similar types of reports are not user-friendly. Expertise is required for handling these aspects. The asset management in Ivanti Security Controls needs more visibility. Additionally, it can be improved to handle in-house applications, which currently cannot be installed. It can only handle existing applications, unlike Ivanti's Endpoint Manager. It should have additional features in this area that need improvement.

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AdityaJain

Security Administrator at EbixCash

Centralized software deployment has simplified endpoint control but needs stronger security alerts

What I like best about KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is that it allows pushing custom-made applications to all computers that have KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) endpoint installed. This makes it easier for the organization to push patches and updates. If I need to push EDR updates, I can use KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), as it automatically updates the EDR on that endpoint, and that is a great feature. Overall, KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) helps streamline my processes by allowing me to check the uptime and downtime of machines, whether they are connected to the internet or not, and how long a machine has been switched off. I can also gather hardware details and software inventory from it. I can show a live demonstration if a video conference can be arranged. Incident resolution capabilities with KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) have improved operational efficiency for system administrators, as it makes it easier to track machines with KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), gather their IP addresses, and push several updates, patches, or software deployments at once. I can design compliances as per my requirements, such as ensuring passwords are reset after 45 days.

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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

"Ivanti Security Controls is an agentless tool which means we do not need to install any agent on the server or endpoint, and through agentless capabilities, it can install software, install patches, and control over the server, including asset management."

"Ivanti Security Controls is a better solution than SCCM."

"What has been most valuable is the ability to manage, restore and install upgrades and applications. We scan PCs and server and receive results."

"Technical support is helpful and responsive."

"It paid for itself within the first month we had it, so the return on investment was incredible."

"The KACE SMA has helped make our endpoint team work more agilely, efficiently, and productively."

"Using Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), we have been able to manage three times the amount of machines as other groups while having half the staff, which has positively impacted our organization."

"The single pane of glass for managing devices is helpful because it allows me to perform updates and control things without having to disturb the doctors or nurses."

"Asset management is most valuable. It is essential for all customers. The other features are also useful, but asset management is most important."

"We use the Systems Deployment appliance. It's our bread and butter. It is every machine that gets imaged here in this building and out through the whole state goes through the SDA. We rely on it completely. There is no manual process of getting a laptop out of a box, plugging it up, turning it on, and waiting for Windows to start. If you were to go to Best Buy and buy a brand new laptop, you spend the next two to three hours just setting it up. We don't do that. We get a laptop, plug it into the network, connect it to the SDA, and within about three clicks, we're done."

"KACE has made our life much easier since we got off the Microsoft solution. The Microsoft solution was a lot harder to image over different ports and stuff. They would only have this one place where we could do all the imaging. Now, we have a whole building where we can image from. This means that we can image from our storage area, where we have a place to do our imaging. We can also image right at our desks, which is a lot easier."

"They've saved us so much time and money it's unreal."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"Ivanti Security Controls is a powerful product, but it has quite a steep learning curve."

"For the Windows upgrade, the errors we experience are not clear. We see a time out error but do not know the reason. We would like to know the root cause."

"It should be more scalable."

"When it comes to reports, compliance reports or similar types of reports are not user-friendly. Expertise is required for handling these aspects."

"There is a Resolve issue whereby some workstations no longer report/check-in after a recent update."

"KACE implemented the possibility of reducing the network speed of the KACE agent. You can set it so that it takes whatever network speed you want or you can set it to 5 Mb, to save network speed. You set it for all the computers, but it would be preferable to separate between VPN connections in our home office and the local area. It would be great to be able to set separate speeds for different VLANs."

"I have complaints about smart label adaptation and because of this, I recommend a 24 to 48 hour bake-in period."

"Its dashboard needs improvement. Currently, there is no way to modify the dashboard. There should be more flexibility so that we can create views according to our use case."

"For the software deployment and scripting, it is more difficult. I only have experienced people on my team do that type of work."

"I would like them to implement VBScript language in KACE Systems Management. Currently, we can only use PowerShell."

"It took a little bit of time to figure out how to use the KACE Service Desk. I like the way that I'm able to customize it. But when it comes to how our techs are able to use it, it's not as functional as our current solution, which is BMC FootPrints Service Desk."

"It could be designed a little bit more intuitively in terms of administration."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"It may be more expensive, but you get what you pay for."

"Some of the other solutions were just astronomical in price compared with KACE and didn't necessarily have the ease of use either. So, we chose Quest KACE for its easy-to-use features and cost."

"We need it, so we have to pay the price. It is what it is. If you need a gallon of milk, then you have to pay the price for it. You don't want to buy the cheap stuff. You want to buy the stuff that is organic and good for your body, which doesn't have all this other junk in it. You want it clean for your body. Quest has done that for our deployment and management systems."

"There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"Their pricing is per end-point device. There is an initial cost for the license for the server, which is pretty low, and then there is a per end-point device license, which is also fairly low. So, the pricing is still reasonable."

"We are a university. So, we have a very good price for the system. I think the price for the system is worth it because of the security patch management. The security patch management is very important for us. The price is very good for KACE SMA, the functionality you get, and the patch management."

"Its pricing model is good for what it offers. Nobody here gives me a hard time about renewing the contract every year. It might be a little cost prohibitive for a smaller company who has to stand up a virtual environment as well as have virtual environment licensing and the hardware. If you have a smaller environment, it might be cost prohibitive. If you only have a couple of hundred computers, you might be more willing to do those manually. In our environment, the cost savings of having KACE far outweigh the licensing costs. We are okay with its pricing model."

"The pricing is great. It's billed annually and it's very reasonable."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

University

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	16

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Ivanti Security Controls?

Ivanti Security Controls is a powerful product, but it has quite a steep learning curve. There is quite a lot to learn, though it proves to be very powerful if you put in the time to learn how to u...

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What is your primary use case for Ivanti Security Controls?

We are using Ivanti Security Controls for deploying Windows updates to Windows servers.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Ivanti Security Controls?

I am currently working with Ivanti Security Controls as a customer. I think Ivanti Security Controls is an effective product for this purpose. I would give tech support for Ivanti Security Controls...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?

In terms of cost-effectiveness, considering a situation where I want to deploy KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) for just pushing updates, it is completely fine. However, apart from that, I d...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

For improvements in KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), I would want to see it become a standalone software agent. I am curious about why it does not offer EDR functionality. Additionally, the...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Quest KACE Systems Management?

I have deployed KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) around 230 plus PCs, and I use it to push Windows updates and scripts. I have designed various scripts for tasks such as password resets afte...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time

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Compared 14% of the time

Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 12% of the time

PDQ Deploy vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 7% of the time

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs Ivanti Security Controls

Compared 7% of the time

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Microsoft Configuration Manager vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

BigFix vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 6% of the time

Kaseya VSA vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 6% of the time

Ivanti Patch for Linux, UNIX, Mac vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

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Patch Management

July 2026

Download Ivanti Security Controls product report

Buyer's Guide

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

July 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

No data available

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

Ivanti Security Controls delivers a reliable, stable setup for managing and installing upgrades and applications, featuring agentless operation and comprehensive reporting. It's preferred by data centers for efficiently addressing vulnerabilities through agentless solutions and backend scripting.

Ivanti Security Controls is instrumental in deploying updates to servers and workstations, effectively managing Microsoft and non-Microsoft patches. Teams leverage its centralized console for efficiency, conducting vulnerability scans and deploying patches based on detected issues. Users appreciate its responsive support and backend scripting capabilities, finding it essential for streamlining patching tasks and addressing vulnerabilities. Areas for improvement include cloud capabilities, logging, and scalability, with users seeking more intuitive report designs, enhanced documentation, and improved application management. Error messages during Windows upgrades need clarity, and more visibility in asset management is desired.

What are the most important features of Ivanti Security Controls?

Agentless Operation: Minimizes system resource usage, enhancing operational efficiency.
Comprehensive Reporting: Offers in-depth insights into security status and system vulnerabilities.
Patch and Asset Management: Simplifies the management of software updates and inventory tracking.
Credential Management: Ensures secure handling of sensitive access information.
PowerShell Script Execution: Allows automated tasks and customized scripting for tailored solutions.

What benefits should users look for in Ivanti Security Controls?

Operational Efficiency: Streamlines update processes, saving time and resources.
Enhanced Security: Improves system safety by addressing vulnerabilities quickly.
Responsive Support: Assists quickly in troubleshooting and resolving user issues.
Centralized Management: Offers a unified platform for managing updates and patches across systems.
Visibility into Vulnerabilities: Provides insights to tackle potential security threats effectively.

Ivanti Security Controls sees extensive use in industries requiring robust patch management and vulnerability scanning, notably in data centers where maintaining security and efficiency is critical. Its ability to deploy updates seamlessly makes it a valuable tool for sectors focused on IT infrastructure management.

Ivanti

KACE Systems Management Appliance offers integration capabilities, efficient image deployment, and comprehensive asset management. It supports centralized management across diverse devices and locations, simplifying IT processes and enhancing security.

KACE Systems Management Appliance provides single-pane visibility for endpoint management, mass software deployment, automated patch management, robust scripting, and detailed inventory tracking. It streamlines IT management and improves cyber-security compliance through remote software updates and centralized IT request handling. Despite struggles with scalability and the need for interface improvements, it enables efficient device imaging, script automation, and network management through detailed reporting. Organizations find it effective for software deployment, asset management, and endpoint monitoring, serving thousands of IoT devices and desktops.

What are the key features of KACE Systems Management Appliance?

Integration capabilities: Seamlessly connects with existing IT systems.
Efficient image deployment: Facilitates quick and effective distribution of system images.
Comprehensive asset management: Provides detailed tracking and management of IT assets.
User-friendly helpdesk: Simplifies handling IT requests and issues.
Automated patch management: Ensures devices are up-to-date with security patches.
Robust scripting: Allows for automation of complex IT tasks.
Detailed inventory tracking: Maintains accurate records of all IT assets.

What benefits should users expect from KACE Systems Management Appliance?

Simplified IT processes: Centralized management enhances operational efficiency.
Improved security: Streamlines cyber-security compliance through automated updates.
Flexibility in customizations: Adapts to specific IT environment needs.
Increased productivity: Efficient ticketing and reporting ease organizational operations.
Remote software updates: Ensures all devices are current, reducing security risks.

In healthcare, KACE Systems Management Appliance is used for maintaining device compliance and security standards. Educational institutions benefit from its capabilities to manage large numbers of endpoints across campuses. In finance, it aids in strict compliance requirements through automated patch management and detailed reporting. Retail sectors leverage its asset management features to streamline operations across numerous locations.

Quest Software

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

June 2026

Free Report: Ivanti Security Controls vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

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