A few lines in a Microsoft blog are often enough to stir up entire admin teams. A product that was considered the backbone of system management, particularly in large environments, for years is increasingly being sidelined by Microsoft. Discussions on LinkedIn, heated comments on Reddit — and the same question everywhere: Is that it now with SCCM?
But there is also a clear opinion for the most part: Intune cannot replace an SCCM! Nevertheless, the uncertainty is palpable: Is it worth sticking to or even introducing new SCCM? What can Intune really do? And what does “Annual Release Cadence” actually mean in practice?
At the same time, the following points will result in a perfect storm for endpoint management managers in 2026:
- Ivanti DSM End of Life to the end of 2026
- Rapid development of Microsoft Intune in recent years and price inclusion in M365
- Discussion about digital sovereignty and on-premise vs. cloud vs. hybrid
The most important things in brief
- Annual Release Cadence replaces continuous development: From 09/2026, Microsoft will focus on annual releases with a focus on security & stability at SCCM.
- Intune isn't automatically the better substitute: Many companies remain dependent on SCCM, for example for bare metal deployments or server support.
- Alternative tools specifically complement but do not always replace: Baramundi, EIDO, 2Pint & Co. offer flexible extensions or stand-alone solutions.
- Now available: Our webinar recording with deep insights, practical examples and a clear overview of the future of SCCM.
1 Microsoft's new release strategy for SCCM
In autumn 2025, Microsoft released a new release rhythm for System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) announces. This did not come as a complete surprise, but it did for the first time document Microsoft's way of thinking about SCCM and Intune, which had already been apparent in recent years.
From September 2026, there will only be annual releases — with a clear focus on security and stability, rather than on new features. No more development? Does that mean the creeping end?
In practice, many companies are now faced with the question: IIs SCCM still sustainable or just a product on the siding?
But a look at the facts shows that SCCM remains highly relevant for many companies and is far from dead.
2 Microsoft stands by SCCM in the long term even without further development
The data that has now been communicated shows that SCCM will be supported until at least March 2029. But there is still no talk of a so-called”Deprecation” is, we strongly expect that SCCM will continue to be supported for years to come.
Information about this can also be found between the lines (”Remain committed”,”Long-term support) and when you look at the reality of the IT environments of many companies and authorities worldwide that will continue to rely on SCCM in the future.
According to insider information — Microsoft does not comment on this — significantly more devices are managed with SCCM today than with Intune.
3 Intune vs. SCCM — a real replacement or just PR?
With Microsoft's increasing focus on Intune as a modern Cloud-based endpoint management The comparison with SCCM is obvious. Intune is clearly positioned as a successor by Microsoft — but in practice, Intune's range of functions prevents a complete replacement.
It is true that Intune has many strengths — especially in the mobile sector, compliance & security policies or autopatch. It would therefore be wrong to portray Intune as just a marketing bubble. From a modern security point of view, Intune should absolutely be part of every Microsoft endpoint management system. We therefore recommend to our customers that Co-manage with SCCM and Intune.
But in reality, it quickly becomes apparent that SCCM can do what Intune can't (yet).
A few examples:
- Bare metal OS deployments? Not easily possible in Intune.
- Real real-time actions, bandwidth control, or detailed Hardware inventory? Clear advantage for SCCM.
- server management and other high-availability devices? Still SCCM territory.
- Management of On-premises Devices: Impossible with Intune.
- Reporting & Inventory? Completely inadequately resolved in Intune so far
Microsoft's own statement about this is mutatis mutandis: Only Intune is the future. Azure Arc, for example, is suggested as an alternative for server management (widespread opinion: insufficient!) , swept the other topics under the table.
In the community, the debate is relatively one-sided. While only a few admins label SCCM as a “legacy tool,” the majority rely on proven reliability precisely for this reason — especially in companies with over 1,000 endpoints, regulated industries, government agencies or high-availability infrastructures.
The fact is: A simple 1:1 switch from SCCM to Intune is neither technically trivial nor always strategically useful.
4 What does this mean in practice?
Our opinion: Each company must analyze for itself whether they lack must-have features in Intune, such as server management, or whether they are only concerned with soft factors. The latter can be accepted or solved through the targeted use of third-party tools. For the former, use SCCM or a completely different software distribution.
The costs should also be considered: SCCM is generally included in M365, but beware: Managing Windows servers in particular — one of the main arguments for SCCM — causes high additional costs.
5 What are the alternatives to SCCM?
What if the use of SCCM would be mandatory or useful from a feature point of view, but is not wanted for cost or corporate policy reasons?
These solutions specifically solve pain points that are not fully covered by either Intune or SCCM alone.
6 Conclusion — Anyone using SCCM today needs one thing in particular: Clarity
Is SCCM really “dead”? The short answer: No — but it is changing.
Microsoft's strategic focus is clearly on Intune, but SCCM remains a supported part of the endpoint world — with a new role and changing framework.
The right solution depends on many factors: infrastructure, security requirements, management approach — and, of course, resources and know-how. In some cases, a change makes sense; in others, SCCM remains essential for the foreseeable future.
But what definitely doesn't work anymore: Just continue as before — without strategy, without monitoring, without adjustment.
In our latest webinar SCCM in 2026 — future, alternatives, optimal performance Let us address these questions in detail - with specific examples and a clear assessment from practice.
Dorian has been involved in corporate and IT strategy since 2011. Due to the endpoint security deficiencies of many companies and the information overload, he developed the endpoint strategy. Dorian is co-founder of the “Endpoint Management” expert group at IAMCP e.V.
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