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Microsoft Identity Manager vs SailPoint Identity Security Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 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
7.1
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud reduces costs, automates access, enhances productivity, and achieves ROI within 14 to 18 months.
 

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
5.3
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud offers praised support with weekend availability, though regional and language challenges may occur.
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
I rate the technical support nine out of ten.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
The technical support is of good quality
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
SailPoint's team consists of specialists who handle tickets without needing to depend on other teams.
Technical Support Analyst at CLSA
Technical support is very good.
Senior Manager Cybersecurity at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
Sometimes, the support is slow, and they often suggest resorting to expert services.
Vice President Sales at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
 

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
7.1
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is scalable, supporting millions of identities, though may require extra resources and faces Java memory challenges.
In terms of scalability, Microsoft Identity Manager allows management of up to 400,000 objects with a standard configuration.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
The solution is scalable and can be upgraded to accommodate increased user counts.
Technical Project Manager & Senior Security Architect at Tech Mahindra Limited
The solution scales well as long as we provide the necessary resources.
Vice President Sales at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
SailPoint is scalable, though challenges exist in terms of workflow and user interface design.
Technical Support Analyst at CLSA
 

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
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is stable, with high reliability ratings, minor issues, and seamless integration fostering user satisfaction.
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
IdentityIQ deserves a rating of 12 out of ten for stability.
Vice President Sales at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
The version I use now is very stable, especially compared to previous versions like eight point zero and eight point one.
Specialist Consultant at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Identity Manager struggles with connectivity, integration, and support, needing better interfaces, documentation, and Azure Active Directory integration.
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is costly, complex, and lacks user-friendliness, necessitating better automation, support, customization, and integration.
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
The current policy management features are limited, and custom, flexible policies would be ideal.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
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
This creates a problem when managing non-human identities and new human identities such as shared accounts or service accounts.
Specialist Consultant at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
I find raising a ticket to be too complex, which could be improved for better user-friendliness.
Technical Support Analyst at CLSA
We have also put our enhancement request, and the SailPoint team has accepted that the feature is not available and plans to include it going forward.
Senior Manager Cybersecurity at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Identity Manager is cost-effective when bundled with premium licenses, despite mixed reviews on its pricing and value.
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is costly, with varying prices and separate fees, but offers discounts for long-term plans.
Microsoft's licenses are bundled, allowing access to multiple services, which is beneficial.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
The pricing of Microsoft Identity Manager is expensive.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
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
SailPoint is cheaper than ServiceNow, which is very expensive.
Technical Support Analyst at CLSA
The pricing of SailPoint could be better.
Vice President Sales at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
The costs are slightly higher than SailPoint IQ due to included charges for maintenance.
Technical Project Manager & Senior Security Architect at Tech Mahindra Limited
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Identity Manager enhances security with Single Sign-On and integrates seamlessly with Office 365 and Active Directory.
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud offers intuitive UI, fast deployment, extensive connectors, and strong compliance with AI-enhanced automated identity management.
The best features of Microsoft Identity Manager are its 100% compatibility with Active Directory.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
It is more efficient, much quicker, and does not cost as much.
System Engineer 2 at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
These features have been impactful in improving our security and compliance.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
From a project management point of view, the tool supports audit success with features to segregate permanent and contractor employees, integrate with HR systems, and indicate other sources for contractors.
Senior Manager Cybersecurity at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
The automation of provisioning and deprovisioning, managing contractors, temporary users, and the overall automation factor is fantastic.
Vice President Sales at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
The solution can be customized to adapt the workflow to our industry, offering considerable flexibility.
Specialist Consultant at a financial services firm with 10,001+ 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
SailPoint Identity Security...
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
72
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (2nd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (2nd), SaaS Management Platforms (1st), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) (1st), AI IT Support (3rd)
 

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 SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is 14.6%, down from 20.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity Management (IM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud14.6%
Microsoft Identity Manager2.3%
Other83.1%
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.
ND
Principle at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
User access management excels but needs enhancements with integration capabilities
I was aware of that because I used to manage these solutions earlier on, but it was purchased by the Procurement team, so I was not involved in any of those.There are certain details I may not be able to disclose currently, but we can speak in general about a number of products and tools that are ongoing. I have not been using access management controls here, so I don't have the latest features or details or hands-on experience in that space. I cannot share all the details about the improvements in security operations since we were exploring some products, but I'm familiar with Saviynt as I was one of their partners for other solutions, and currently, I cannot disclose a lot of performance related to my current roles.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Identity Management (IM) solutions are best for your needs.
881,082 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%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

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 Business21
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise42
 

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.
How does Sailpoint IdentityIQ compare with CyberArk PAM?
We evaluated Sailpoint IdentityIQ before ultimately choosing CyberArk. Sailpoint Identity Platform is a solution to manage risks in cloud enterprise environments. It automates and streamlines the m...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SailPoint IdentityIQ?
The product is expensive. People need to opt for a licensing plan for one year or three years.
What advice do you have for others considering SailPoint IdentityIQ?
You can use SailPoint Atlas to take identity security to the next level. In SailPoint IIQ, writing a custom connector using the open source framework is a good option.
 

Also Known As

MIM, Forefront Identity Manager, FIM, MS Identity Manager
IdentityIQ, IdentityNow, Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management, Intello
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Whole Foods Market
Adobe, AXA Technology Services, Cuna Mutual Group, Equifax, ING Direct, Orrstown Bank, Rockwell Automation, SallieMae, Spirit Aerosystems, TEL
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Identity Manager vs. SailPoint Identity Security Cloud and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.