BMC FootPrints is an IT service management (ITSM) solution featuring workload automation.
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IBM Control Desk
Score 10.0 out of 10
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IBM Control Desk (formerly IBM Smart Cloud Control Desk) is available standalone or as a component of the IBM Service Engage cloud or on-premise suite of IT management software. Meant for enterprises, the IBM Control Desk is an ITIL service desk.
Control Desk is a rebranded version of Tivoli's Service Request Manager. This is a somewhat complex enterprise-level product competing with BMC's Remedy and ServiceNow.
BMC Footprints is so well suited to keep the documentation easy to read and find, as same as typification. You can find specific documentation for an audit so fast and export a report using the specific criteria that you need to comply with your boss or audit needs. As I told before, BMC footprints need to be more friendly to the end users because they get lost many times trying to track some ticket or typing documentation.
For companies or persons who want to critically monitor the IT assets in their systems, IBM Control Desk is the program that will make them swiftly identify mistakes and provide possible solutions for them. Furthermore, IBM Control Desk is a straightforward communication program between the ICT department and the end users, where they articulate a challenge and it is immediately sorted out. IBM Control Desk monitors even the functionality of the software in the systems.
Documentation. We try to reduce the amount of paperwork needed for staff to do their job, so by automating certain tasks, we are able to speed up the resolution process for trouble tickets.
Reporting. We'll use the reporting tool to get the number of tickets opened, response times and can go into granular reports.
Surveys. When tickets are closed, we automatically send out surveys to end users to get valuable feedback on how we did and what we can improve.
Purpose based configuration- It would be beneficial to see a more purposed based, out of the box, configuration option. For example, if you need PCI compliance, more intuitive reporting would make managing compliance much easier.
Initial design and implementation- Don't think that your experience as an IT professional will allow you to stand this system up on your own. To properly configure Footprints and set yourself up for success down the road, get Professional Services with this one.
Somewhat behind the times- Service Core is making a huge leap forward with the latest version, 12, but Asset Core is far behind. There are quite a few quirks to how the application works and how it is used.
It has been the business decision to go with them and that is what we will do. Going back, this would have not been the choice, but nothing can be done about it now. We are stuck with this application for years to come. Wish there were other possibilities that could be done.
It's so simple to use and customize however you want. You can create new workspaces and workflows with ease, set up new users, incoming email rules, customize the layout of the forms, and even change the colors and logos. It's just very easily customizable overall. It's also really straightforward to figure out how to use, you really almost don't have to show somebody how to use it. If you just sit them down in front of it and let them look it over, they could figure it out themselves easily.
I've had no issues with the support for FootPrints. We haven't really had to use them all that much over the years, but when needed they have always been prompt and knowledgeable at dealing with any issue. I've worked with a lot of different support teams over the years, and they have been one of my favorites to work with.
The lack of support from IBM is a concern that should be addressed and something to keep in mind for those thinking about acquiring IBM Control Desk. This problem can be solved by hiring an experienced consulting company that helps you implement, customize and adapt the solution to your specific needs instead of acquiring it directly from IBM.
I was not involved in the selection process but in my opinion either SQL or Access databases would have worked just as well without the same amount of cost. These two systems would have been much easier to manage and would have tracked the same information in a less convoluted process and expense.
Ease of configuration is a credible feature from the application, as we have the flexibility of personalizing the software for our needs. Also, IBM Control Desk captures the software problems and issues us with extensive answers for them. The communications that IBM Control Desk makes between the company's ICT department and the users is fruitful and speeds the business operations.
Due to our company being highly focused on IBM Maximo implementation and support, IBM Control Desk is a necessary tool for tracking and support of said Maximo implementations.
By implementing IBM Control Desk as the main resource for support, the investment made has been very satisfactory and has brought us an increase in response time and management of tickets.
