I was responsible for three implementations with BMC. All of these implementations are related to ITSM, with the IT Service Management implementation, where we manage all the processes like incident management, request fulfillment, problem management, change management, and configuration management. All three projects were of the same scope, with only ITSM managing all these processes in each one.
Archietect and delivery manager at Axians
Reliable with a good front end and very robust
Pros and Cons
- "The solution can scale."
- "Support could be better."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most important feature in the BMC is the users' and technical teams' front end. They are good for the front end, simple front end. For the first line of support and for the end users, it's a good front end. It's very simple to register, to follow the cases or incidents.
It is a stable product if set up correctly.
The solution can scale.
What needs improvement?
In the back office, for the expertise technicians, it's more complex to manage the layout. The back office for the expertise needs work. It's too specialized for technicians. Sorry, they need to simplify this background and back office more. For this level of support, it's very complex, and for the customers, it's an issue. The biggest issue for our customers is the back office for the specializations through the second and third lines of support.
The management of the solution, the maintenance of the solution is based on this back office, so it's very complex for the teams to manage the solution.
It's very difficult to implement.
Support could be better.
I'd like to see the globalization of the solution. The solution has varied models needed to make a simple implementation. BMC needs to look to a centralized solution, an all-in-one solution. To implement ITSM, I need to have a model for change management, I need to have a model for orchestration, I need to have a model for workflow design, and all suites of BMC have this problem. With ServiceNow, all are included in the ITSM solution. For example, however, for BMC, we need varied models to implement.
The customers also need to maintain the solution after the implementation. It is very difficult for them to give that support.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for about five years.
Buyer's Guide
BMC Helix ITSM
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about BMC Helix ITSM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
If the configuration was well performed, yes, it's a stable solution. However, this is the same problem for all the other solutions in the market. If we don't have a good implementation, we don't have a good illustration of the solution. That said, if we follow the best practice to implementation, it's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution scales well.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support can be improved. They are fast in response, yet they pass the buck to other people. It is not easy to follow the register of support. It's not the worst support in the world. However, it could be better.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also have knowledge of ServiceNow.
How was the initial setup?
It's very difficult to set up the product. It's one of the most difficult solutions in the market to implement. It's time-consuming. It will take more than two months compared to something like ServiceNow, which is faster and easier.
The number of people you need for deployment and maintenance is minimal, maybe four or five people. We can separate that into one project management, one architect, and three developers or analysts to implement the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I was a partner of BMC in my last job function.
The best support is defending the requirements of the company. This is the same advice I would give in ServiceNow. It's very important for any solution to define the requirements very well. Based on that, it's easier to implement the solution.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. Compared with other solutions in the market, for example, Manage Engine, which has technical limitations, BMC is robust. We can do everything with BMC. We can do a lot with ServiceNow too. BMC does have complexity in the implementation, however.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Senior Software Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
We have seen YOY customer satisfaction improvement for the last five years
Pros and Cons
- "It has been instrumental in aligning our service desk with the ITIL fundamentals and continuously improving the operating metrics of that area."
- "We have seen year over year customer satisfaction improvement for the last five years."
- "The interface is somewhat dated as compared to technologies in use today."
- "Provide documentation on the content of the REST API interfaces. Right now, it is pretty much non-existent."
What is our primary use case?
ITIL implementation in a corporate 100 technology company.
Implemented the following:
- Service Desk
- Knowledge Management
- Problem management
- Asset Management
- Service Level Management
- Service Request Management.
Now, we have MyIT and SmartIT implemented, which have a significantly improved UI.
What is most valuable?
The service desk (incident management) function is the lion's portion of use and value. It has been instrumental in aligning our service desk with the ITIL fundamentals and continuously improving the operating metrics of that area.
What needs improvement?
The interface is somewhat dated as compared to technologies in use today. They have made steps towards addressing that, but they are still limited in being able to allow the customer to truly extend the UI. In the next releases, they should continue the work with the updated interfaces and extend the toolset so the customer can make more flexible changes to the UI (within reason).
Provide documentation on the content of the REST API interfaces. Right now, it is pretty much non-existent.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The product that was replaced was a homegrown service desk app. We replaced that with Remedy ITSM, which has streamlined our management and routing of service requests. This has reduced the amount of time taken for ticket resolution. We have seen year over year customer satisfaction improvement for the last five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
BMC Helix ITSM
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about BMC Helix ITSM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
BMC Remedy ITSM Admin/Developer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
We use this tool for managing tickets, other employee related services, and reporting purposes
Pros and Cons
- "Initial setup is straightforward, and if you follow best practices, then future enhancements will be smoother."
- "We reduced many paper processes to electronic driven forms. It helps us a lot in tracking and managing."
- "We use this tool for managing tickets, other employee related services, and reporting purposes."
- "Needs to make customizable/configurable article templates in the Knowledge Management."
What is our primary use case?
BMC Remedy ITSM application solution is one of the best solutions in the market. This is one of the primary help desk management tool that we have. We use this tool for managing tickets, other employee related services, and reporting purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
We reduced many paper processes to electronic driven forms. It helps us a lot in tracking and managing.
What is most valuable?
Overall, the product is valuable, but we use Incident and SRM the most. We really liked the Smart Reporting tool and also the new mobile apps as add-ons.
What needs improvement?
If BMC can add and extend the Release Management with ease, it would be great. Also, make customizable/configurable article templates in the Knowledge Management.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes, but if you have a solid architecture, then this tool work like a charm.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Never.
How are customer service and technical support?
Its 50-50, sometimes its great, and other times, not.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The platform was in place prior to my arrival.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup is straightforward, and if you follow best practices, then future enhancements will be smoother.
What about the implementation team?
The platform was in place prior to my arrival, but we did lot of the things afterwards. When I took over, Remedy was on 7.6, and now, we are on 9.1 with Smart IT running.
What was our ROI?
If Customer and IT agents are happy, that is one of the greatest ROI. However, one of the major factors is Leadership, because at the end they have to justify the cost.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution needs to be in the annual IT budget. Please always get the latest quote from a BMC partner or from BMC. Check for the latest offerings.
While purchasing, try to negotiate on per user licensing costs, associated maintenance, and purchase 20% more then what you think you should have. Bulk is always cheaper.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The platform was in place prior to my arrival.
What other advice do I have?
Once you have the solution implemented, always follow best practices and have an admin in-house.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Applications Support (Contract) at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
It provides a way to rapidly develop and deploy a number of small, but important applications.
What is most valuable?
With so many cool features available in BMC's own applications like ITSM, it's easy to overlook the platform features that enable them. ARS really shines when it's workflow directly supports critical business processes. And it's this workflow - how easily its translated from business process, how quickly it can be developed, and how fast it can be deployed and used - that I consider it's most valuable feature to the business. It has all of the other features you'd expect in a robust enterprise platform (architectural scalability, flexibility to adapt to Windows/Unix shops, tons of UI widgets, a variety of DB options, cloud offerings, etc.) but it's workflow engine is what makes it a great platform for pretty much any business need.
How has it helped my organization?
As a platform it provides a way to rapidly develop and deploy a number of small, but important applications. One example of this is how call center quality is evaluated and measured - we use Remedy to track, grade, and ultimately development improvements to the processes, ultimately benefiting the customer.
What needs improvement?
There are two areas where I think improvements could be made; web support of custom applications and upgrades. BMC provides a couple of modern web interfaces with SmartIT and MyIT, but these are limited to fronting their own (ITSM) applications. Having a modern web layer for custom applications running on the ARS platform would help a lot (indeed there are several very large technology companies who do this for themselves, but having a BMC solution would simplify the DevOps process and associated infrastructure). Upgrading to a new ARS version in a complex environment remains a challenge. It's not that any one part is hard (and BMC has the ability to offer a zero-down-time option), but it's often a manual, long, and time-consuming process. Managing multiple tasks and handling them as part of the installation would simplify things).
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the Remedy Action Request System (ARS) platform by BMC Software, running 100% custom applications (not ITSM). The larger, primary system is running ARS v8.1 and we're in the process of upgrading to ARS v9.1. There's also a smaller system running an older version that's being phased out.
Personally, I've been developing business solutions with the ARS platform for over 20 years. The last couple of environments I've been working have some applications over 10 years old.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We had no issues deploying it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There have been no issues with its stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
BMC has done a good job of keeping ahead of enterprise growth and continues to offer new features that make administration, scaling, and performance tuning all easier to manage.
How are customer service and technical support?
Fair/Good - In environments as complex as ours, the basic needs are pretty much taken care-of in-house. The issues we generally face are complex and deep within the technology, and these always take a bit of time to bring the vendor up to speed. (To be fair, BMC offers higher support tiers, providing a more bespoke support experience, but I haven't had the opportunity to experience this tier.)
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The platform was in place prior to my arrival.
What was our ROI?
That's more of a question for leadership, but I think that it needs to be compared against custom platforms and evaluated from a total-cost of ownership perspective. There's hard evidence that, while licensing sounds expensive, having the development staff focus on core business process automation rather than low-level platform development/maintenance is a worthwhile trade-off and is a bigger benefit to the business (assuming you treat the AR System platform as such).
What other advice do I have?
Pretty darn good, but nothing's perfect. Know your business, their processes, and how they use other tools - seriously. "Implementation" often is interpreted as focusing on just a software installation, like running setup.exe and watching the blue status bar make it's way to 100%. Frankly the software install is so well defined that it should be automated - and it typically only represents 20-30% of an overall deployment. 80% of an implementation should be spent analyzing, configuring, and testing the various configurations and integrations required by your unique business. Don't forget the training and knowledge transfer! Vendor teams can help (a lot) in guiding you through this, but they don't know your business like you and your customers.
Make sure you think about, and understand the differences between what BMC calls the brand, "Remedy", their application suite, " Remedy IT Service Management", and the platform, "AR System". Calling something "Remedy" without this understanding leads to a lot of confusion.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
BMC Remedy/ITSM Administrator and Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The most valuable feature is the ability to have ITIL Out Of The Box (OOTB) functionality that can be readily customised to fit the specific needs of any given business organisation.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ability to have ITIL Out Of The Box (OOTB) functionality that can be readily customised to fit the specific needs of any given business organisation. This coupled with the open API that allows for integration with existing and legacy data sets means that you can rapidly implement ITSM in an organic fashion. Another valuable feature has to be the fast prototyping environment with allows an organisation to develop customisations in a reactive, agile manner.
How has it helped my organization?
The use of templates, both Incident and Change templates, has allowed for a more consistent approach to processing these types of tickets. Developing a standardised approach to these has also improved the associated reporting for post-Incident and post-Change reviews. Another important improvement has been with the implementation of the Service Request Module which has improved the end-user experience and is helping move towards a more "Self-Help" environment.
What needs improvement?
The two main areas for improvement are the User Interface and ad-hoc reporting. The User Interface still has the appearance of being clunky and not user friendly. This has changed with the release of Remedy/ITSM V9 and related products such as SmartIT and MyIT. Reporting has always been an issue with the Remedy/ITSM paradigm. It is not user friendly, too limited and clearly not intended for the End User. With Remedy/ITSM V9 comes the SmartReporting module. I look forward to using this in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have involved with Remedy since 1996. Starting with Version 3.2 of Action Request System and v1 of Helpdesk. This was long before ITSM came onto the scene.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Having been involved in migrations from version 3.2 up to and including v8.1.02 I can honestly say that very few of the migrations have induced deployment issues. The Remedy, and latterly BMC, engineers, have successfully maintained backwards compatibility throughout all their versions. As long as the platform and infrastructure requirements are planned and resourced correctly then the deployment process is relatively straightforward.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is very much dependent on the architecture that has been implemented and also on the underlying infrastructure. For example, with the application server and mid-tier being deployed on a Windows Server environment, I had a client who was experiencing issues with some of the Java processes on a weekly, if not daily basis. Moving to a Linux based environment has almost eliminated these issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is very similar to stability in that as long as the underlying infrastructure is correctly sized and resourced then the product can deal with scalability issues.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Customer Service does vary. It all depends on your Account Manager. The good ones can be a real asset and and can provide that additional effort that makes for a good relationship between all the actors.
Technical Support:Technical support can vary according to your location and which team picks up your issue. Over the years the quality of technical support has varied. Providing you have an administrator/developer who can do some of the initial problem discovery and debugging then you will be able, in conjunction with technical support, to more easily track down the underlying issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My existing client used an older version of ITSM from the same supplier. In this case there was no switch from a different solution but the upgrade/migration still needed proper planning to implement correctly. The main reasons for upgrading were to ensure that a currently supported version of the product was being used and that the old infrastructure was replaced by a more performant
How was the initial setup?
For the product itself the initial setup was relatively straightforward. The main complexity arose mainly in the project management aspect of the migration. This was due to the fact the coordination had to be done with both internal and external resources.
What about the implementation team?
The project was undertaken with a vendor team for the installation and migration, internal teams for the architecture and security aspects, as well as the Remedy/ITSM administrators/Process Managers and, of course, the End Users.
What was our ROI?
As I wasn't involved at the beginning of this project I cannot give any information on the ROI. However, it is clear that ROI improves as and when the relationships between the different modules of ITSM are integrated. Related to this is the integration with other applications within the organisation such as ADDM/Discovery to enhance the CMDB. Once this information is available to, for example, the Incident, Change and Problem modules then the true value of ITSM to the organisation can be realised.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When it comes to pricing and licensing, you have to have a good relationship with your Account Manager. They are the best person to guide you through this important area. You need to analyse your requirements in terms of the ratio of floating/fixed licenses to ensure that you have the correct mix of these licences. Licence and maintenance costs may be relatively high but in terms of upgrades you tend to get a good ROI.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
For this particular project no other options were chosen. A SaaS option was not suitable for this client and the requirements of being able to migrate/access the data from the existing environment did not allow for other solutions to be discussed.
What other advice do I have?
This solution is a complex one which does allow for flexibility and customisations. Clients should therefore be aware that there is a need for in-house administrators/developers. This may be reduced if the SaaS option is selected.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Jeevan ChaukarPrincipal Consultant at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Consultant
Dear Nyall,
That was a good and useful review! Thanks!
One observation:
You mentioned - Clients should therefore be aware that there is a need for in-house administrators/developers. This may be reduced if the SaaS option is selected.
I believe you refer to Remedy-On-Demand option. However, R-O-D may be convenient only for smaller enterprises which don't need much customization and don't need much integration between Remedy instance which would be in BMC Network and other systems which may be in their own network.
Any small changes to R-O-D application that involves customization (definition changes) have to go through a relatively time consuming Change Approval process with BMC. Which basically goes against the principle that Remedy is a highly flexible and easy to customize platform in its "on-premise" avatar.
Due to this, we don't recommend R-O-D for any larger customers that may need plenty of customizations.
Global IT Specialist (Clarity) at a consumer goods company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Change Management, one of the most valuable features, helps us manage and maintain the company schedule of activities and resources.
What is most valuable?
- Configuration Management – to track hardware, software, users
- Change Management – manage and maintain the company schedule of activities and resources
How has it helped my organization?
This product aided in the management of hardware, software, resources, and implementation schedules. Additionally, it opened the communication barriers for resources and management to communicate one on one or in a group tracking and utilizing the facts
For how long have I used the solution?
The company has used it for 11 years, and I have used it as an implementer & manager for four and a half years. I have also used is personally as an end-user for a further seven years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
When I was a part of the support and upgrade team, it took 120 constant hours to upgrade.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The data was slow and the BMC support was lacking.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
After the five day upgrade we then had days of data clean up.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using a very old product called PMSD, and excel spreadsheets. It was not robust nor did it provide the endless types of functionality that Remedy offered.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for all involved was “discovery” as no one had the experience of the tool.
What about the implementation team?
Our internal team performed the hardware configuration and setup, software process and procedures, documentation and training. Our teams were technically strong and had good technical knowledge. They knew the company and this is what made our implementation successful.
What was our ROI?
I cannot comment as I was not monitoring the ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do know that managing the configuration items aided in the upcoming annual contracts for hardware, software products and other configuration items, the data was extremely helpful.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated several tools – I cannot remember them as it’s been a while. We had a PRB team and performed site visits and demos.
What other advice do I have?
It’s a great product, I would highly recommend it. My strong advice is to take your time to plan, understand your company, and design your processes with your team members to understand all aspects. You also need to schedule your time and implementation. Finally, understand that it’s teamwork, and without that no-one will be successful.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Database Administrator at Techlogix
Highly scalable, suitable for enterprises, but documentation could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The solution can perform well for large-sized companies."
- "The documentation could improve in BMC Helix ITSM."
What is our primary use case?
I am supporting the top bank in Pakistan, and they are using BMC Helix ITSM. There are multiple solutions in BMC Helix ITSM, such as asset management, configuration management, and tools that are used for monitoring purposes.
What is most valuable?
The solution can perform well for large-sized companies.
What needs improvement?
The documentation could improve in BMC Helix ITSM.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using BMC Helix ITSM for approximately eight months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate BMC Helix ITSM an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have three to four people using this solution.
The solution is best suited for enterprises.
I rate the scalability of BMC Helix ITSM a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the support from BMC Helix ITSM a five out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of BMC Helix ITSM requires a technical expert. An expert is required for the configuration and management of the different servers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of BMC Helix ITSM is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate BMC Helix ITSM a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Good knowledge management features in this highly scalable product
Pros and Cons
- "In BMC, you can do absolutely anything. You can customize, you can configure, and you can customize and develop pretty much anything."
- "They could be more responsive to feedback from their community board."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution for individuals calling into the help desk to have a ticket created over the phone, which becomes an incident. If the incident gets upgraded then it becomes a problem and then they work on it.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is knowledge management.
What needs improvement?
All products can be improved. For this solution, the customization could be improved.
BMC has its own community where we can go in and suggest ideas and changes to the products, which is great, but at times BMC is not very responsive. There have been suggestions that were submitted five years ago and still not delivered. BMC has indicated that it was in development.
They could be more responsive to feedback from their community board.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with BMC Solutions from Remedy since 1994.
I have used it since it was released.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable, it's very good. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable and I think that it's the best that you can get. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
The current project has 140 people, which excludes the users. There are approximately 20,000 users for this project. This site is quite large.
I have worked on sites that have a couple of hundred users to many thousands.
This solution is suitable for medium to large-sized companies.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is very good and I would rate it a nine out of ten.
At times, you have a critical issue and you need an answer very quickly. Even if it takes half an hour or a day to get an answer, it takes longer than you expect.
There is always room for improvement, although BMC has improved over the last couple of years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have worked with other competing products for integrations. I focus on BMC solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex. If you know what you are doing and what you want then it's straightforward. Most clients don't know what they want and it becomes complex.
I have worked with three or four consultants where you have small teams, and I have worked on larger teams where there is a huge undertaking to implement it.
What about the implementation team?
I implement this solution for my clients.
What other advice do I have?
BMC Helix is a marketing term. The name changed from BMC Remedy ITSM to BMC Helix a few years ago. It's also linked to BMC's CMDB, where they have an image of all of the assets in the company.
In BMC, you can do absolutely anything. You can customize, you can configure, and you can customize and develop pretty much anything.
It might take some time and it may have some consequences later on when you are upgrading and you want to install a newer version, especially when you are on-premises.
Other solutions may have a better BEB Cloud interface or better sales organization, but BMC is a trustworthy company and they keep their promises. Some other competitors make promises but don't always honor them.
My advice to others would be the following:
- Get a support contract directly with BMC.
- Pick your BMC partner or reseller.
- Get in-house resources and knowledge, and train your employees, or employ someone with the BMC Remedy skills.
- Get external contractors to top it up with contractors and consultants from the partner.
- Set up a good project team that communicates with BMC contract partners, your employees, and the contractor.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: November 2024
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I agree with majority of the points mentioned by Joe.
But I do have some difference of opinion.
Deployment Issues:
Just to be clear, there can be different types of deployments. One is the first big bang deployment - when you roll out the whole application as it is provided by BMC (we generally refer to this as OOTB = Out Of The Box deployment). This generally is smooth.
However, once installed, almost always every organization needs to configure and customize it to a varying extent. It is during the customization, people run into issues related to deployment.
One major problem is that BMC Remedy ARS development platform has very limited version management capability (you can check related articles in BMC communities).
By itself this is not a big problem.
But it becomes a big problem when you have very aggressive - so called AGILE (it is not real agile but just the related people think they are doing "agile") - methodology of development of new features. In such case you are always in this situation:
Release 0 is already deployed in Production.
Release 1 is in testing phase.
Release 2 is in development phase.
Release 3 is in design phase.
Each release overlaps with the other.
In this situation, all the environments on which BMC Remedy applications are deployed can not remain in sync. When you hit issue in one of the above releases, it becomes very hard to follow software configuration management and migrate Remedy workflows (i.e. objects such as Active Links, Filters, Forms and so on) between environments without causing side issues.
In conventional programming language like Java or C++, you can work on multiple code lines simultaneously and yet be able to build packages suitable to each release due to code branching/merging type facilities in standard tools like VSS, SVN, PVCS etc.
This can't be done using ARS platform (or it can be done but that is surely much convoluted way - I have taken 1-2 such implementations through but it was quite a pain to make it successful)
If one can maintain a somewhat less aggressive release cycle where all items of a given release are totally closed before touching scope of next release, Remedy can pretty much work in very stable and flawless manner - it is necessary in Remedy projects to not have your environments widely out of sync with each other (e.g. Development, Testing, Pre-production and Production).