Quest KACE Systems Management vs Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform comparison

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7,149 views|4,752 comparisons
91% willing to recommend
Quest Software Logo
3,131 views|1,869 comparisons
95% willing to recommend
Red Hat Logo
13,713 views|9,436 comparisons
97% willing to recommend
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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Quest KACE Systems Management and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Configuration Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Quest KACE Systems Management vs. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Report (Updated: May 2024).
771,946 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"For the price, the features included with Microsoft are appealing.""The most valuable feature is the UEM capabilities.""Intune provides full endpoint visibility and IT control across device platforms. You can individualize it for your company with the Intune Company Portal app.""The performance of Microsoft Intune is good.""The mobile application management, MAM, is the most useful aspect of the solution.""The best feature is that we don't need to worry about downtime. We don't need to worry about the network connections of our office or the virtual private network. Everything is being done through the internet. Using Intune Autopilot, we can configure and deploy everything to the devices.""Conditional access has helped us tailor and enforce our security policies in the mobile space.""The most valuable feature is probably mobile device management. Small businesses are coming under greater scrutiny and requirements for compliance as time goes on. We don't have to worry about a VPN because we can manage these devices, control company data, and lock users out. If needed, we can remotely wipe devices and deadman-switch them."

More Microsoft Intune Pros →

"I can reach people now that I couldn't have reached previously. We are saving about 25 percent in time.""When vulnerabilities are exploited so much, it is nice to be able to quickly detect or deploy what is needed within our off-work hours or during work hours without a reboot.""KACE automatically tracks this information and saves it for me, allowing me to call it up on the dashboard. For example, if I need to find Juliano's computer in the system, I don't need to search through endless spreadsheets. I just search for "Juliano" in KACE. KACE also lists other details like the last login user.""There is ease of use, and its pricing was a driving factor.""We're able to deploy software and push out fixes to endpoints faster than ever.""The most valuable feature is the ability to monitor updates—the software versions—on machines so that we can keep everything compliant.""My company had bought some new machines. We used the tool to do some basic settings to ship every machine the same way and undertake the Windows deployment. We did the scripted installation. The tool helped us deploy custom software for specific departments. We also did Windows updates with the product.""The ability to build scripts right on the deployment center itself, as well as building groups that take those scripts/task chains has been absolutely invaluable and one of the most important parts of my whole environment."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Pros →

"The most valuable features of the solution are its configuration management, drift management, workflow templates with the visual UI, and graphical workflow representation.""The initial setup is easy and takes a few hours to complete.""We can manage all the configuration consistency between all our servers.""Being a game-changer in configuration management software is what has made Ansible so popular and widespread. Much of IT is based on SSH direct connectivity with a need for running infrastructure in an agentless way, and that has been a big plus. SSH has become a great security standard for managing servers. The whole thing has really become an out-of-the-box solution for managing a Unix estate.""The most valuable features of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform are the agentless platform and writing the code is simple using the Yaml computer language.""I like being able to control multiple systems and push out updates quickly with just a couple of clicks of a button and commands. I like the automation because it is a time saver.""I like the inventory management. It's a very nice, simple, concise way to keep all that data together. And the API allows us to use it even for things that are not Ansible.""When you have an enterprise-level number of network devices, the ability to quickly push out security updates to thousands of devices is the biggest thing"

More Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Pros →

Cons
"The solution could improve by having better integration with Apple.""Microsoft Intune has a latency response time issue. The latency has room for improvement.""The initial setup is a little bit complex.""While Intune works perfectly well, the only potential downside is that the deployment could be a bit complex for some users.""Sometimes, customers compare it with AirWatch, but the concept of Intune is different from other solutions. It's an application management app. It gets a bit difficult to explain it to customers, but it's not a product limitation. It takes a presale document or presentation to explain it to customers.""They need to integrate more with security options.""The solution could improve its flexibility.""They need to add more group policies. Intune currently does not have many group policies that you can deploy. Its reporting, which is very limited at the moment, also needs improvement. It will be great if they can add report customization. Its stability needs to be improved. Sometimes, when you register a device in Intune, it doesn't show up instantly on the engine portal on the admin side. They need to provide better support for complicated issues. They also have a long turnaround time."

More Microsoft Intune Cons →

"The only pain point I have is with their salespeople. They call too often. They're too aggressive in trying to upsell. We know what we need, and we know if we want to expand. I don't mind quarterly calls from them, but sometimes, it is weekly. They need to get their sales team under control. The main goal of their support people and professional services is to make sure they deliver the service, and they deliver it well, whereas their salespeople are so interested in making a sale that they're wasting my time.""Sometimes the information is not as real time as it's supposed to be.""The initial setup was complex. It is a Linux-based virtual server, where the customer cannot get into the back-end, so you can only follow their prompts. Then, there are specific things that have to be done in their implementation and upgrade phases that have to be done in a certain order or steps. If you don't get those steps right, the system doesn't work. I think that either simplifying that process or providing really good step-by-step documentation would be helpful.""The KACE Go Mobile App crashes a lot, and it always has. I would love to see that get fixed because it's very convenient when it does work properly, but most of the time it does not.""The customization of the interface needs improvement for things like end user tickets. While the functionality is good, some of that UI stuff does need improvement.""The only hiccups we had were some power issues, where the box was a little under-powered early on.""It is a little bit difficult to use the license compliances because you need to decide when you are using the software catalog if you are using it with their license compliance or the normal software part. Under the inventory, you can use software as a menu link or software catalog. Most of my specialist software is not in the software catalog. When I try to import them, in my license compliances overview, there are cryptic names for this software that I have to import. That is not very good for the reports that I use. When I take them to my bosses, they see cryptic names of software that they don't understand. It would be much better for me if I could use software and the software catalog as well for the license compliances.""There should be a mini toolbox, like the competitors of KACE have, with the small features for KACE administrators. That would make their lives easier. If you are troubleshooting a specific endpoint, remote control is available as is Wake-on-LAN. But if you want to execute some commands, you have to use a third-party tool, the PS tool. If they would integrate those small things, it would make KACE more powerful."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Cons →

"When you set up Playbooks, I may have one version of the Playbook, but another member of the team may have a different vision, and we will not know which version is correct. We want to have one central repository for managing the different versions of Playbooks, so we can have better collaboration among team members. This is our use case for using Git version control.""Because Ansible is establishing SSH sessions to perform tasks, there is a limit on scalability.""The area which I feel can be improved is the custom modules. For example, there are something like 106 official modules available in the Ansible library. A year ago, that number was somewhere around 58. While Ansible is improving day by day, this can be improved more. For instance, when you need to configure in the cloud, you need to write up a module for that.""In Community, there's a lot of effort towards testing, standardizing, and testing for module development to role development, which is why Molecule is now becoming real. Same thing with Zuul, which we are starting to implement. Zulu tests out modules from third-party sources, like ourselves, and verifies that the modules work before they are committed to the code. Currently, Ansible can't do this with all the modules out there.""I have seen indications that the documentation needs improvement. They are providing a "How to Improve Your Documentation" presentation at this conference.""At this time, I do not have anything to improve. What we struggle with is the knowledge base, but that is more about us having to go and find it and learn the platform on our own rather than an actual Ansible issue.""Accessibility. Ansible uses a CLI by default. Those accustomed to it can find their way and adopt the YAML files easily over time. But, some users are more comfortable using UIs...""The tool should allow us to create infrastructure. It has everything when it comes to management, but it lacks the provisioning aspect."

More Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Consider the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite rather than choosing specific sub-components, e.g. only Microsoft Intune."
  • "There is a cost benefit of using Microsoft Intune because of the packaging with other Microsoft products."
  • "Microsoft Intune is a cost effective choice. It is less expensive than other products on the market."
  • "The purchase of the product was handled by someone else."
  • "I have no comment on pricing of the solution."
  • "The product is offered as part of a Microsoft standard bundle. The pricing can be competitive to Airwatch, and Maas360."
  • "For Microsoft 365 E5 clients, cost is not an issue as this product is one of the benefits."
  • "The price of Intune is included with the license for Office 365, so we don't have to pay anything extra for it."
  • More Microsoft Intune Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It may be more expensive, but you get what you pay for."
  • "It was a very attractive price. This is a huge feature of this product. If you would "credit score" this product versus others out there on the market, this one has a very attractive price."
  • "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."
  • "Licensing is done on a per device basis, so it's dependent on how many agents you've got installed."
  • "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."
  • "We buy consulting fees from Software Factory, then we pay extra for it."
  • "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."
  • "We are also saving on the licensing fee, compared to other endpoint management solutions."
  • More Quest KACE Systems Management Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Like many Red Hat products, they have a no-cost version of the web application (AWX, formerly Ansible Tower), but you are on your own to install and it is a little more complicated than just installing Ansible."
  • "The cost is high, but it still works well."
  • "We went with product because we have a subscription for Red Hat."
  • "Ansible Tower is free. Until they lower the cost, we are holding off on purchasing the product."
  • "Red Hat's open source approach was a factor when choosing Ansible, since the solution is free as of right now."
  • "You don't need to buy agents on servers or deploy expense management when using the solution, which affected our decision to go with it."
  • "The cost is determined by the number of endpoints."
  • "We're charged between $8 to $13 a month per license."
  • More Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes it… more »
    Top Answer:Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of… more »
    Top Answer: Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also… more »
    Top Answer:KACE automatically tracks this information and saves it for me, allowing me to call it up on the dashboard. For example… more »
    Top Answer:It is expensive in Brazil. Generally, it's considered expensive, especially compared to solutions like Spiceworks.
    Top Answer:Red Hat Satellite has proven to be a worthwhile investment for me. Both its patch management and license management have… more »
    Top Answer:Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager takes knowledge and research to properly configure. The length of time that the… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable features of the solution are automation and patching.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
    Dell KACE Systems Management
    Ansible
    Learn More
    Overview

    Microsoft Intune is a comprehensive cloud-based service that allows you to remotely manage mobile devices and mobile applications without worrying about the security of your organization’s data. Device and app management can be used on company-owned devices as well as personal devices.

    In an increasingly mobile workforce, Microsoft Intune keeps your sensitive data safe while on the move. Microsoft Intune makes it possible for your team members to work anywhere using their mobile devices. Microsoft Intune provides both the flexibility and the control needed for securing all your data on the cloud, no matter where the device with the data is located.

    Microsoft Intune Device Management Key Features

    With Microsoft Intune Device Management you can:

    • Ensure devices and apps are compliant with your security requirements.
    • Rapidly deploy and authenticate apps on all company devices.
    • Remotely access devices to troubleshoot issues or to remove data from them.
    • Generate reports for all devices in the system.
    • Monitor the way users access and share information to protect company information.
    • Set rules and configure settings on personal and organization-owned devices to access data and networks.
    • Create user groups and device groups, allowing you to rapidly access many users and devices simultaneously.

    Mobile Application Management

    Mobile application management in Intune is designed to protect your organization’s data at the application level.

    With Microsoft Intune Application Management you can:

    • Configure apps to run with specific settings enabled.
    • Update existing apps that are already on the device.
    • See reports on which apps are used and monitor their usage.
    • Selectively wipe organization data from apps.
    • Add mobile apps to user groups and devices.

    As part of Microsoft's Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) suite, Intune integrates with Microsoft Entra ID for access control and with Azure Information Protection for data protection. It also integrates with Microsoft 365 Applications.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Microsoft Intune stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its ability to secure all devices under its management and the flexibility that the solution offers its users.

    A computing services manager notes, "Its security is most valuable. It gives us a way to secure devices, not only those that are steady. We do have a few tablets and other devices, and it is a way for us to secure these devices and manage them. We know they're out there and what's their status. We can manage their life cycle and verify that they're updated properly."

    The head of IT engineering at a financial services company writes, "The one feature we find most useful is the Mobile Application Manager. There are two types: we have the complete MDM and the Mobile Application Manager (MAM). We don't give our users phones, it is their own personal phone, and we need to allow them to have access to the company details on their phone. We need to create a balance between their own personal data and the company data. We deploy the Mobile Application Manager for them so that we won't be able to interfere with their own personal data."

    Quest KACE Systems Management is a unified endpoint management solution that helps your organization address your endpoint management needs. The solution enables you to discover and track every device in your environment, keep compliance requirements up to date, secure your network from cyberthreats and attacks, and automate administrative tasks all from a single console.

    Quest KACE Systems Management Features

    Quest KACE Systems Management has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Comprehensive device coverage: With Quest KACE Systems Management, you have full management control of all operating systems, including MacOS, Windows, Chromebook, Linux, iOS, and Android.
    • Flexible configuration: Quest KACE Systems Management gives you the ability to define specific policies and administrative functions.
    • Reporting: The solution provides access to existing templates or gives you the option to build ad-hoc reports. Reports can also be customized to meet any compliance needs.
    • Patch management: This feature ensures your patching is always current and also enables you to secure your environment with automated patch identification and deployment.
    • Mobile device control: Quest KACE Systems Management allows you to remotely locate, reset passwords, lock, erase, or factory reset any enrolled mobile device.
    • Granular inventory: With the granular inventory feature, you can access a detailed inventory of data on each device in your environment. In addition, you can get automated deep-dive analysis when necessary.

    Quest KACE Systems Management Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Quest KACE Systems Management. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Efficient: Quest KACE Systems Management eliminates the need to manually manage multiple solutions to achieve endpoint security, saving you time and making it an ideal and efficient solution for your organization.
    • Co-manage endpoints: Using Quest KACE Systems Management, you can co-manage both your traditional and modern endpoints, including Windows and Mac laptops, Linux, non-computer devices, servers, IoT, and iOS and Android mobile devices.
    • Easy-to-use interface: Quest KACE Systems Management is designed with a simple interface that offers powerful and consistent functionality.
    • Minimizes risk: Quest KACE Systems Management can easily locate or wipe any lost or stolen mobile device, minimizing risks for your organization.
    • Enhanced security: With Quest KACE Systems Management, your systems remain secure by identifying, inventorying, patching, and controlling all endpoints.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the Quest KACE Systems Management solution.

    Tim H., Laboringenieur, Computeringenieur at HTW Berlin, says, "The scripting part increases IT productivity because of the specialized software in our environments for students' courses. You need to use software which is not programmed by developers. A lot of software for building houses or other things is developed by normal guys, who do not have much skill in programming. When you need to install this type of software, it is very difficult. You have to install registry keys, etc. For that, it is very good to use the scripting part of this solution. So, you can automate this part as well."

    Chris H., Director of IT at CCOF, mentions, "The big pros of Quest KACE Systems Management are its simple interface, and simple, direct management. It's very easy to maintain and manage the device, and it's easy to get it up and running. You can have it up and running in an hour."

    Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is a powerful network automation solution that allows organizations to handle every aspect of their application launch process within a single product. It enables users to share their automations so that teams within an organization can collaborate on various projects with ease. Ansible Automation Platform is designed to be used by all employees involved in the network automation process.

    Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Benefits

    Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by choosing to deploy Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform include:


    • Maximum benefit for reduced overhead. Ansible Automation Platform is an all-in-one solution that can enable users to do the jobs of multiple products with one. Users do not need to purchase multiple products to handle their network automation and application development needs. It is equipped with prefabricated content from more than one hundred companies that are partnered with it.


    • Scalable. Ansible Automation Platform is a highly scalable solution. It can easily be scaled up so that automations can be extended across the various devices that make up an organization’s network.


    • Flexibility. Ansible Automation Platform is highly flexible. It enables users to tackle any and all automation-related tasks.


    Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Features


    • Automation analytics. Ansible Automation Platform comes equipped with an automation analytics feature. This feature enables organizations to measure the effects of their automations and plan how they are going to implement automations moving forward. It makes it easy for administrators to spot anomalies in their automations and resolve them before they can escalate and become major issues.


    • Integration suite. Ansible Automation Platform gives organizations access to a wide variety of integrations that enable them to connect to Ansible’s partners. Now users can augment their capabilities without needing to purchase additional solutions that will enable them to run features that are not normally a part of Ansible’s array of tools. The Ansible environment is built to handle the wide variety of integrations that their partners offer. In order to accomplish this it includes the APIs that users need in order to fully benefit from the integrations. 


    • Centralized interface. Ansible Automation Platform comes with a centralized GUI interface that enables users to manage all of their network automation and application creation activities from a single location. Businesses can guarantee that their operations are going to be handled efficiently and according to a single standard. The management process is greatly simplified. All of the tools that users need are located in one place.


    Reviews from Real Users

    Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is a highly effective solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Two major advantages it offers are its automation manager and its comprehensive centralized GUI-based management interface.

    MD J., a solution architect at STBL, says, “The automation manager is very good and makes things easier for customers with multi-cloud platforms.”

    Aankit G., a Consultant at Pi DATACENTERS, writes, “We like the GUI-based interface for the tower. Before, we only had a command-line interface to run all the Ansible tasks. Now, the Ansible tower provides the complete GUI functionality to run, manage, and create the templates and the Ansible jobs. This includes the code and YAML file we can create. The GUI interface is the added advantage of this solution, including some integration with the different plugins.”

    Sample Customers
    Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
    Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King
    HootSuite Media, Inc., Cloud Physics, Narrative, BinckBank
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company18%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Energy/Utilities Company5%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization23%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Government7%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    REVIEWERS
    University30%
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Government9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    University11%
    Government9%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Government15%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Healthcare Company10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization26%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise48%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business20%
    Midsize Enterprise33%
    Large Enterprise47%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise45%
    Large Enterprise33%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise56%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise62%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business13%
    Midsize Enterprise33%
    Large Enterprise54%
    Buyer's Guide
    Quest KACE Systems Management vs. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Quest KACE Systems Management vs. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    771,946 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Quest KACE Systems Management is ranked 10th in Configuration Management with 38 reviews while Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is ranked 1st in Configuration Management with 59 reviews. Quest KACE Systems Management is rated 8.8, while Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Quest KACE Systems Management writes "Easy to use, saves us time, and increases IT productivity". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform writes "Its agentless, making the deployment fast and easy". Quest KACE Systems Management is most compared with Microsoft Configuration Manager, Microsoft Windows Server Update Services, BigFix, Automox and Ivanti Neurons Patch for Intune, whereas Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is most compared with Red Hat Satellite, Microsoft Configuration Manager, VMware Aria Automation, Microsoft Azure DevOps and BMC TrueSight Server Automation. See our Quest KACE Systems Management vs. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform report.

    See our list of best Configuration Management vendors.

    We monitor all Configuration Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.