When it comes to IT Service Management (ITSM), BMC Footprints and BMC Helix ITSM (formerly Remedy) are two of the most well-known tools on the market. However, choosing the right ITSM solution requires careful consideration, as each tool offers different features and benefits. In this blog post, we’ll compare BMC Footprints vs Remedy, exploring their key differences.
Additionally, we’ll introduce InvGate Service Management, our own ITSM solution that stands out as a modern, feature-rich alternative to both. Selecting the right ITSM tool can make all the difference for your service desk operations, and with alternatives like InvGate Service Management available, it's essential to weigh your options carefully.
Let’s dive into the details to help you make the best choice for your organization.
BMC alternatives as ITSM tools
BMC has developed a wide range of ITSM tools over the years, each tailored to different markets and business sizes. Here’s a breakdown of the main ones:
1. BMC Helix ITSM
Formerly known as BMC Remedy, BMC Helix ITSM is the heavyweight of BMC's ITSM solutions. It’s designed to support large organizations with complex IT infrastructures.
Built with AI-driven automation and cloud-native architecture, Helix ITSM stands out for its scalability and ability to handle a high volume of service requests. It’s also highly customizable, which is ideal for enterprises needing a tool tailored to their specific workflows.
2. BMC Helix Remedyforce
Remedyforce is BMC’s cloud-native solution, targeting organizations that want a fast-to-deploy ITSM solution. Built on the Salesforce platform, BMC Helix Remedyforce integrates seamlessly with Salesforce CRM and is aimed at SMBs and organizations looking for ease of use and cloud simplicity.
It’s lighter than Helix ITSM but still offers core ITSM functionalities like Incident Management, Problem Management, and Change Management.
3. BMC Footprints
BMC Footprints is another powerful ITSM solution from BMC, designed for both SMBs and larger enterprises. It’s known for its strong asset and Service Request Management capabilities.
Footprints excels in mid-sized companies that require a customizable, on-premise solution but may not need the heavy-duty power of Helix ITSM.
4. BMC Track-It!
BMC Track-It! is the most basic of BMC’s ITSM tools, typically targeting smaller businesses or departments. Track-It! focuses more on help desk capabilities than a full ITSM suite. It’s easy to deploy and manage, making it a good choice for teams with straightforward IT needs.
5. BMC Retrace
Although primarily a tool for developers, BMC Retrace is worth mentioning. It’s more of an Application Performance Management (APM) solution, offering deep insights into application performance and server monitoring.
While not a traditional ITSM tool, it can integrate with service desks to enhance overall performance monitoring.
What is BMC Footprints?
BMC Footprints is a comprehensive ITSM solution that offers features designed for midsized to large enterprises. With a focus on flexibility and customization, it enables organizations to configure the platform based on their specific IT and business processes. Footprints is an on-premise solution, making it suitable for companies with strict data security requirements or those that prefer to have more control over their infrastructure.
One of the key selling points of BMC Footprints is its asset management capabilities, which allow organizations to track and manage their hardware and software assets. This IT Asset Management (ITAM) feature is deeply integrated with the service desk, making it easier for IT teams to resolve incidents and manage changes with full visibility into their assets.
BMC Footprints main features
BMC Footprints boasts several key features that make it a viable option for IT Service Management. These features include:
- Customizable workflows: Create and manage workflows that align with your specific business processes.
- IT Asset Management: Track hardware, software, and other assets through their entire lifecycle.
- Service Request Management: Easily manage service requests and automate ticketing processes.
- Self-service portal: Empower end-users to submit and track their requests.
- On-premise deployment: Keep control over your infrastructure by hosting the solution on your own servers.
These features allow Footprints to deliver a robust, customizable ITSM experience for organizations that need more control over their service desk operations.
What is BMC Remedy?
BMC Remedy, now known as BMC Helix ITSM, is a high-end ITSM solution designed for large enterprises. As part of the BMC Helix suite, it has evolved into a cloud-native platform that leverages AI and automation to streamline IT Service Management. Remedy is known for its scalability and customization, making it a popular choice for organizations with complex IT environments and heavy service desk demands.
BMC Helix ITSM covers all the core ITIL processes, including Incident, Problem, Change, and Configuration Management. The platform is built to integrate with various enterprise tools, making it ideal for businesses that need a comprehensive ITSM solution that scales with their growth.
BMC Footprints vs Remedy: 8 key differences
When comparing BMC Footprints and BMC Helix ITSM (formerly Remedy), it’s important to highlight the differences that set them apart. While both tools are powerful, they cater to different organizational needs. Let’s look at eight key differences between the two:
1. Deployment options
BMC Footprints is an on-premise solution, giving organizations full control over their infrastructure. BMC Helix ITSM, on the other hand, is primarily a cloud-based platform, offering greater flexibility for businesses that prefer to avoid managing hardware.
2. Customization
Both solutions offer customization, but Helix ITSM allows for more extensive changes due to its cloud-native architecture. Footprints is more limited in this regard, though it still offers flexibility in workflow creation and configuration.
3. Scalability
BMC Helix ITSM is designed to scale with large enterprises, handling a high volume of service requests and incidents. Footprints, while scalable, is better suited for midsize organizations that may not need the full power of Helix ITSM.
4. AI and automation
Helix ITSM stands out for its use of AI-driven automation, particularly in areas like incident management and predictive analytics. Footprints does not have the same level of AI capabilities, making Helix ITSM a more advanced solution for businesses looking to automate routine IT tasks.
ITSM Automation: A Complete Guide for 2024
5. IT Asset Management
While both tools offer IT Asset Management features, Footprints places a stronger emphasis on this capability. It integrates deeply with the service desk to ensure assets are managed throughout their lifecycle. Helix ITSM includes asset management but focuses more on service management automation.
6. User experience
Helix ITSM provides a modern, intuitive user interface, while Footprints has a more traditional layout. This can make Helix ITSM easier to use for teams that value modern UI design, especially for remote or distributed workforces.
7. Licensing costs
Footprints tends to be more affordable, making it a good option for organizations with tighter budgets. Helix ITSM, with its enterprise-level features, comes with a higher price tag, which may not be necessary for smaller organizations.
8. Gartner reviews
According to Gartner, Helix ITSM consistently ranks higher in customer satisfaction due to its advanced features, automation, and cloud capabilities. Footprints receives solid reviews but tends to appeal more to organizations looking for simpler, on-premise solutions. Footprints has 3.8 stars and Helix ITSM has 4.3 stars.
InvGate Service Management as your ITSM tool
If neither BMC Footprints nor Helix ITSM seems like the right fit for your organization, InvGate Service Management could be the solution you’re looking for. Designed to offer a blend of powerful features and ease of use, InvGate Service Management provides a modern ITSM experience without the complexity and high cost of some other solutions.
Unlike the heavy-duty nature of Helix ITSM or the more limited capabilities of Footprints, InvGate Service Management strikes a balance between functionality, usability, and affordability. Let’s explore some of the features that make InvGate Service Management a leading ITSM tool.
1. Ticket Management
InvGate’s Ticket Management system allows IT teams to streamline their service request handling process. With a clear, user-friendly interface, agents can manage tickets with ease, improving response times and reducing resolution times.
The platform offers automation of ticket assignment, categorization, and prioritization, ensuring that critical issues are addressed first. Additionally, teams can use SLA tracking to meet their service level objectives and improve customer satisfaction.
The ABC of Service Request Management
2. Self-service portal
The self-service portal empowers users to submit their own requests, find answers to common issues via a knowledge base, and track the progress of their tickets. This feature reduces the burden on IT staff, as users can solve simple issues on their own.
The portal is intuitive, making it easy for employees to engage with IT without having to navigate a complex system. The result is quicker problem resolution, less time spent on ticket submission, and happier end-users.
3. IT Asset Management
IT Asset Management (ITAM) is seamlessly integrated into the service desk, enabling organizations to track and manage their hardware and software from a centralized platform.
By linking assets with service tickets, InvGate provides full visibility into the lifecycle of each asset, helping organizations make informed decisions about upgrades, replacements, and maintenance. This visibility helps reduce costs and ensures better resource allocation across the organization.
4. Automation and Workflow Management
InvGate Service Management offers robust Automation and Workflow Management capabilities, allowing IT teams to automate routine tasks and optimize their workflows.
With automated ticket assignment, approvals, and escalations, the platform minimizes human intervention in repetitive tasks, freeing up IT staff to focus on more critical work. This automation leads to faster ticket resolution times, improved efficiency, and fewer errors.
Workflow Automation Guide: Definition, Benefits, And Software
5. Reporting and analytics
Reporting and Analytics tools in InvGate Service Management provide comprehensive insights into IT performance.
Teams can generate detailed reports on ticket volumes, resolution times, and SLA compliance, among other metrics. This data helps IT managers identify bottlenecks, track performance against service level agreements, and continually improve service delivery.
6. Collaboration features
InvGate Service Management promotes teamwork through its collaboration features, allowing agents to work together on complex issues. With internal chat, ticket sharing, and integrated notes, IT teams can ensure that no important information is lost during handoffs, improving collaboration and ticket resolution accuracy.
In conclusion
Choosing the right ITSM tool can be challenging, especially with so many options available. While BMC Footprints and Helix ITSM are both powerful solutions, they cater to different organizational needs. Footprints is ideal for those seeking a simpler, on-premise solution, while Helix ITSM offers advanced cloud capabilities for larger enterprises.
However, for organizations looking for a balance of powerful features, ease of use, and affordability, InvGate Service Management presents a compelling alternative. Its ticket management, self-service portal, IT Asset Management, and automation features provide everything you need to run an efficient and effective IT service desk.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the difference between BMC Footprints and Remedy?
BMC Footprints is an on-premise ITSM solution, while Remedy (now part of BMC Helix ITSM) is primarily cloud-based, offering more scalability and automation features.
2. Which is more suitable for small businesses, BMC Footprints or Remedy?
BMC Footprints is generally more suitable for small-to-midsize businesses due to its on-premise deployment and simpler customization options.
3. Is InvGate Service Management better than BMC Helix ITSM?
InvGate Service Management offers a balance of features, ease of use, and affordability, making it an excellent alternative for businesses that find Helix ITSM too complex or expensive.
4. Does BMC Footprints offer cloud deployment?
No, BMC Footprints is an on-premise solution, designed for organizations that prefer to manage their own infrastructure.
5. Can InvGate Service Management integrate with other tools?
Yes, InvGate Service Management integrates with a variety of tools, making it flexible for organizations that use different software solutions in their workflows.
