Competitive Battlecard
Microsoft SCCM 2012 R2 vs
Symantec IT Management Suite
COMPETITOR OVERVIEW KEY COMPETITOR CLAIMS
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SCCM is free! Microsoft’s claim that “SCCM is
product page free” is simply a sales tactic.
SCCM is included in Microsoft’s
Enterprise Agreement (EA)
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager
which most enterprises already
(SCCM) is a systems management software solution
own. The claim falls apart quickly
for managing desktops, laptops, servers, and mobile. for any customer who needs to
manage non-Windows operating
Current release: 2012 R2 systems, patch non-Microsoft
Next release: Targeted for end of calendar 2015 applications, has a large number
of offices or locations, or requires
QUICK COMPARISON more than very basic SQL or
server management capabilities.
• SCCM has the largest market share. Most enterprises need this
• Many believe it is “free” as it’s included in the Microsoft functionality, which isn’t available
Enterprise Agreement. in Microsoft SCCM. A customer
• Weaknesses include managing non-Windows machines must purchase additional
and patching non-Microsoft applications. products to provide functionality
• SCCM lacks advanced security and auditing capabilities. available in Symantec IT
• To manage endpoints outside the firewall, SCCM requires Management Suite. Therefore,
putting server in DMZ SCCM is not free for most
• SCCM requires server-heavy infrastructure for highly customers.
distributed environments which adds cost and complexity
SCCM is a leader in Microsoft is viewed as a leader in
for organizations with a large number of small sites.
the Gartner Magic the MQ primarily for the
• Migrating to SCCM can cost +$300,000 over a 2 year
Quadrant for Client product’s ubiquity, not for it’s
period for an organization with 5,000 endpoints. (Symantec
Management Tools outstanding performance.
internal analysis)
Gartner calls out that Microsoft
shops with advanced IT teams
OFFERINGS benefit from SCCM. However,
the proliferation of Mac OS and
non-Microsoft applications in the
• Presentation: Competitive Analysis between ITMS and enterprise, most organizations
SCCM
want a single solution that
manage a heterogeneous
• Spreadsheet: Competitive Analysis between ITMS and environment. Symantec is a
SCCM
Visionary for ITMS’s flexibility
and usage in large enterprises.
• 2015 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Client Management
Tools Symantec is not Not true. Symantec sees EPM as
committed to a critical component to our
• NetworkWorld: How to stop overpaying for Microsoft Endpoint unified security strategy. We’re
licensing (EA True Up) Management investing heavily in our EPM
product offering with a robust
roadmap and regular cadence of
releases every 9-12 months.
SYMANTEC DIFFERENTIATORS
Mac management
• Difference: SCCM lacks multicasting, a self-service
software portal, and patch management for Mac. SCCM
does perform bare metal provisioning, however it is more
difficult to operate than ITMS
• Value: ITMS includes all of this functionality natively using
the same console.
Non-Windows patch management
• Difference: ITMS supports patch management for
Windows, Mac, and Linux. Although Microsoft SCCM can
deploy non-Windows patches as a software update, the
solution doesn’t directly download patches and patch
meta-data from a Microsoft hosted environment. SCCM
customers must have service contracts with other OS
vendors in order to receive patches. Also, SCCM does not
provide any patch compliance reporting capabilities for
non-Windows systems.
• Value: ITMS eliminates the hassle of managing updates
by providing a true Patch Management solution that saves
time and allows IT resources to be focused on strategic
initiatives.
Third-party patch management
• Difference: Microsoft SCCM does not natively support
patching of third-party packages. However, Microsoft can
import third-party updates into System Center Updates.
Publisher, a separate product, is required to perform this
functionality.
• Value: ITMS supports third-party patching for over 50 non-
Microsoft applications (Adobe, Apple, Google, etc.).
Software asset management
• Difference: SCCM does not do software license
enforcement. SCCM does not do software license
reclamation.
• Value: With ITMS, you can do complete software license
tracking, enforcement, and reclamation making it possible
to uncover savings and help avoid over-deployment.
SYMANTEC PROPRIETARY / CONFIDENTIAL – INTERNAL USE
ONLY
LAST UPDATED DECEMBER 2015
 Competitive Battlecard
Microsoft SCCM 2012 R2 vs Symantec IT Management Suite
Client Management Symantec Microsoft Asset Management Symantec Microsoft
Manage clients regardless of location or VPN
connectivity
● ◑ Track and manage the physical, contractual
and financial data
● ○
Scripted or image based provisioning across
Windows, Mac and Linux
● ◔ Model configuration items, resources, and
relationships
● ◔
Ability to capture and migrate data and system
settings
● ○ Software license compliance ● ○
Hardware and software inventory across
Windows, Mac, and Linux
● ● Server Management

Software deployment for Windows ● ● Scripted or image based provisioning across

Windows or Linux
● ◔
Software deployment for Mac and Linux ● ◑ Hardware and software inventory across
Windows, Linux and UNIX
● ●
Integrated application virtualization ● ○ Advanced configuration inventory for key
server components (IIS, DNS, Exchange)
● ◔
Patch management across Mac and Linux,
and more than 50 third-party applications
● ○ Software deployment across Windows, Linux
and UNIX
● ◑
Ease-of-use
Patch management across Mac and Linux,
and more than 50 third-party applications ● ◔
Ease of setup ◑ ◔ Perform specific tasks for virtual resources
across Hyper-V and VMware ● ◔
Enterprise scalability ● ● Basic monitoring of key services and apps ● ◔

SYMANTEC PROPRIETARY / CONFIDENTIAL – INTERNAL USE ONLY | LAST UPDATED DECEMBER 2015
 Competitive Battlecard
Microsoft SCCM 2012 R2 vs
Symantec IT Management Suite

Pricing Comparison
To do an apples to apples pricing comparison between ITMS and SCCM, a customer would have to purchase several additional tools to bring
feature parity for functionality most enterprises need (3rd party patch, Mac management, etc.). As a result, this summary below provides a cost
comparison for the additional software a customer would need to supplement SCCM in comparison to cost of renewing ITMS and ServiceDesk.
SCCM is not “free”!

Microsoft Year 1 Year 2 Symantec Year 1 Year 2

Unit Software Renewal
Purpose Quantity Total Quantity Unit Price Renewal Cost
Price Assurance Cost
Hardware $25,906 $25,906 ITMS 5,000 $45.02 $225,100 $225,100
Service Desk Base 5 $32,210.66 $6,022 $6,022
Third-Party Tools Service Desk Analyst 3 $6,442.03 $1,204 $1,204
Needed
Totals: $232,327 $232,327
Shavlik SC Updates Patch Management 4,980 $15.66 $77,987

Shavlik 3-Year 2-Year TOTAL $464,654

Patch Updates 20 $150.00 $3,000 $600
Support for Servers
Shavlik 3-Year
Support for Patch Updates 4,980 $96.00 $159,360 $159,360
Workstations
The cost of “free” SCCM vs. Symantec ITMS
Provance Asset Management 5,000 $57.00 $285,000 $62,700
Year 1 Year 2 Total Difference
Bandwidth
SoftPerfect
Management
10 $500.00 $5,000 $1,000 Microsoft $586,847 $234,960 $821,807 $357,153
Wake computers Symantec $232,327 $232,327 $464,654
IE Wake Up 5,000 $6.50 $32,500 $6,500
remotely
JAMF Software Mac Support 200 $120.00 $24,000 $4,800

Totals: $586,847 $234,960

2-Year
$821,807
TOTAL

Source: Symantec internal research

SYMANTEC PROPRIETARY / CONFIDENTIAL – INTERNAL USE ONLY | LAST UPDATED DECEMBER 2015