Microsoft Intune vs VMware Workspace ONE

Choosing the right provider and solution can be a complicated process that requires thorough research and often involves more than just the tool and its technical capabilities. To make your search easier, we've profiled the solution from VMware Workspace One (formerly Airwatch) and Microsoft’s Intune / Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

Microsoft Intune and Workspace ONE are both categorized as “Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)”.

Companies want to implement a solution UEM to achieve various objectives. First and foremost, these include the standardization of devices, the reduction of management costs, maintaining control over corporate data (security), and unifying the management of devices (smartphones, PCs, etc.). These new, modern tools enable activities such as remote data wiping, account locking, application control, and even container management to separate personal data from corporate data. 

Companies are turning to solutions UEM because they are seeking to consolidate the features of their fleet management tools and want to provide high-performance solutions with minimal operating costs.

Functional aspects

Microsoft Intune

Microsoft's solution allows you to manage not only terminals Windows 10, Mac, as well as Android and iOS systems. Intune It integrates with other Microsoft services such as Azure, Microsoft 365 (including the EMS suite). Businesses also have access to Microsoft Graph 's task automation processesAPI. This solution offers three major advantages:   

• Quick and easy integration with the environment Microsoft 365 and its ecosystem.
• A possible deployment on an instance System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) ( co-managed deployment mode)
• Advanced Workstation Management Windows 10 
• Because of the tight integration with the Microsoft platform Azure you can manageconditional access to your resources, manage your Teams Rooms System, and more.

Disadvantages:

• This solution has been on the market for less time than Workspace One, but despite this, Gartner metrics indicate strong year-over-year growth for this solution. Lambert Consulting has also observed a marked increase in demand for Microsoft Intune for some time now.
• The “Company Portal” app catalog Intune contains all Microsoft apps (such as Office and Teams) as well as third-party apps approved by the company. For organizations that prefer a more secure browser alternative, there is the managed browser Intune, but it is only available on Android or iOS, not on desktop computers—users will need to use Microsoft Edge.

VMware Workspace ONE / WS1

VMware Workspace ONE is a digital workspace platform that enables the delivery and management of any type of application on any device. It is based on AirWatch’ VMware , which supports integrations with IT . It can also be integrated with a “third-party repository” and “content management interoperability services” (CMIS). Its main advantages include:  

• Integrated Identity and Access Management (IIAM) 
• Managing cross-platform applications (unified portal). Microsoft has created native applications for their respective operating systems; however, the user experience with VMware remains consistent across all operating systems, as the application is identical whether accessed on Android or iOS.
• Unified device management (fixed, mobile, hybrid), including Windows modern
• Integration with the VMware environment. This last point may be of interest if you have plans to virtualize applications and desktops. 

Disadvantages :

• A common concern is that the Workspace ONE console is clunky and overly complicated. Administrators have trouble finding features, and in most cases, they don’t need at least a quarter of the features they’re paying for.
• Unlike IntuneWorkspace One does not support co-management with SCCM, which is problematic since it’s difficult for a large company to completely abandon SCCM in favor of a Modern Management. The transition to these new tools takes several years, and the co-management is by far a necessary step if you want to reduce the risks associated with such a migration.

Financial aspects

Microsoft Intune

As for Microsoft, the costs are unbeatable if your company is already on (or plans to switch to) a Microsoft 365 (M365) subscription, because Intune it’s included in this suite. These companies will automatically receive all licenses and enjoy the features of Intune.

The M365 price ranges are:

• F1 - 10$ / user / month
• E3 - 32$ / user / month
• E5 - 57$ / user / month

or

• Microsoft 365 Business (for companies with fewer than 300 employees) – $20 per user per month

VMware Workspace One

Workspace ONE is one of the few solutions UEM that charges more than the industry average ($3.78 per device per month).

Rising to prominence in just 2 years

When analyzing Gartner's latest benchmark reports, we see a significant difference between 2017 and 2019: Microsoft's rise to prominence Intune. It’s also fair to say that this trend isn’t likely to stop anytime soon, given Microsoft’s investments and its capacity to sustain this growth.

Gartner 2017

Gartner 2019

FAQ

1. How ready-to-use are the reports in Intune or Workspace One ? Does reporting require a lot more development, or is reporting already excellent?
   Intune AirWatch has better reports than Workspace One . Both have out-of-the-box reports, but if you want to highlight a specific element, someone will need to modify the existing reports or create new ones.

2. What management and maintenance costs have you observed after implementing these solutions? Are we looking at solutions with a low upfront cost but higher long-term costs?
   If you’ve already invested in Microsoft 365, using Intune makes more sense—you can simply switch your license type, and you’ll be set up as part of your subscription. The Workspace One solution has costs associated with the features you wish to use. You need to be mindful of managing recurring costs.

3. Do you need a dedicated staff member to manage and develop features?
   Depending on your needs, a dedicated staff member may be necessary. Profile definition, configuration, and deployment can be delegated to our consultants, and the process documentation can then be shared with your team. We recommend that one person on your team be assigned exclusively to this task UEM, and that this person obtain certification for the solution you choose.