Ivanti Neurons for ITSM Reviews

This is an excellent alternative to ServiceNow for smaller companies. It is configurable with fundamental ITIL process integrations built-in. 

It is primarily a Service Desk-focused tool at this point, but Ivanti is working to build-out Release, and improve Knowledge Management. 

The State of Idaho has standardized on Ivanti. However, there is no common tool design and implementation strategy across all State agencies for critical integration requirements like the CMDB data model, categorizations, Priority schema, etc. 

Ivanti is a great tool for initial ITSM transformation efforts as long as you have ITSM strategic planning help that includes training on the value of other critical ITIL processes in transforming IT from managing tech components into an IT organization focused on optimizing business processes.

Basic Service Desk processes are easily implemented "out of the box" with some guidance. Guidance must include integrating the categorization schema with a CMDB drill-down capability to ensure the CI is selected appropriately. Some VARs will recommend you don't require a CI be selected in Incident, which defeats the power of ITIL process integration for the more advanced ITIL functionality. 

Because it is so new, the really valuable processes like Release, Availability, and Financial Management are just bare bones. Configuration requirements are extensive, even in basic Service Desk processes.

The categorization schema is not linked to the CMDB data model. This requires you to categorize twice, a pre-ITIL help desk approach that allows Service Desk agents to defeat the real value of linking processes via the CI involved.

The ability to totally customize the screen and workflows to fit your processes.

We were able to build in a Notes and Questions field on the Call Logging screen. When the Service Desk Rep would select the Call Type it would show the required things to do to resolve the issue. It would also show where to route the ticket if they could not resolve the issue.

The process to add fields is time consuming and requires the system to be offline while you apply an Edit Set.

4 Years

No – since we were upgrading from version 6 to 8 and using all new servers we were able to stand up version 8 and get everything setup and tested before we cut over.

No, HEAT was very reliable and never went down.

No – we had a site license so we had unlimited users. Also we setup a Citrix solution to use for the sites not in the main office were 80% of the user base was located.

Excellent

Excellent

No, when I arrived we were using version 6 and I was tasked with getting us to the current version at the time which was 8.

Since I was already very familiar with HEAT it was not difficult setting up version 8.

We used in-house resources to implement. I did attend training from the vendor who was our VAR. They did help us setup Change Control in the system using a set of Detail Screens and workflows.

Our First Call Close rate for the Service Desk was 70-80% once we got all the workflows and Notes and Question screens populated.

Our cost was 50K a year to be in Maintenance so we could call FrontRange for support. We ran version 6 for many years with no cost.

Determine if you need to make a lot of customizations. FrontRange now offer HEAT as a SAS, I am not sure if that allows for the customizations I had with it hosted in-house.

The platform's most valuable features are a ticketing system, knowledge management, configuration item management, and helpful management capabilities.

They could provide product integration with popular platforms like WhatsApp for customer communication and enhancing software asset management capabilities.

I've been using Ivanti Neurons for ITSM for about four years now.

I rate the product stability an eight. 

We have several customers across various sectors, including small businesses, medium-sized enterprises, and larger corporations, using Ivanti Neurons for ITSM. It scales well to meet our organization's growing needs, effectively supporting small and large-scale deployments.

I rate the scalability an eight. 

We typically deploy the product on-premises, and the setup involves server configuration, installation on Windows servers, and database connection before accessing the application via the web.

I rate the process an eight. 

The platform's automation capabilities have had a positive impact on our workflow. They allow us to automate ticketing processes and create requests more efficiently, improving our overall support operations.

I rate it an eight out of ten. 

We are using HEAT Service Management for a ticketing system.

HEAT Service Management is good for asset and service desk management. It is the focal point for this solution.

I have been using HEAT Service Management for approximately five years.

From customer feedback I have received HEAT Service Management is a stable solution.

HEAT Service Management is scalable.

I have had to open a few support tickets with the HEAT Service Management. They are very good but there are some areas that they could improve on.

I rate the support from HEAT Service Management a four out of five.

HEAT Service Management is a great tool for assets, service desk, and customer service management. It's a good solution.

I rate HEAT Service Management a nine out of ten.

The main areas we focus on are the usual service desk capabilities and asset management, which are important for several of our customers.

It is relatively cost-effective compared to other options like ServiceNow. Additionally, it is highly stable. So those are the two valuable features.

There is room for improvement in the support. It is quite difficult to get support in a timely manner. 

We have been working with this product for a long time because, before Ivanti, we were using a product called FrontRange HEAT, which was replaced or renamed maybe later by Ivanti. That goes back a long way, probably around ten years.

Currently, we are using a combination of versions, but we primarily utilize the most up-to-date version. So we're using ITSM cloud and our own type of cloud.

It is a stable solution. It is one of the plus points of Ivanti. 

It is easy to scale. We have medium-sized business clients. 

It should be more faster and respond in timely manner. 

Neutral

The initial setup is very easy. 

We've got people who specialize in the deployment of Ivanti. We never had a problem in the deployment. 

Understanding the customer's functional requirements is crucial to achieving the right result. So it's going to take weeks as well if you include that aspect.

Installation itself is relatively easy, but proper configuration and meeting requirements, along with testing, will take weeks.

Moreover, around four people are required for service management. These four people should be Ivanti specialists. The same team of four people would handle maintenance as well.

It is billed annually. Ivanti offers professional services that accompany their solution, so customers would need to pay for those services as well.

We occasionally use other solutions in the same space because it depends on the customer's requirements and circumstances. We may work with ServiceNow or Jira. 

From a service management perspective, ServiceNow is considered the gold standard, but it comes with a higher price. In terms of Service Management, Jira is not as strong as Ivanti. So if I were to rank them, I would put ServiceNow first, Ivanti second, and Jira third.

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is definitely worth considering. It's a highly capable product. It depends on the specific circumstances, budgets, and other factors, but I think it's worth taking a look at. 

It's a strong contender.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. Mainly because of support.

We primarily use the solution as a ticketing system for end-users in the banking sector. For example, for the employees who need a ticket for troubleshooting something like Outlook issues, etc. The solution is basically a helpdesk software.

I don't work deeply with the product. However, the pricing is quite good. It's much cheaper than ServiceNow and other related products.

The solution is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface.

There's a lack of integration with other products. This needs to be improved.

Technical support needs improvement as well. There's a lack of technicians and resale engineers in our country.

The user interface is good, but it could still use a bit of improvement.

The stability of the solution is good.

The scalability of the solution is good. You can buy based on agents, so we haven't faced any limitations.

The initial setup is straightforward. The time it takes to deploy depends on the customization. Some customers need more customization than others. It could take anywhere between one and four weeks.

We use the on-premises deployment model.

In terms of advice, I'd suggest others focus on the main features such as problem tickets, escalating tickets, ticket flow and support for mobile applications. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. I'd rate it higher if it had better integration capabilities and better support services.

It is a strong platform as a whole, and with built-in wizard-driven workflow and business rules engines, you can’t go wrong. 

For me, one of the key features is the Service Catalogue and its Service Owner role. This combination allows organizations to roll out tailored service request offerings lighting fast without coding or deep technical knowledge.

We use it internally and externally for our customer center, code name iHelp. Our organization now has a central self-service capability for both our employees and our customers on a single platform. 

This has brought many process fulfillment efficiencies to us internally and, for our customers, a single, reliable channel to access our services and track progress on their items.

We work closely with the vendor and have already submitted enhancement requests mainly around integration capabilities. Currently, the solution only supports SOAP web services, but a REST interface is on the roadmap and has been confirmed for mid-next year.

Understand that this product is a great investment. It has a flexible architecture that allows you to switch between cloud and on premise. It is a product that will grow with you and easily adapt to your enterprise service management process changes in the future. It is HTML5-based and very easy to configure and implement.