We performed a comparison between HashiCorp Terraform and SaltStack 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."The ability to send configurations to our systems is valuable, particularly as we don't have a regular Windows AD server. Our current environment doesn't have a Windows AD, which limits our ability to push GPOs. However, this is where the solution can step in and help us push policies."
"The solution is stable."
"It allows our clients to have the confidence to centrally manage policies for security. It helps them in securing the organization from a technology aspect."
"While Microsoft Intune boasts a wide range of features, its user-friendliness and bundled licensing cost are key considerations for me."
"Configuration profiles, remediation, scripts, and auto-pilot features are very good."
"One of the most valuable aspects of Microsoft Intune is its seamless integration with Azure Active Directory, offering capabilities akin to Group Policy Objects."
"It's very informative when there is an error. It allows us to backtrace where the error is and resolve that ourselves. It's a bit of a Swiss Army penknife. We find that it fixes most issues."
"Remote Wipe and Autopilot is one of the best features."
"The state backend, automated describe functionality, modular structures, and variablization using templates are most valuable."
"It is one of the best things because now we have everything automated with Terraform. We didn't have an outage for the last three years because everything is written in a code, and every change we have made is recorded. If we didn't have a tool like Terraform, it would be extremely complex to achieve this level of maturity with infrastructure."
"The most valuable aspect of this solution is the coding of our infrastructure. You can code it once and run it multiple times."
"The state file is the most beneficial aspect of HashiCorp Terraform. It enables the retrieval and utilization of a previous state to build upon. This feature is particularly important since it allows for the identification of changes from the previous state, making the state file a critical component of the process."
"The solution allows us to work faster with ease and to set up new environments and workspaces."
"It's very easy to automate functions on the cloud with HashiCorp Terraform. The commands are easy as well."
"The ARM template is very easy to work with, which is a big help to us."
"The most valuable feature of Terraform is the ability to use it as a coding language because it works in a way that's similar to other coding languages."
"The product’s most valuable feature is its ability to provide environmental security."
"I want to build automation that is intelligent, part of the fabric of our environment, and is somewhat self-sustaining. I think SaltStack can help me do this."
"The automation functionality has been most valuable. With a click of a button, we are able to automate provisioning, the build of new hardware and apply patches. These are all extremely important and differentiated tasks that can be automated in SaltStack."
"We monitor the configurations against CIS standards. We run CIS benchmarks and maintain configurations with higher CIS values for each server."
"It is a highly stable solution."
"SaltStack has given us the ability to deal with systems at scale and rectify issues at scale."
"The ability to programmatically describe the desired state of a single, or an entire fleet of servers, on-premises, and in a cloud environment."
"In future releases, I would like to see better integration with Apple products."
"For an existing customer who has an SCCM, it would need to be upgraded to an MECM first before I can introduce Microsoft Intune."
"The Mac integration has room for improvement."
"It would be better if they can reduce the cost of the license."
"Microsoft needs to enhance device-level security, as sometimes when using Microsoft Intune, the device's operating system becomes stuck and requires a full uninstall to remove the Intune bug."
"Regarding mobile devices, Intune is good, but there are other services that I would say are ahead of Intune from an administration and reporting point of view."
"Its configuration is fairly complicated. You have to do quite a bit of discovery to be able to deploy it for a customer. You have to ask them a lot of questions. So, its initial deployment is the biggest challenge. They should make it easier to deploy with the use of Wizards or something else. During the deployment stage, there could be profiles for the customers who are particularly wanting to use certain feature sets of Intune."
"It would be great if Intune offered better data protection controls for BYOD Windows PCs."
"Automation is needed to import everything at once from a manual environment or by a specific resource group."
"I would like to see a short-term option for a short-term plan."
"If you are copying something from a well running machine to a remote machine, there are some issues with the current version, but it is acceptable."
"The product must improve DevOps features."
"I initially found the initial HashiCorp Terraform difficult to comprehend. It's complex and not straightforward, requiring proper training to grasp it. Even someone with a background in networking or cybersecurity would need guidance from someone knowledgeable."
"The integration with this solution needs to be improved."
"HashiCorp Terraform is an open-source tool that relies on external developers to create plugins to expand its capabilities. However, this approach can be problematic as not all plugins are created by professionals and some may have security vulnerabilities. In the case of GKE, Google has created a solid plugin, but for other services, one must search for plugins on the HashiCorp Terraform registry, which can be hit or miss, as many plugins are created by students or hobbyists, who may not continue to maintain or update them. This model of open-sourced plugins may not be the most reliable or secure way of expanding the tool's capabilities."
"Lacks flexibility in common programming languages."
"Its configuration process could be better."
"A hardened set of tests would be much appreciated."
"SaltStack's features are minimal."
"Web UI."
"There is a little bit of pain when it comes to libraries and what is needed to run the product."
"It is difficult to set up."
"This solution could be integrated with more hardware for an improved offering."
HashiCorp Terraform is ranked 6th in Configuration Management with 38 reviews while SaltStack is ranked 14th in Configuration Management with 33 reviews. HashiCorp Terraform is rated 8.6, while SaltStack is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of HashiCorp Terraform writes "Easy to use, technically strong, and great for multi-provider or multi-cloud environments". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SaltStack writes "Orchestration tool that powers automation of processes with the click of a button". HashiCorp Terraform is most compared with Red Hat Satellite, Microsoft Configuration Manager, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, SolarWinds Server Configuration Monitor and BMC TrueSight Server Automation, whereas SaltStack is most compared with VMware Aria Automation, Microsoft Configuration Manager, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, Red Hat Satellite and BMC TrueSight Server Automation. See our HashiCorp Terraform vs. SaltStack report.
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