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Clarity SM vs SCSM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Clarity SM
Ranking in Help Desk Software
21st
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
20th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SCSM
Ranking in Help Desk Software
15th
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
13th
Average Rating
7.0
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of Clarity SM is 1.2%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SCSM is 2.0%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Service Management (ITSM)
 

Featured Reviews

Türker Kara - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 24, 2023
Quite good back-end architecture for end users but the API is very, very bad
Our company uses the solution for system, program, service request, change, and knowledge-based management.  We perform CMD authorizations and use a lot of integrations for our in-house or third-party applications. We also use Salesforce automations and Microsoft orchestrations.  We have about…
Hossam Hussein - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 24, 2022
Helps us manage IT operations, including incident and service requests, but could be easier to create reports
The solution could be more simple. For example, it takes a lot of work to create reports. It runs on Microsoft SQL queries. Creating custom reports on ManageEngine takes less work from the administrator. Microsoft System Center Service Manager has a large infrastructure and a large number of servers. For production and creation, it needs about five servers. For comparison, ManageEngine just requires one server, and it includes everything out of the box. The setup process could be improved. In the next release, I would like to see a mobile application for users to open tickets. I would also like the ability to deploy the solution on the cloud.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It helps when you have an incident or performing a problem change management process."
"We can search open and closed cases to find what we have done in other incidents."
"The most valuable features are the requests and incident tracking."
"When users have a problem, they report using Service Desk and it is very useful for this."
"The solution's back-end architecture is very good for end users."
"The database and the power that is driven behind the database."
"The value for the clients is that you can save information in the application and get reports with that information."
"The integration between the ticketing and knowledge is huge, because that is a best practice. The knowledge is great. It is simple but efficient, and it works.​"
"This solution is easy to use."
"The most requested feature from our customers is the helpdesk ticketing system."
"The call logging is the solution's most valuable feature. It's very easy to use."
"The support from Microsoft is good and we also have local support on the ground in Nigeria."
"A very convenient package like an all-in-one tool but it is actually five or six products acting well together."
"It is a simple solution that is easy to configure."
"I've used SCSM a lot, and its features are valuable."
"This product has helped our organization by allowing people to connect with each other."
 

Cons

"Ease of support and upgrades need much improvement."
"Right now, you have to create the Scoreboards individually for roles or users. If they could separate that functionality, and create the scoreboards separately, and then just link scoreboards to roles and users - that way you could reuse the same ones - that would be a huge benefit. I know, because they're a nightmare to manage at times."
"The API is very, very bad so we developed our own."
"When I am reviewing an incident, sometimes there is too much information on the same screen and it is difficult to discern what is of value."
"I would like to see the API cleaned up."
"They should enhance the service desk manager's service point function to be more customizable."
"I would also like to see a simpler reporting tool. They went from one fairly robust, very complex, reporting tool - it was great - and then they went to another one that was also fairly complex and robust. That's a great tool for people who are report writers, but for the average person who just wants to get a quick little report, it's like handing somebody a chainsaw because they have to break some toothpicks in half."
"Nowadays every person is used to an interface that is more user-friendly and this one is not so user-friendly maybe due to the fact that, if you need to let people customize everything, sometimes you lose out on a clean user experience."
"The product needs to improve its integration with other tools. It also needs to have a better UI and a simple dashboard."
"Once we had an issue with a desktop download that would not open."
"They need more integration with open-source products."
"It would be good if Microsoft added custom attributes or tagging like in Jamf."
"There is no development with this product, and we had to go and buy additional ITSM solutions to sit on top of it. We had to buy products from companies like Cireson and Cased Dimensions in order to get the functionality that we need out of it. So, we're using Service Manager as an engine, rather than as a full-blown product. It is the engine, but we have other products sitting on top of it to make it work properly."
"One of the disadvantages in this product is that the reporting module is not very easy. It requires SQL development skills, which not all customers or IT professionals have."
"Resources for understanding compliance and relative compliance need to be made available."
"We have had some issues with the SCSM on-premise deployment version in the imaging aspects."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think pricing of this model is suitable for growing corporations."
"It is a bit expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for. It is worth it!"
"Clarity offers a perpetual license. Customers purchase the license once and then pay for maintenance. CA provides a subscription model as well. Both models are available for our customers."
"I don't see anyone other than large companies being able to afford this system."
"There is a subscripted needed to use Clarity SM. The price of the solution could be less expensive. ServiceNow is less expensive and BMC Helix is priced similar to Clarity SM."
"The pricing is based on a subscription model."
"The solution is quite reasonable compared to other solutions in the market."
"Pricing is simple, as it’s per concurrent analysts."
"It comes free with the enterprise agreement that we have, but the expense really is in having to buy another product to sit on top of it to make it work properly. You wind up having to buy additional support and additional product with their own support and maintenance costs on top of that."
"Licensing can be complex and confusing."
"It is a lower price vs. other things on the market."
"The platform is competitively priced."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The price should be lower."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"I would rate the pricing as two out of five."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
Government
28%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Clarity SM?
It is the most stable product in the market.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Clarity SM?
The solution is quite reasonable compared to other solutions in the market.
What needs improvement with Clarity SM?
They should enhance the service desk manager's service point function to be more customizable. Presently, there are so many limitations in this particular UI. Thus, similar to the existing UI, they...
What do you like most about SCSM?
The solution offers good productivity at a low price point.
What needs improvement with SCSM?
One customer uses another management tool, SiteScope, alongside SCSM. They might be looking for additional functionalities that SCSM could integrate. Thus, the product could include more features s...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

CA Service Desk Manager, Clarity Service Management, CA Service Management, Unicenter Service Desk, CA SDM, CA Service Catalog, CA Business Service Insight
System Center Service Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Banco G&T Continental City of Perth, FEMSA, Fujitsu, Manpower, Muslim Commercial Bank - MCB, Punjab National Bank, Santa Clara County Social Services, Stefanini
Fibabanka, UMC Health System
Find out what your peers are saying about Clarity SM vs. SCSM and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.