IT system lifecycle management includes a broad array of essential and complex processes for ensuring optimal reliability and performance of technology investments. Critical to enabling these management disciplines are automated solutions that simplify and standardize administrative and reporting tasks. However, choosing a lifecycle management suite that cost-effectively meets enterprise requirements can often be a confusing process. To assist in the evaluation of automated lifecycle management platforms, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) has conducted a side-by-side functional and financial comparison of solution suites from four of the leading vendors in this market space: Dell, LANDESK, Microsoft, and Symantec. Key best practices in lifecycle management are explained and used as a framework for highlighting critical points of comparison, and a detailed financial evaluation goes beyond license costs to help determine total cost of ownership of each platform.