Item: Ivanti Neurons for ITSM
Rating: 7
Author: Cameron Council

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Ivanti Service Manager was being utilized as a ticketing and accountability tool to manage work within a 35 member IT department. It was being used to log tickets for a Helpdesk, and Classroom Support department as well as track major projects for Network and Infrastructure, Information Security, Card Management, Development, and track purchases and inventory. The plan was to implement this product for is project tracking and automation features to better track and monitor projects to ensure accountability as well as provide automation for purchasing new equipment and providing support.

Pros and Cons

High level visibly, ISM allows for instant visibility of projects and tickets to allow upper management visibility and metrics.
Automation, the built-in automation tools allow for several steps to be automated to take out the manual click work for some repetitive tasks.
User Empowerment, ISM provides a user portal that allows the user base to log issues as well as check on the status of their issue from anywhere they have a network connection.

The software is technical, very technical. A 4-day training is needed in order to administer this software properly.
Customization, but almost to a fault. The software allows for endless customization which can be nice but if someone does not know what they are doing they can quickly break the software by editing or deleting the wrong business object.

Return on Investment

In the Classroom Support department, this has provided a quick access system available via tablet for technicians on the go and has improved response time.
In the Helpdesk, this has assisted in the automation of repetitive tasks and assisted with providing better accountability for the completion of an assigned task.

Alternatives Considered

Spiceworks and ServicePro

There is no comparison. ISM's customization and scale-ability run circles around both software previously used. Additionally, the implementation of a user portal available outside of a local network provides on the run support for those users who do not work in a traditional office environment. This system has cut down phone calls and inquiries about pending service requests.

Support Rating

Just call them up and you'll see. I don't know what it is about that Colorado support office but everyone is always in a good mood and they are so very knowledgeable about the product. Ren was my go-to, her technical knowledge is solid.

Key Insights

Do you think Ivanti Neurons for ITSM delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Ivanti Neurons for ITSM's feature set?

Yes

Did Ivanti Neurons for ITSM live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Ivanti Neurons for ITSM go as expected?

Would you buy Ivanti Neurons for ITSM again?

Yes

Other Software Used

VMware ESXi, Citrix Hypervisor (formerly XenServer), SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere

Likelihood to Recommend

I feel that in a Helpdesk or support level department this system is great. Ticket monitoring and visibility provide accountability. The inventory management feature is also in order to automate support requests when certain hardware issues are flagged. The implementation of a local agent on each PC being managed requires a deployment software like PDQ or Altiris in order to easily get the agent on all items. I think for large organizations of 1000+ employees this software is ideal. This software could be a bit overkill for smaller to medium-sized companies.

ISM, automation is everything

Overall Satisfaction with Ivanti Service Manager (powered by Heat)