IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs Ivanti ITSM comparison

Why PeerSpot?

IBM and Ivanti are both solutions in the Help Desk Software category. IBM is ranked #32, while Ivanti is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.3. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Ivanti users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 2, 2026

Ivanti ITSM and IBM SmartCloud Control Desk compete in the IT service management category. Ivanti ITSM seems to have the upper hand due to its cost-effectiveness and flexibility, appealing to smaller organizations, while IBM SmartCloud Control Desk boasts robust features suitable for larger enterprises.

Features:Ivanti ITSM includes automation and AI-driven capabilities, seamless integration with third-party solutions, and advanced ITIL process integration. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk offers powerful workflow automation, comprehensive asset management, and brand reliability appealing to large enterprises.

Room for Improvement:Ivanti ITSM could improve its Mac OS environment reliability, self-service functionalities, and modernize its interface. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk needs a more user-friendly graphical interface, faster technical support response, and modernization of its outdated interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Ivanti ITSM offers hybrid, public cloud, and on-premises deployment options, generally receiving positive feedback on technical support. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is mainly on-premises with limited cloud capabilities and slower technical support.

Pricing and ROI:Ivanti ITSM provides a cost-effective subscription model, ideal for small and mid-sized businesses. In contrast, IBM SmartCloud Control Desk involves yearly licensing fees, impacting costs for larger enterprises. Both promise solid ROI, but Ivanti’s flexible licensing could offer more savings potential.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs. Ivanti ITSM Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs. Ivanti ITSM

August 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Automation Anywhere

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash

Management Consultant at Accenture

Has significantly improved document-driven workflows and reduced processing time across finance and HR functions

Automation Anywhere has evolved significantly and upgraded itself to provide agentic AI and AI-based automation solutions for document automation. The product has matured considerably over time. We can create workflows that can call an API. We can include prompts in particular workflows for ChatGPT-related functions, connecting to an LLM and RAG to perform tasks. For document automation, modern features are available to train documents, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability over time. The system is very easy to use. I recently completed a course in document automation, typically designed for people involved in coding and technical aspects. Though I understand coding comprehensively, I don't do actual coding. The course was very accessible. Currently, extensive coding isn't necessary due to the hybrid model incorporating GenAI aspects, low-code, no-code capabilities, APIs, and numerous pre-built objects in Automation Anywhere. The features include GenAI-driven prompting methods and workflow creation capabilities. In these workflows, we can create decision boxes and call APIs without coding. We simply pull objects, drop them, connect them, and add minimal coding when needed. The most crucial aspect isn't coding but rather sizing the automation and fleshing out the details. Automation Co-pilot takes notes and performs automated analysis. It can extract details from videos, summarize conversations, and provide detailed information. During calls, it identifies instructions and performs tasks such as preparing reports and reconciliation. Automation Anywhere can also connect with Microsoft Co-pilot. Through Co-pilot, real-time operations can be executed, allowing direct interaction between vendors and automation through this component.

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Klemen Muhvič

Computer System Engineer at Informatika d.d.

Has centralization and asset management features, and a helpful and knowledgeable technical support team

What needs improvement in IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is its graphical interface because it needs to be more user-friendly. IBM is a big company, but this solution is a little bit outdated. The most common comment I get from customers is that IBM SmartCloud Control Desk looks old and needs a refresh. Its frontend needs a little bit of work. The solution needs to be more modern. In the programming world, you see a lot of new technologies, but this particular solution is still on Java. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk isn't like web-based service request tools, and that's an area for improvement. What I'd like to see in the next version of the solution is a more upscale technology. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk has small issues with document links and attachments, and those could bother you when you're using it for a long time. A more user-friendly GUI is also another improvement I'd like to see in the next version of the solution, plus a better user experience, and it would be great if IBM could resolve the current issues I've noticed in IBM SmartCloud Control Desk.

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Rajat_Srivastava

Manager - Technical Support at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Has helped streamline ticketing and change management while offering clear documentation support

Documentation and learning materials are available for Ivanti Neurons for ITSM, and if you check the vendor sites, you will find documents for each feature. I believe that short videos should be created and uploaded for newcomers to learn quickly since time can be limited. If a user believes in Ivanti, they should also believe in all its products including Ivanti Neurons for ITSM and Neurons because they are genuinely putting in hard work. This is reflected in the documentation, though I suggest they work on creating more videos. Other than that, you will find everything you need in the community site and documentation site. On a scale of 1-10, I rate Ivanti Neurons for ITSM an 8 out of 10.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The scalability of Automation Anywhere, the framework, and user interface are particularly impressive."

"Overall, the product is very good where the repetitive tasks are more in manufacturing industries and the finance department."

"AA provides multiple features such as Windows actions, Database actions, Conditional Actions, Files/Folder Actions, Loop actions, Internet actions, and Clipboard actions. I have used mostly all of these features."

"The ability to automate repetetive tasks and processing that should not require human intervention."

"With the help of these features, we can automatically fetch data from invoices and websites, which is followed by the automated data entry into the webpage and ERP system."

"In our fund management and fund reconciliation process, we had a lot of headcount. Automation has significantly reduced our FTE count, investing that IT personnel into other work. Also, the quality of the work has slightly improved."

"It is highly accurate and gets up and running in a very short period of time."

"Tasks now don't depend upon the unavailability of certain employees/colleagues to be completed. Also, bots can run all day long which also affects the overall budgets."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"The solution is very easy to work with."

"Overall, it has helped us continuously improve our business processes."

"In general, it's been pretty stable."

"A feature I found most valuable in IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is the service request. Another feature I like most about the solution is IT asset management, which tells you who owns a specific asset in the company and from which date."

"The solution has been stable."

"SLA integrations, reports, and integration with other applications are the most valuable."

"Overall, it's a good product that I would recommend."

"The brand name is the most valuable aspect of this solution for me. It's IBM. It's a global company that supports this product, it's not something open source or something like that."

More IBM SmartCloud Control Desk pros

"The interface, workflow, and dashboards are powerful and easy to manage for tracking KPIs and sharing strategies with our customers."

"It is easy to set up."

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

"HEAT Service Management is a great tool for assets, service desk, and customer service management."

"This is an excellent alternative to ServiceNow for smaller companies."

"What I appreciate about Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is its comprehensive change request management system, which we utilize for server patching, workstation patching, BIOS updates, and driver updates, enabling us to have CAB meetings to discuss changes and approve them before implementation."

"They allow us to automate ticketing processes and create requests more efficiently, improving our overall support operations."

"Ivanti Neurons allows me to adjust our workflow according to our needs."

More Ivanti ITSM pros

Cons

"In the A2019 community edition, while running its taking time to run RPA bots and having few bugs related to IQ Bot server connectivity and other things."

"For the short term, in this pandemic era, they should have a feature to write and save directly into Word documents, Office 365, or Google Docs."

"We have still not explored Automation Anywhere to its full potential, so I will restrict myself from commenting on improvement areas at this time."

"There's potential for Automation Anywhere to integrate conversational types of tools and AI into their tool set, which would be really valuable."

"However, when it comes to the agentic capabilities, there is still a gap where I need to figure out how the token consumption is happening and how my agents are talking with other agents."

"Some things that I do not see as of today are interactive chat or video interface. These are things that I will look for in future. I saw something like picture recognition, but something like a video or voice recognition is something that I'm looking for in the Automation Anywhere platform as an end user and even as a reseller."

"The debugging tools need to be included, for where and why it has failed to execute the bot in a clear manner."

"They can further improve the AI. It is already at a certain level, but it can be improved."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"The solution lacks a graphical user interface."

"The user interface is not very interesting."

"Support has been the biggest problem for us."

"Technical support can be slow in terms of resolving issues."

"The product is kind of clunky to use."

"Overall the user experience, as opposed to the system and databases, could be improved. It does work as it should and it's good, but they should invest more in the user interfaces to be less data oriented and more appealing for the user."

"What needs improvement in IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is its graphical interface because it needs to be more user-friendly. IBM is a big company, but this solution is a little bit outdated. The most common comment I get from customers is that IBM SmartCloud Control Desk looks old and needs a refresh. Its frontend needs a little bit of work. The solution needs to be more modern. In the programming world, you see a lot of new technologies, but this particular solution is still on Java. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk isn't like web-based service request tools, and that's an area for improvement. What I'd like to see in the next version of the solution is a more upscale technology. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk has small issues with document links and attachments, and those could bother you when you're using it for a long time. A more user-friendly GUI is also another improvement I'd like to see in the next version of the solution, plus a better user experience, and it would be great if IBM could resolve the current issues I've noticed in IBM SmartCloud Control Desk."

"The time calculations can be improved. While working on reports, it was taking the time only in seconds, which was hard for me to work out. While creating some dialogs in the service portal, you have to use certain data types in some fields. It was very tricky to make them work. I was testing a certain type of input, and it didn't work. It didn't show me the domain that the fields have to show. I had to make the change to the database, and only then it worked. It was a tricky thing to make them work with the dialogs. Their technical support can also be improved in terms of response time."

More IBM SmartCloud Control Desk cons

"Support needs improvement in terms of responsiveness and timeliness."

"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."

"Areas that have room for improvement with Ivanti Neurons for ITSM might include some of the reliability with Mac devices."

"There is room for improvement in terms of response time. The support team takes a long time to respond."

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

"Perhaps one area that could see enhancement is at the hardware level, particularly regarding endpoint control."

"Because it is so new, the really valuable processes like Release, Availability, and Financial Management are just bare bones."

"They could provide product integration with popular platforms."

More Ivanti ITSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not cheap, but we are able to get an ROI."

"We're just starting to renew our license, and we were quoted $115,000 without the IQ Bot. The IQ Bot is another $30,000. This is with very limited pages, as we go through our first projects. The majority of the cost was for ten days of onsite training."

"I feel the cost of licensing is very high for the A2019 version."

"I am not sure about the costs, but two Bot Runners and four Bot Creators may cost approximately 1CR."

"The control room access gives the ability to create different roles, which helps when purchasing additional licensing."

"The setup and licensing cost is affordable, and it is not exaggerated like UiPath."

"Automation Anywhere pricing and licensing are competitive compared to the other automation vendors."

"We are a partner of Automation Anywhere and find the pricing to be reasonable."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"The license for IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is paid yearly and is on a per-user basis. You buy the product and pay for its license yearly. IBM is changing the licensing structure, but for now, it's a yearly license. There's no additional cost. It's just the license that you need to pay for to use IBM SmartCloud Control Desk."

"The licensing we have for IBM Control Desk is on a yearly basis. They have a concurrent license and an administrative license. And with these, you get all the products. There aren't any additional fees for extra add-ons or anything like that."

"It's basically for a big company because of the costs. A small company can't afford the licensing cost. For medium and large companies, it's the best product. The price of the license is on the higher side compared to others."

"The price is on the higher side. The support is included in the standard licensing fees."

"If you want to add more users who can handle support there will be additional fees. What we call our extensions, we need to pay more for. They tell us that we need to acquire more licenses or something like that. I think it's very expensive, because in terms the pula, our local currency, it's about 20,000 per license for each user. It is an annual fee."

"I came to know from my team members that my company used to operate ServiceNow but shifted to Ivanti Neurons for ITSM due to its low licensing prices."

"The product is affordable for small businesses."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

10%

Performing Arts

13%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Construction Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	157
Midsize Enterprise	82
Large Enterprise	558

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ivanti Neurons for ITSM?

I think the pricing aspect is cost-efficient.

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What needs improvement with Ivanti Neurons for ITSM?

Areas that have room for improvement with Ivanti Neurons for ITSM might include some of the reliability with Mac devi...

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What is your primary use case for Ivanti Neurons for ITSM?

I use this product for patch management, remote access, and endpoint control.

See all answers

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Compared 14% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

August 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk

August 2026

Download IBM SmartCloud Control Desk product report

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti ITSM

August 2026

Download Ivanti ITSM product report

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)

SmartCloud Control Desk

HEAT Service Management

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

IBM

Demo not available

Ivanti

Overview

Automation Anywhere offers ease of use, robust system connectivity, and GenAI-driven document automation through a cloud-native platform, significantly enhancing productivity across multiple industries with advanced AI features.

Delivering a comprehensive suite of tools designed for easy integration and rapid deployment, Automation Anywhere drives efficiency by reducing costs and automating repetitive tasks. Its cloud-native platform supports broad industry adoption, including advanced AI features like process automation and Co-Pilot, streamlining complex workflows with minimal technical skills required. Users benefit from robust integration capabilities, which facilitate seamless interaction with multiple systems. However, there is room for improvement in areas such as user-friendliness for beginners, stability, flexible licensing, and enhanced OCR functionality. Organizations in sectors such as banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare gain from the improved operational efficiency and ROI Automation Anywhere offers.

What are the important features of Automation Anywhere?

Ease of Use: Simplifies automation tasks with a user-centric interface.
Robust Connectivity: Provides seamless integration with multiple systems.
GenAI-Driven Document Automation: Leverages AI to automate document management.
Process Automation & Co-Pilot: Enhances workflow automation with advanced AI.
Cloud-Native Platform: Enables rapid deployment and integration.

What benefits should be evaluated in reviews?

Time Savings: Automation drastically reduces manual processing time.
Cost Efficiency: Decreases overall operational costs by automating tasks.
Productivity Enhancement: Streamlines workflows with AI-driven tools.
Improved Integration: Enhances ability to work with multiple systems.
Scalability: Supports growth with a flexible cloud-native architecture.

In the insurance industry, Automation Anywhere is utilized for automating processes such as enrollment management and compliance checks. Its applications extend to supply chain management, financial transactions, and business performance monitoring across sectors like banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare, helping organizations to automate routine tasks, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Automation Anywhere

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk offers robust integration capabilities, effective SLA integrations, automated workflows, and comprehensive reporting. Its flexibility and centralized request management enhance service efficiency, making it ideal for detailed issue tracking and resolution in IT environments.

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is designed to streamline IT support, ticketing, and incident management. By integrating seamlessly with existing infrastructures, it centralizes service requests and IT asset management. Its automated processes ensure efficiency from initiation to resolution, reducing the chances of oversight. The platform's adaptability supports both on-premises and cloud deployments, making it suitable for industries like telecommunications and IT services. However, users often face challenges with support responsiveness, outdated interfaces, and difficulties with email integration, particularly affecting images and attachments.

What Are the Key Features of IBM SmartCloud Control Desk?

Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with various systems to enhance functionality.
SLA Integrations: Strong service level agreement management ensures SLAs are met.
Automated Workflow: Full automation of processes from start to resolution.
Robust Reporting: Comprehensive reporting tools for detailed insights.
Request Management: Centralized management of service requests and IT assets.

What Benefits and ROI Should Users Seek?

Efficiency: Streamlines operations with automated processes, increasing productivity.
Flexibility: Adapts to organizational changes for better service delivery.
Reliability: Backed by IBM's trusted brand reputation.
Scalability: Scales with demand for growing businesses.

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk is widely implemented in telecommunications and IT services industries. Organizations utilize it for managing IT support, incident resolution, and system monitoring. Its ability to handle both internal and external requests effectively helps businesses streamline client communications and improve service management across different deployment models.

IBM

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM provides a comprehensive suite for automation, integration, and service management. With AI-driven hyper-automation and flexible self-service, it streamlines ticketing and incident management, enhancing productivity with efficient device management across different platforms.

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is a dynamic platform designed for IT service management, offering robust features like hyper-automation and AI-enhanced functionalities. With a powerful service catalog, seamless patch and asset management, and advanced incident handling capabilities, it caters to diverse operational needs. Its intuitive interface supports device management across platforms, enhancing productivity through automatic updates. While valuable for its cost-effectiveness and stability, users note areas for improvement, particularly in non-Windows patching, integration versatility, and regional support.

What are the key features?

Hyper-Automation: Leverages AI for efficient task automation and problem-solving.
Service Catalog: Provides a diverse range of predefined service templates for easy access.
Incident Management: Streamlines ticket handling and resolution processes.
Patch Management: Enhances system security with automated patch deployment.
Cloud Neurons: Offers productivity tools with automatic updates to services.

Which benefits do customers look for?

Cost-Effectiveness: Provides stable and affordable service management solutions.
Enhanced Productivity: Increases efficiency with automated processes and updates.
Ease of Use: Facilitates device management with an intuitive interface across platforms.
Flexibility: Adapts to different organizational configurations and needs.

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is widely implemented across service desks as an ITIL 4-certified system, supporting workflows like server patching, remote access, and incident handling. It aids digital transformation in HR and finance, being user-friendly for end-users while allowing deep configurability for managers. Key sectors benefiting include IT, HR, and finance, where it supports task-specific needs with specialized functionalities.

Ivanti

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics

St Vincent's Health Australia, Kalibrate Pty. Ltd., Cognizant Technology

AFS Group, Auckland Airport, Baylor University, County of Maui, Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Elia, Essentia Health, Government Research Laboratory, Groupe Webhelp, HSBC Africa, Midwestern University

Buyer's Guide

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs. Ivanti ITSM

August 2026

Free Report: IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs. Ivanti ITSM

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs. Ivanti ITSM and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.

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