BMC Helix ITSM vs ServiceNow comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Aug 18, 2022

We performed a comparison between BMC Helix ITSM vs ServiceNow based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Multiple BMC Helix ITSM users say that the initial setup can be complex. Some ServiceNow users say the initial setup is straightforward (when using out-of-box settings), while others say it is complex.
  • Features: Many BMC Helix users mention difficulties with stability and scalability. Users note that it has the power to automate several different tasks in the ITSM world, but it falls short when it comes to integrating with other systems.

    ServiceNow users are happy with its stability and scalability, but some users report that the dashboards and reporting could be improved.
  • Pricing: Both solutions’ users report that their solutions are expensive. BMC Helix ITSM is more affordable than ServiceNow, but users mention that it offers fewer capabilities.
  • ROI: BMC Helix ITSM users make no mention of ROI, whereas numerous ServiceNow users are very pleased with the ROI.

  • Service and Support: Some BMC Helix ITSM users report that support could be better. ServiceNow users report being very happy with their quality of support.

Comparison Results: ServiceNow is the winner in this comparison. Though more expensive, ServiceNow offers more features and better stability, scalability, ROI, and customer support.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC Helix ITSM vs. ServiceNow Report (Updated: May 2023).
708,830 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Q&A Highlights
Question: What Is The Biggest Difference Between BMC Helix and ServiceNow?
Answer: I agree with above analysis, But both tools fit the profile of a big Lego box, a toolbox where you can do almost everything with it but seldom need it. You need for both a lot of technical background to use it properly and the cost are for both on the top of market. you should ask yourself do I need this Best-of-suit approach from both vendors or do I look for better tools for part of the suits : Best-of-breed solution. These days with API's widely available integrations are becoming really easy, so no need anymore for the monolithic best of suit approach from the big tech vendors. And if you look closely to the big Lego boxes under the hood, it's still is a very complex integration spaghetti from all the different acquisitions and technologies. Why not go for best of breed approach and compare the fundamental difference between a "Lego" based vendor and a "Playmobil" vendor. Happy to help out.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution can perform well for large-sized companies.""BMC Helix ITSM gives us email and SMS notifications, we can check the tickets, and give feedback. All the basic features that we need are available.""The most valuable features of BMC Helix ITSM are its customization ability and the addition of new features. As a built-in Suite, it covers all that is needed in the IT guidelines, which is good. Each customer has their own needs, and the customization the solution provides is beneficial.""The Helix chatbot is helpful, and we can use its workflow features to automate some of the use cases for our clients.""The digital workplace is appealing.""It provides a good user experience.""The most valuable features of BMC Helix ITSM are the collaboration, integrated with the help of another solution called Entity. We can do all the integration and receive an automatic ticket with the help of email. We are able to receive SMS alerts to clients and end users. Every step of the ticket is generated and we are able to resolve and close them. It's very helpful to have the ability to inform the user with detailed information.""BMC offers excellent customer solutions, and they're quick to address bugs or shortcomings in their product."

More BMC Helix ITSM Pros →

"The thing that I like most about it is the easy integration with the CMDB. I'm able to look at the CMDB for applications and develop my assessments and attestations based on the application and point them at that application owner. So, I can really automate the whole thing.""Straightforward tool.""I prefer ServiceNow to the competition because of its ease of use, installation and configuration.""Remote access is most valuable.""The subsequent chain of tasks, I believe, is valuable.""Flexibility is the most valuable feature of ServiceNow, that is, being able to modify it to do what we need it to do.""For the nuts and bolts running of an IT organization, I can't really say there's anything lacking feature-wise.""The workflow makes things extremely efficient and it improves effectiveness."

More ServiceNow Pros →

Cons
"When BMC Helix ITSM did some upgrades it caused some issues. They have fixed some of the problems but more improvement is needed.""The notifications that the solution is providing are very helpful, they should keep improving them for the future.""Our middleman provider limits the available functionality so we cannot even do our own analytics.""The interface isn't that great.""The search feature and the dashboard could both be improved.""Helix needs to enhance some of its functionality with the latest technology. For example, Helix could improve its chatbot automation to automate more use cases.""I would like to see the BMC add advanced DWP features and customization to the standard package. Furthermore, BMC does not have any leverage for non-IT services, so it would be nice if BMC could integrate something like HR Change Management into ITSM itself.""Log in process is unnecessarily complicated."

More BMC Helix ITSM Cons →

"We can't update bulk tickets using a simple query language. Jira lets us update hundreds of tickets with one command. In ServiceNow, you need to select each task separately to close them. The dashboards could also be more user-friendly. Monday.com has better dashboards.""The capital expenditure neeed to get the tool up and running is extensive.""Before implementing this solution, you should have the ITSM model in place for chain management requests. That is a prerequisite because you cannot perform tasks without it.""Vulnerability management could be improved. Also, integration with tools such as Microsoft Defender ATP needs improvement.""The interface can be a bit more intuitive.""It would be nice if we could, with some specific access rights, move histories from one squad to another, as they generate dependencies or duplicate or flag them.""Licensing costs are very high.""An area for improvement would be the accessibility of downloaded and compressed files."

More ServiceNow Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "BMC is a little bit cheaper than ServiceNow, but BMC doesn't have the same capabilities in its entry-level product at the moment. The basic version does not have the DWP features that most of our customers are requesting."
  • "There are licenses to use this solution."
  • "It's a yearly subscription but there are a couple of customers who go for the monthly subscription."
  • "The price of BMC Helix ITSM could improve their price."
  • "We did not compare the price of BMC Helix ITSM to other vendors. However, it has a mid-range price."
  • "The price of BMC Helix ITSM is expensive."
  • More BMC Helix ITSM Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "I have found the solution very expensive."
  • "We are happy with the pricing."
  • "The pricing is on the high side, but if you look at the stability and option to work, it's kind of justified."
  • "Getting the solution up and running is expensive."
  • "In Tunisia, the companies find the licensing costs to be expensive."
  • "While the option exists to pay for a monthly license, we are dealing with large enterprises and these typically involve multi-year licenses of ten or five years, at a minimum."
  • "For the modules we use, we found it competitive. I can't think of any costs in addition to the licensing fees."
  • "There is an annual subscription to use this solution."
  • More ServiceNow Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Answers from the Community
    Miriam Tover
    JS4 - PeerSpot reviewerJS4
    User

    BMC Helix (Remedy) is not a new product release from BMC. This is a relaunched SaaS offering from BMC under a new Package called as Helix previously known as RemedyOnDemand. Having said that, the Helix seems much more than RemedyOnDemand used to offer. With Helix, the customer has the option to choose a cloud - BMC Cloud, AWS and MS Azure. The core products are Remedy ITSM, Digital workplace (MyIT/SmartIT) mobile apps, BMC Discovery, BMC Business workflows (case management solution for LOB). The supported products are Remedy Single-Sign-On, BMC Client Management, and BMC Client Gateway. These are all available today On-Premise as well. The deployment technology is no longer the old method of installations and configurations on a VM. The new technology that BMC Helix brings is Containerisation. The Docker and Kubernetes container technologies help in provisioning the Helix Products within a day and thus you are ready to configure/customized to suit your business needs from day two itself. Further, Helix offers cognitive capabilities for your ITSM with solutions completely built on cloud - Chatbot and AI automation powered by IBM Watson. Innovation suite platform - a microservices based architecture and integrations through REST APIs. The innovation suite offers an integration studio with few in-built connectors as well like Jira, Service Cloud, etc. You can further build your own connectors using the integration controller within the innovation suite platform.

    So to summarise my view - Helix offers a lot to the customer within one single package and must be given a shot as it brings a choice of cloud, container technology and cognitive capabilities for the products which are already known and popular in the ITSM world.

    RahulPriyadarshy - PeerSpot reviewerRahulPriyadarshy (Tata Consultancy Services)
    Real User

    BMC Helix- BMC Applications As Service (ITSM, Discovery, Monitoring) deployable on any cloud as per your choice using Containers. I think BMC is now making things to work in Cloud and work as SaaS.

    ServiceNow- Hosted on in Its own Dcs . You do not have Choice to Choose Cloud but you can choose DC/Region as per your PO. Still I feel ServiceNow ECO System is designed for Pure SaaS model.

    Akansha Bakshi - PeerSpot reviewerAkansha Bakshi
    Reseller

    There are several differences between in Service and BMC Helix ITSM As BMC Helix ITSM is a fully internationalized environment: one can localize the labels, messages (system-generated messages), notifications, and the currency used in an application.AI is affecting every part of our lives, including IT Service Management. IT operations are connected to every other part of the business and thus ITSM plays an important role in the business to improve the overall performance. Here are the top ITSM Trends we feel will impact businesses in 2020. BMC Helix- BMC Applications As Service (ITSM, Discovery, Monitoring)

    deployable on any cloud as per your choice using Containers. I think BMCis now making things work in Cloud and work as SaaS.



    Digitalization is rapidly changing the face of ITSM. The traditional service desk is evolving into an AI-powered service management platform. Employees are demanding a consumer world-like experience that is intuitive, omnichannel, fast, and seamless. Employee experience has taken a center stage now.


    According to Gartner reports, 40% of the enterprises will adapt AIOPS (Artificial Intelligence for IT operations) by 2022. AI-enabled customer-facing service desk support will increase by 25% by 2020 leveraging virtual customer assistants and chatbots. Let’s take a look at the new advances in the ITSM platform. From my point of view,  Helix offers a lot to the customer within one single package and must be given a shot as it brings a choice of cloud, container technology and cognitive capabilities for the products which are already known and

    popular in the ITSM world.

    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:There are several differences between in Service and BMC Helix ITSM As BMC Helix ITSM is a fully internationalized environment: one can localize the labels, messages (system-generated messages)… more »
    Top Answer:There are plugins to the solution that have come onto the market, so the solution should also be updated in terms of administration to increase efficiency. That is why we have come up with other… more »
    Top Answer:The short answer is that OutSystems is far better for 2 main reasons. Firstly, with Service Now you are locked into that platform for good. The business model is to lock in and then keep pumping the… more »
    Top Answer:Hi Netanya, I will choose ServiceNow because ServiceNow is a very good tool compared to Microsoft PowerApp.  Because ServiceNow has a very strong module (Performance Analysis) reporting which will… more »
    Top Answer:Operations and maintenance costs have been reduced using this solution. We have been able to deliver faster solutions to our customers and track progress using live data.
    Ranking
    7th
    out of 59 in Help Desk Software
    Views
    9,388
    Comparisons
    5,213
    Reviews
    23
    Average Words per Review
    401
    Rating
    7.5
    1st
    out of 59 in Help Desk Software
    Views
    55,516
    Comparisons
    34,136
    Reviews
    45
    Average Words per Review
    550
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Remedy ITSM, Remedy, Helix Remedy
    Learn More
    Overview

    BMC Helix ITSM is a cutting-edge IT service management platform that leads the service management industry. It is built natively for mobile with an intuitive, beautiful, people-centric user experience that makes your whole organization more productive. This platform leverages artificial intelligence to automate and streamline various service management processes. In doing so, it will ultimately make your organization more efficient. This simple-to-use platform is capable of handling even your organization’s most advanced management requirements.

    BMC Helix ITSM is a predictive platform that does not simply wait for problems to occur. The advanced analytics software aims to improve your organization’s efficiency by spotting weak areas and then proposing solutions. This platform can improve your resource deployment efficiency by as much as 45% .This is why it is trusted by corporations across a variety of industries.

    Key Features

    Some of BMC Helix ITSM’s key features include:

    • Solves service issues in a way that makes you more efficient. BMC Helix ITSM employs advanced analytic software that searches for areas where your organization can drive efficiencies to provide the best possible service.
    • Groups issues that recur in a way that streamlines both analysis and incident management. It uses artificial intelligence to identify and solve groups of incidents in real time. The AI automates these processes, which can prove both tedious and time-consuming.
    • Securely and seamlessly provides services across multi-cloud environments with “a single pane of glass” interface. This allows you to be highly flexible. You can configure your services in a number of different ways without having to worry that your multi-cloud environment won’t be able to support your service management.
    • The ability to view all of your management data in a way that provides you with clear insights into your system’s management. BMC Helix ITSM enables you to create custom reports and dashboards. This makes it possible for you to see any and all significant trends in your operations and services data.

    Reviews from Real Users

    BMC Helix ITSM’s software stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two of these are the robust activity tracking features and the lightweight nature of the solution.

    A PeerSpot user who is a technical Program Manager and Site Lead at a computer software company notes the nature of Helix’s task tracking when they write, “The most valuable features I have found are the activity logs. Additionally, the other features where you are able to continuously address issues and are able to annotate notes inside to convey them to the customer. The customer can read the notes and are able to know where you are in the procedures and process of fixing the problem for them. It has a good interactive piece for dialogue with customers where you do not have to interact with them personally, but they can do it on their own just by going into that activity log. This is great for the customer to have the ability to find out how things are being progressively taken care of.”

    Another PeerSpot user, who is a Practice Director of Global Infrastructure Services at a computer software company, notes, “Many other tools are similar. I've used these tools and find that they meet my requirements. Helix is more lightweight than these tools. It's a traditional tool that was developed more than 10 years ago. Ease of use is the operative word.”

    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.

    Offer
    Learn more about BMC Helix ITSM
    Learn more about ServiceNow
    Sample Customers
    Brookfield, HealthSouth Corporation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Mercator, SAP, Stanford University
    AAA, AstraZeneca, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Broadcom, Christus Health, Epicor, Equinix, GE Capital, Intuit, KPMG, Loyola Marymount University, OshKosh, Quantas, RedHat, Royal Bank of Scotland, Swiss Re, U.S. Department of Energy, Safeway, Yale University, and Zillow    
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Manufacturing Company15%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Comms Service Provider13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Government10%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Financial Services Firm16%
    Insurance Company9%
    Healthcare Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Educational Organization10%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Government9%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise62%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise70%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise64%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise65%
    Buyer's Guide
    BMC Helix ITSM vs. ServiceNow
    May 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about BMC Helix ITSM vs. ServiceNow and other solutions. Updated: May 2023.
    708,830 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    BMC Helix ITSM is ranked 7th in Help Desk Software with 23 reviews while ServiceNow is ranked 1st in Help Desk Software with 47 reviews. BMC Helix ITSM is rated 7.4, while ServiceNow is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of BMC Helix ITSM writes "Reliable with a good front end and very robust". On the other hand, the top reviewer of ServiceNow writes "Unified platform with a real-time view of assets and performance, and the support is responsive". BMC Helix ITSM is most compared with JIRA Service Management, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, IBM Maximo, IFS Applications and Zendesk Guide, whereas ServiceNow is most compared with Microsoft Power Apps, Pega BPM, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, JIRA Service Management and Appian. See our BMC Helix ITSM vs. ServiceNow report.

    See our list of best Help Desk Software vendors and best IT Service Management (ITSM) vendors.

    We monitor all Help Desk Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.