ServiceNow and IBM SmartCloud Control Desk compete in enterprise IT service management. ServiceNow appears to have an advantage due to its flexibility, integration tools, and deployment options.
Features: ServiceNow is highly configurable, with robust pre-built ITIL processes, and supports user-generated custom apps and multi-department integration beyond IT. Its adaptability allows it to serve as a unified platform across varied services. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk excels in service request and asset management features, providing detailed asset information and management suited to larger infrastructures.
Room for Improvement: ServiceNow users face challenges with complex licensing models, the cost of add-ons, outdated UI elements, and documentation limitations. Customizations may regress after updates. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk users point out its outdated UI, limited graphics, less intuitive experience, link and attachment issues, and the need for modernization.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ServiceNow offers diverse deployment models including public, private, and hybrid clouds to meet various needs. It generally enjoys high customer service satisfaction, but some report inconsistencies and slow resolutions. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is mainly on-premises and has seen declining customer and technical support satisfaction, with calls for faster and more effective assistance.
Pricing and ROI: ServiceNow is seen as expensive but functionally rich, with licensing complexity noted. Users often find ROI through efficiency improvements. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk offers more affordable pricing for larger enterprises with straightforward licensing. Although the cost is a challenge for smaller businesses, larger firms achieve positive ROI from its asset management capabilities.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| ServiceNow | 17.3% |
| IBM SmartCloud Control Desk | 1.1% |
| Other | 81.6% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 3 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 54 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 36 |
| Large Enterprise | 164 |
ServiceNow is a cloud-based task-management platform that specializes in IT operations management (ITOM), IT services management (ITSM), and IT business management (ITBM). ServiceNow allows users to manage their teams, projects, and customer interactions using a variety of different plugins and apps with which it easily integrates.
ServiceNow offers prebuilt applications to support any process, as well as a framework and tools that allow you to build your own.
ServiceNow’s service management solutions include change, request, incident, problem, and cost management, as well as HR, IT, field service, and facilities management solutions. They also cover business management solutions such as vendor performance management, financial management, performance analytics and project portfolio suite, as well as governance, risk, and compliance.
“The Smarter Way to Workflow”
ServiceNow’s activities, processes, and tasks are overseen as part of a comprehensive managed workflow that supports such features as real-time collaboration, communication, and resource sharing. ServiceNow’s suite of products allow for operation using serverless computing, and include the categories of Business Apps, Customer Service, HR, IT, and Security.
ServiceNow can be used to support most workflows because of the wide range of tools it offers. These include on-suite ticketing tools, predictive modeling to manage workflows, and benchmarking for the tracking of progress. ServiceNow can assist with artificial intelligence and machine learning processes and can be used to organize the cases of a help/service desk as well as for instance management and problem management. It also smoothly integrates with many legacy systems.
ServiceNow offers service management software for industries including:
Cloud services
Education
Financial services
Government
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Telecommunications
Reviews from Real Users
PeerSpot users prefer ServiceNow to its competitors because of its scalability, stability, and ease of use. It helps everyone in the company to be on the same page by creating a single source of record across all departments. One user stated that “I’ve definitely used over 20 project management solutions, but they can't be compared with ServiceNow.” Another said that “ServiceNow is an industry leader in multiple areas and provides an excellent ROI.”
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