TrueConfig vs. CIPP: Choosing the Right M365 Tool for Your MSP

Two Tools, Different Jobs

If you manage Microsoft 365 tenants for clients, you've probably heard of CIPP (CyberDrain Improved Partner Portal). You might be wondering how it compares to TrueConfig.

The short answer: they're complementary, not competitive. CIPP is an administration platform for day-to-day tenant operations. TrueConfig is a security platform for continuous configuration assurance. Most MSPs who use both find they solve different problems.

But let's dig deeper.

What Is CIPP?

CIPP is an open-source multi-tenant management portal created by Kelvin Tegelaar (CyberDrain). It's designed to make MSP administration faster and less painful.

Core capabilities:

• User management across tenants (create, edit, offboard)
• Mailbox and calendar permissions
• License assignment and tracking
• Standards deployment across tenants
• Reporting and alerting
• Tenant onboarding automation

Deployment: Self-hosted on Azure (Azure Functions + Static Web Apps)

Cost: Free and open-source. Azure hosting costs approximately $15-20/month.

Target user: MSP technicians doing day-to-day administration.

CIPP is excellent at what it does. If you're tired of clicking through the Microsoft 365 admin center for every client, CIPP consolidates those tasks into a single interface.

What Is TrueConfig?

TrueConfig is a Desired State Configuration (DSC) platform focused specifically on Microsoft 365 identity and access security.

Core capabilities:

• Continuous security baseline monitoring
• Drift detection for Entra ID, Conditional Access, and privileged roles
• Auto-remediation with safety gates
• Compliance reporting for CIS and Microsoft frameworks
• Multi-tenant dashboard

Deployment: SaaS (no infrastructure to manage)

Cost: From $49/month with a free tier available.

Target user: IT managers and MSP security leads responsible for maintaining security posture.

TrueConfig answers one question: "Is my tenant configured the way it should be, right now?" When the answer is no, it either alerts you or fixes it automatically.

The Key Differences

When to Use CIPP

CIPP excels at operational efficiency:

• Bulk user operations: Creating users across multiple tenants
• Offboarding: Consistent offboarding workflows
• License management: Tracking and assigning licenses
• Standards deployment: Pushing configurations to tenants
• Daily administration: Everything you do in the M365 admin center, faster

If your pain point is "I spend too much time clicking through admin portals," CIPP is your solution.

When to Use TrueConfig

TrueConfig excels at security assurance:

• Drift detection: Knowing when configurations change
• Baseline enforcement: Ensuring tenants match security standards
• Compliance evidence: Proving continuous compliance for audits
• Auto-remediation: Fixing routine security drift automatically
• Risk visibility: Understanding your security posture across tenants

If your pain point is "I don't know if my clients' tenants are secure right now," TrueConfig is your solution.

The Overlap: Where They Meet

There is some overlap, and it's worth understanding:

Standards/Baselines: CIPP can deploy standards to tenants. TrueConfig can enforce baselines. The difference is push vs. continuous enforcement. CIPP pushes a configuration once. TrueConfig ensures it stays that way.

Reporting: Both provide tenant visibility. CIPP focuses on operational data (users, licenses, mailboxes). TrueConfig focuses on security posture (policy drift, privileged access, compliance status).

Multi-tenant view: Both give you a single pane of glass. Different glass, different view.

Why Many MSPs Use Both

Here's a common workflow we see:

1. CIPP for onboarding: New client tenant gets set up with CIPP's automation
2. TrueConfig for baseline: Connect the tenant to TrueConfig, apply your security baseline
3. CIPP for daily ops: Technicians use CIPP for user management, license changes, mailbox configuration
4. TrueConfig for security: Security lead reviews drift reports, handles remediations
5. CIPP for client requests: "Add this user, change this permission"
6. TrueConfig for compliance: "Prove we're meeting CIS benchmarks"

The tools serve different personas within the same MSP:

• Tier 1 techs live in CIPP
• Security leads live in TrueConfig
• Leadership reviews TrueConfig reports for client security posture

Honest Assessment: Strengths and Limitations

CIPP Strengths

• Free and open-source
• Broad feature set for M365 administration
• Active community and rapid development
• Reduces admin portal fatigue significantly

CIPP Limitations

• Requires Azure infrastructure knowledge to deploy
• You're responsible for updates and maintenance
• Security monitoring isn't the primary focus
• No automatic drift remediation

TrueConfig Strengths

• Purpose-built for security posture management
• Zero infrastructure to manage (SaaS)
• Automatic remediation with safety gates
• Compliance-focused reporting

TrueConfig Limitations

• Paid product (though free tier exists)
• Focused specifically on security, not general administration
• Won't help you create users or manage mailboxes

Making the Decision

Choose CIPP if:

• Your primary pain is administrative efficiency
• You have Azure expertise on staff
• You want a free/open-source solution
• You need broad M365 management capabilities

Choose TrueConfig if:

• Your primary pain is security visibility and compliance
• You want zero infrastructure overhead
• You need continuous monitoring and auto-remediation
• Audit preparation is a regular requirement

Consider both if:

• You're a growing MSP with distinct operations and security functions
• You want operational efficiency AND security assurance
• Different team members have different needs

A Note on Open Source vs. SaaS

CIPP being open-source is genuinely valuable. You can inspect the code, contribute improvements, and customize for your needs. The tradeoff is infrastructure and maintenance responsibility.

TrueConfig being SaaS means you're paying for someone else to handle infrastructure, updates, and availability. The tradeoff is less customization and a recurring cost.

Neither model is objectively better. It depends on your team's capabilities and preferences.

The Bottom Line

CIPP and TrueConfig aren't competitors—they're complementary tools for different problems.

CIPP makes M365 administration faster. TrueConfig makes M365 security continuous.

If you're drowning in admin tasks, start with CIPP. If you're worried about security drift and compliance, start with TrueConfig. If you're serious about running a mature MSP practice, you'll probably end up using both.

The good news: they work well together. Configure with CIPP, monitor with TrueConfig. Your clients get efficient service AND continuous security assurance.

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Ready to add continuous security monitoring to your MSP stack? Start a free trial and connect your first tenant in under 15 minutes. TrueConfig integrates with your existing workflows—including alongside CIPP.