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Microsoft Identity Manager vs OpenText Identity Governance comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.1
Microsoft Identity Manager improves security and efficiency, offering up to 20% time savings and simplifying training with standardization.
Sentiment score
7.8
OpenText Identity Governance boosts ROI by preventing fraud, reducing audit costs, and enhancing access management and compliance efficiency.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Identity Manager's customer service is reliable, with thorough engagement but varying response speed and documentation quality. Ratings average 7-9/10.
Sentiment score
7.8
Opinions on OpenText Identity Governance's customer support vary, with some praising expertise but others criticizing response times and overall effectiveness.
I rate the technical support nine out of ten.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
It is important to get to the right engineer quickly, but the process sometimes involves multiple levels before reaching the best support.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
The technical support is of good quality
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Microsoft Identity Manager is ideal for enterprises, not small businesses, with scalability issues for many users; consider Azure AD.
Sentiment score
8.6
OpenText Identity Governance is highly scalable, effectively managing large deployments and receiving high satisfaction ratings for its performance.
In terms of scalability, Microsoft Identity Manager allows management of up to 400,000 objects with a standard configuration.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Identity Manager is highly stable and reliable, with users rating its performance between eight to nine out of ten.
Sentiment score
7.9
OpenText Identity Governance is stable and reliable, with minimal issues and infrequent support calls, receiving largely positive ratings.
Not all conditions can be satisfied at all times, leading to some employee or user accounts experiencing deviations and syncing issues.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Identity Manager struggles with connectivity, integration, and support, needing better interfaces, documentation, and Azure Active Directory integration.
OpenText Identity Governance needs better connectivity, integration, modernization, and technical support, alongside improved interface, stability, and cloud deployment features.
Very often customers require real-time or almost real-time updates, and this feature is missing in Microsoft Identity Manager.
System Engineer 2 at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
While the initial setup of Microsoft Identity Manager is not completely complex, migrating or upgrading to a new version can be complex and requires multiple backups to ensure it goes smoothly.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
The current policy management features are limited, and custom, flexible policies would be ideal.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Identity Manager is cost-effective when bundled with premium licenses, despite mixed reviews on its pricing and value.
The pricing of Microsoft Identity Manager is expensive.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
Microsoft's licenses are bundled, allowing access to multiple services, which is beneficial.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Identity Manager, it has a couple of cloud connectors that can sync directly with the O365 admin center, which is good enough.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Identity Manager enhances security with Single Sign-On and integrates seamlessly with Office 365 and Active Directory.
OpenText Identity Governance provides robust access evaluations, role mining, and automated processes, ensuring stability and effective large-scale governance.
Microsoft Identity Manager automates all identities and access on every target system efficiently and quickly.
System Engineer 2 at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
The best features of Microsoft Identity Manager are its 100% compatibility with Active Directory.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
The features of Microsoft Identity Manager that have been most impactful in improving security and compliance include the granular policies, report, and the ability to gain end-to-end visibility for each user.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Identity Manager
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
OpenText Identity Governance
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
28th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Identity Management (IM) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Identity Manager is 2.3%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Identity Governance is 1.2%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity Management (IM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Identity Manager2.3%
OpenText Identity Governance1.2%
Other96.5%
Identity Management (IM)
 

Featured Reviews

RameshKumar9 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
Supports reliable identity management and custom policy design
Microsoft Identity Manager can be improved by integrating it with Entra ID as a SaaS application or by having a cloud-based connector, as it is currently limited to on-prem scenarios, and a combination of both would be a great solution compared to competitors such as SailPoint or One Identity Manager. While the initial setup of Microsoft Identity Manager is not completely complex, migrating or upgrading to a new version can be complex and requires multiple backups to ensure it goes smoothly.
GA
IAM Specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Helps to run reports and verify user access but improvement is needed in integration
You can run reports and verify the access each user has. There is a process that runs automatically for access review. It sends an email to the manager and provides a task for the manager to review the users and access. The manager can approve or reject, and then it goes to the application owner for further review. This feature is especially important in large customer environments, as manual review can be challenging. The product allows you to check if a user has two accesses that should not be granted simultaneously. There's an approval process for this scenario. Primarily, it provides information for governance data.
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881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
16%
Real Estate/Law Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Educational Organization
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Identity Manager?
Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Identity Manager, it has a couple of cloud connectors that can sync directly with the O365 admin center, which is good enough, but Entra I...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Identity Manager?
Microsoft Identity Manager can be improved by integrating it with Entra ID as a SaaS application or by having a cloud-based connector, as it is currently limited to on-prem scenarios, and a combina...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Identity Manager?
The typical use case for Microsoft Identity Manager is to automate Active Directory, where it is responsible for onboarding new employees to on-premises AD or to the cloud based on certain criteria.
What do you like most about NetIQ Identity Governance?
You can run reports and verify the access each user has. There is a process that runs automatically for access review. It sends an email to the manager and provides a task for the manager to review...
What needs improvement with NetIQ Identity Governance?
NetIQ Identity Governance is not flexible. Sometimes, filtering information to provide users with options, such as selecting the application to which they want to request access, can be challenging...
What advice do you have for others considering NetIQ Identity Governance?
The solution is worth using because of its flexibility, especially in integrating applications. However, the time required for integration varies based on the quality of documentation provided for ...
 

Also Known As

MIM, Forefront Identity Manager, FIM, MS Identity Manager
NetIQ Access Governance Suite, Novell Access Governance Suite
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Whole Foods Market
Western & Southern Financial Group
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Identity Manager vs. OpenText Identity Governance and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.