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Microsoft System Center VS Spiceworks

Compare Microsoft System Center VS Spiceworks and see what are their differences

Microsoft System Center logo Microsoft System Center

Microsoft System Center provides solutions to simplify the deployment, configuration, management, and monitoring of the infrastructure.

Spiceworks logo Spiceworks

Spiceworks bundles network monitoring, helpdesk, UPS power management, PC inventory tools, an online community, and much more for free
  • Microsoft System Center Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-01
  • Spiceworks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-08

Microsoft System Center features and specs

  • Comprehensive Management Suite
    System Center provides a wide range of tools and capabilities for managing data centers, client devices, and hybrid cloud environments in a cohesive manner.
  • Integration with Microsoft Technologies
    Seamless integration with other Microsoft products such as Windows Server, Microsoft Azure, and Office 365, making it simple to manage a Microsoft-centric environment.
  • Automation and Orchestration
    Offers powerful automation capabilities through System Center Orchestrator and Service Management Automation, helping to streamline repetitive tasks and improve efficiency.
  • Robust Monitoring
    System Center Operations Manager provides extensive monitoring capabilities for both physical and virtual environments, enabling proactive identification and resolution of issues.
  • Scalability
    Can scale to manage large enterprise environments, making it suitable for organizations of various sizes.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft System Center

  • Complexity
    The suite's breadth and depth can make it complex to deploy and configure, requiring significant expertise and time to fully implement.
  • High Cost
    Licensing for System Center can be expensive, which might be a barrier for small to medium-sized businesses.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its comprehensive nature, there is a steep learning curve for IT staff to become proficient in using all of the tools effectively.
  • Dependency on Microsoft Ecosystem
    While integration with Microsoft products is a strength, it can also be a limitation for organizations with diverse, multi-vendor environments.
  • Resource Intensive
    System Center can be resource-intensive, requiring significant hardware and infrastructure investment to run effectively.

Spiceworks features and specs

  • Free of Cost
    Spiceworks offers its basic services at no charge, making it an attractive option for small to medium-sized businesses with limited budgets.
  • Comprehensive Features
    The tool includes a wide range of features such as help desk ticketing, network monitoring, and inventory management, providing an all-in-one solution.
  • Community Support
    Spiceworks has a large, active community of users and IT professionals, offering peer support and advice, which can be very helpful for problem-solving.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface is user-friendly and intuitive, which helps in reducing the learning curve for new users.
  • Regular Updates
    Spiceworks frequently updates its software, adding new features and improving existing ones based on user feedback.

Possible disadvantages of Spiceworks

  • Advertisements
    The free version of Spiceworks is ad-supported, which can be distracting for users and make the interface feel cluttered.
  • Limited Customization
    Although feature-rich, Spiceworks has limited customization options compared to some of its competitors, which may be a limitation for some advanced users.
  • Scalability Issues
    The software is primarily designed for small to medium-sized businesses and can struggle with performance issues as the number of users and devices increases.
  • Dependent on Internet Connection
    Since Spiceworks relies heavily on an active internet connection for updates and community access, any interruptions can hamper its efficiency.
  • Limited Mobile Support
    While there is a mobile app, its functionalities are limited compared to the desktop version, which can be inconvenient for users who need to manage systems on the go.

Analysis of Microsoft System Center

Overall verdict

  • Microsoft System Center is generally considered a robust and comprehensive suite of tools for managing data centers and IT environments.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft System Center offers a broad range of features that aid in the management of virtual machines, servers, and network infrastructure. It integrates well with other Microsoft products, providing seamless management experiences for enterprises using Windows-based systems. The suite is known for its scalability, flexibility, and extensive support, making it suitable for both small and large organizations.

Recommended for

  • Enterprises using Windows-based IT environments
  • Organizations looking for integrated solutions with existing Microsoft products
  • IT departments that require advanced automation and monitoring tools
  • Businesses seeking scalable solutions for data center and IT infrastructure management

Microsoft System Center videos

No Microsoft System Center videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Spiceworks videos

Spiceworks overview with some examples

More videos:

  • Review - Cloud Spiceworks Help Desk | IT Support Ticketing Training
  • Review - Installing SpiceWorks Inventory & First Run

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft System Center and Spiceworks)
Monitoring Tools
61 61%
39% 39
Log Management
67 67%
33% 33
Performance Monitoring
67 67%
33% 33
Help Desk
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft System Center and Spiceworks

Microsoft System Center Reviews

11 NetBox Alternatives
Microsoft System Center is an amazing application that offers you to have full control over your IT and simplifies your data center management with the help of its great features and tools. It provides its users with several features including management of your infrastructure, monitoring your IT, configuration, deployment, and hundreds of other features that are proved to...

Spiceworks Reviews

11 Best Nagios Alternatives (Free & Open Source) in 2024
Insights: Spiceworks provides quick insights and spots slow, sluggish, or overwhelmed systems. Using this capability, you can fix issues in real time before they expand.
Source: www.guru99.com
Top 7 Alternatives To Snipe-IT (ITAM Tool)
One of the key features of Spiceworks IT Asset Management is its automatic discovery and inventory capabilities. The solution can automatically find and collect information about all the IT assets in an organization, including workstations, servers, routers, switches, and any other devices that are connected to the network. This enables IT Admin to maintain a complete and...
Source: www.zluri.com
The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: Spiceworks Network Monitoring is a free tool offered as a part of a Spiceworks monitoring and management solution suite. Their monitoring solution offers real-time monitoring capabilities for networks and devices. You can perform ping checks to verify that your network and all connected nodes are currently functional. The tool also supports common network...
Best Free Asset Tracking Software
The type of tracking sets this service apart from the others in this guide: It doesn't support scannable barcodes or RFID tags. Instead, users will have to manually enter data or upload spreadsheets. One feature allows users to scan their subnets for all hardware with an IP address, letting them automatically add computers, routers, switches, and printers. Barcoding is...
Source: tech.co

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Spiceworks seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft System Center mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Microsoft System Center yet. Tracking of Microsoft System Center recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Spiceworks mentions (4)

  • Can someone help
    I never personally ran into the issues with those 2 programs, but just know there was real evidence given that it happened. I don't remember the details. If you want to know bad enough, you can search online and find it. You might find most if not all in discussions at spiceworks.com, but I can't be for certain at the moment. I just took it as a learning experience to sit back and say "hmmm". Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Am I the only one here with a decent job?
    Spiceworks.com has a forum for one man shops, that I follow to learn from those who work at lean staffed workplaces. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Best resource to stay current with trends in the DevOps arena?
    Ive heard https://spiceworks.com is a good resource :). Source: over 3 years ago
  • B2B Audience targeting question
    You cannot directly target job titles with Google Ads. Outside of search ads you can create a custom intent audience and include keywords/domains that those people would typically use. For example, "spiceworks.com" would generally only include IT people. Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft System Center and Spiceworks, you can also consider the following products

Zabbix - Track, record, alert and visualize performance and availability of IT resources

Datadog - See metrics from all of your apps, tools & services in one place with Datadog's cloud monitoring as a service solution. Try it for free.

Freshservice - Freshservice: the one-stop cloud solution for all your IT management needs.

Dynatrace - Cloud-based quality testing, performance monitoring and analytics for mobile apps and websites. Get started with Keynote today!

ServiceNow - ServiceNow automates and manages global enterprise service relationships. Create a single system of record for enterprise services, automate manual tasks, consolidate legacy ITIL systems.

ManageEngine RecoveryManager Plus - RecoveryManager Plus is one such enterprise backup solution which has the ability to easily backup and restores both the domain controllers and virtual machines.