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KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs SUSE Manager comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

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
Sponsored
Ranking in Configuration Management
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
377
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (2nd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
KACE Systems Deployment App...
Ranking in Configuration Management
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SUSE Manager
Ranking in Configuration Management
15th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
4.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 4.4%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is 1.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Manager is 2.6%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune4.4%
SUSE Manager2.6%
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA)1.3%
Other91.7%
Configuration Management
 

Featured Reviews

HA
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
Centralized device management has automated onboarding and improves remote security compliance
One thing I feel Microsoft Intune could improve is troubleshooting visibility. In many cases, when a policy or application deployment fails, the error messages are a bit generic. So, admins still spend time checking logs manually or testing on devices one by one. Compared to the simplicity of deployment, troubleshooting sometimes feels less mature. I also think reporting and real-time monitoring could be stronger. The dashboard gives useful information, but in large environments, many teams still depend on additional tools or scripts for deeper reporting and analytics. If I had to focus on one area first, I would probably choose troubleshooting and reporting. Deployment through Microsoft Intune is generally straightforward, but when something fails, identifying the exact root cause can still take more time than expected. Error messages are sometimes too generic, and admins often have to dig through logs, sync status, or multiple portals to understand what actually happened. I think user experience and policy management could also improve further. Microsoft Intune has become much better over the years, but sometimes the admin portal still feels fragmented because certain configurations open in different sections or redirect to older interfaces. For new admins, especially, it can take time to understand where everything is located. Another thing is policy conflict handling. In larger organizations, multiple device policies, compliance rules, and configuration profiles can overlap. When conflicts happen, the visibility is not always very clear, so admins spend time figuring out which policy actually won or caused the issue.
MH
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
User interface and deployment efficiency save time and reduce staff needs
The best features KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) offers include the ease of operation and the ability to create images for deployment. When I say ease of operation, the user interface is easy to create the images, and the people deploying do not have to have access to the appliance in order to deploy images. KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester. This has saved our team hundreds of man hours and reduced it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA.
Shivamp Kachole - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate System Engineer at Dhanyaayai enterprise private limited
Centralized management has transformed how I automate patching and control thousands of Linux servers
I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little complex, especially for new users or those working in disconnected environments. Troubleshooting sometimes requires checking multiple logs, and I believe the user interface could be more intuitive for some advanced tasks. Better built-in troubleshooting guidance and easier repository management would improve the overall experience. Additionally, the official documentation is not comprehensive enough; many commands are missing, and it could benefit from screenshots to help with installation, such as adding clients. I believe that more built-in health checks and clearer error messages would greatly assist not just me but everyone in the organization during troubleshooting. Simplifying the proxy configuration and disconnected environment setup would also save time. Overall, the product is stable and works well once it is configured properly.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Using this product has completely stopped DLP, so people cannot take material off of corporate machines or corporate imagines, and that's a huge benefit."
"Autopilot is the most valuable feature."
"We are using the mobile feature, and we are also using MDM to lock the devices, to push restrictions, et cetera"
"It supports end-users who tend to lock their devices quite frequently. Its conditional access policy helps us keep the users logged into their devices."
"I can reach devices or computers over the internet. I don't need to worry about the network connectivity between the offices. I can manage any device. That is the most important part."
"Intune's feature that I have found most valuable is its auto-pilot feature."
"It helps us manage user certificates."
"It is very easy for me to configure all the things. Once I create policies and applications in Intune, it is very easy for us to enroll users."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester, saving our team hundreds of man hours and reducing it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA."
"Its ticketing is pretty good."
"I'm just an end-user; I'd recommend the solution to others as it has a good balance between pricing and functionality."
"The biggest advantage of SUSE Manager is that it centralizes everything—from client registration and patching to automation and compliance."
"SUSE Manager is valuable for managing systems, patching, and utilizing SaltStack connectivity for various installations and other routines."
"One of the most powerful things that I noticed when I arrived was that it was underutilized, and there are all of these automation capabilities that SUSE Manager has, which have saved just so much time for me."
"SUSE Manager is the best solution for maintaining the Linux environment"
"What I appreciate best about SUSE Manager is that it supports most of the Linux flavors."
"Regarding SUSE Manager, one of the most valuable features is the logical volume manager and file management, which allows for expanding files whenever we need more space on disk for the files and HANA."
"SUSE Manager allows you to control Red Hat servers, SUSE Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Open SUSE, and Ubuntu, which is something new that other tools do not support."
"The setup is straightforward."
 

Cons

"Currently, Microsoft Intune's focus is mainly on Windows, but they can make much more improvement in terms of other platforms."
"It would be great to see on-premises mailboxes and for the solution to have geofencing capabilities."
"Regarding the pricing of Microsoft Intune, there are many features being introduced, but most features should be available in a license such as EMS E3, which is a high-quality license but does not include them."
"Most of the customers in the business do not use Intune because it doesn't support that much policy for Android."
"Microsoft Intune lacks the ability to provide seamless remote assistance or remote control."
"The solution could be improved by the opportunity to connect third-party application databases, such as Chocolatey or another setup store, to Intune."
"The documentation about the custom image setup could be better."
"In the future, I would like to see improvements in Microsoft Intune, especially related to policies and GPU."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing one SDA to service several different departments."
"I have heard feedback that the imaging is slow. It takes somewhere around an hour to image one PC."
"We sometimes have server issues and need to restart the service."
"The initial setup of SUSE Manager is quite complex."
"It can be complex and difficult for users who are new to Linux and don't have any technical expertise."
"I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little complex, especially for new users or those working in disconnected environments."
"I really would like to have a broader library of VCP's or playbooks that I can deploy."
"The initial stage is a bit complex, but after that, everything runs seamlessly."
"From an integration perspective, it is difficult to integrate with Jira or any ticketing tool, which is challenging."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We don't pay for Intune because it is bundled with the premium subscription to Office 365. It includes Intune and Defender. I don't have to buy two extra products to manage my enterprise."
"While Microsoft charges for actual usage, it lacks discount options."
"Our enterprise agreement includes Microsoft Intune at no additional cost."
"In terms of the product price and licensing costs, my company finds the product to be reasonably priced."
"They have categorized the licenses according to the size of the business. So, if it's a smaller organization, we can choose the license accordingly. If it's a big organization, then we can choose accordingly. Everything is clearly mentioned, and we can decide. It's suitable for all kinds of infrastructure, and that's very goo"
"Microsoft Intune is reasonably priced for large organizations that already have Microsoft Enterprise licenses, but it is less affordable for smaller businesses."
"On a scale of one to ten with one being the cheapest, the cost of Microsoft Intune is a five."
"I don't have any problem as far as cost is concerned. It is bundled with our license."
Information not available
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
25%
Construction Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Outsourcing Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Energy/Utilities Company
9%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business192
Midsize Enterprise62
Large Enterprise187
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

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 Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
The pricing for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is straightforward, and the setup was easy.
What needs improvement with Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing ...
What is your primary use case for Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
Our main use case for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is to deploy workstations as well as lab machines. We u...
What needs improvement with SUSE Manager?
I find that while SUSE Manager is generally good, the initial setup and repository synchronization can be a little co...
What is your primary use case for SUSE Manager?
My main use case for SUSE Manager was to configure it for client purposes, specifically for centralized Linux system ...
What advice do you have for others considering SUSE Manager?
For those looking into using SUSE Manager, I recommend spending time understanding the architecture before proceeding...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
No data available
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Information Not Available
Day & Zimmermann, Cisco, CEMEX, L.B. Foster, Adient, Istanbul Technical University, 7Pixel, University of Maine System, Guerbet
Find out what your peers are saying about KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs. SUSE Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.