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 #10 with an average rating of 8.2. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Ivanti users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 3, 2026

Ivanti ITSM and IBM SmartCloud Control Desk are competitors in the IT service management category. Ivanti appears to have the upper hand thanks to its automation capabilities, flexibility, and cost-effective pricing, appealing to businesses of various sizes.

Features: Ivanti ITSM offers comprehensive automation, self-service functionalities, and robust integration. It provides effective patch management and service request capabilities. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk stands out with its asset management, workflow capabilities, and integration options, although its automation is less robust than Ivanti's.

Room for Improvement: Ivanti ITSM could benefit from improved customization in its self-service portal and better integration support. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk users report dissatisfaction with its outdated interface and limited graphical features. Both could enhance technical support and response times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ivanti ITSM offers diverse deployment options, including hybrid and public cloud services, with generally positive customer support feedback, despite some concerns over initial costs. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk, primarily an on-premises solution, faces criticism for slower support response times.

Pricing and ROI: Ivanti ITSM is regarded as cost-efficient with a subscription-based model and lower fees, delivering significant ROI through operational efficiency. IBM SmartCloud Control Desk involves higher licensing costs but provides value to larger enterprises through manageable annual fees and robust enterprise-level features.

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

Buyer's Guide

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs. Ivanti ITSM

September 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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reviewer2809476

Technical Account Manager at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

Unified endpoint control has improved patch workflows and streamlined remote device management

I like the patch management side of things in this solution. You can set deployment rings so patches are rolled out in phases rather than hitting everyone at once, which reduces risk. I quite like that feature. I also appreciate the endpoint visibility when you're in the dashboard. You can see device health, the compliance status, software inventory, and other information all in one place without jumping between tools. Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is a key tool and is very important to my service delivery efficiency. Since implementing it and having used it for two years, the ease of use is a significant advantage because it covers Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android, so I can operate and manage devices all from the same console. This is good in a mixed device environment. From a Windows perspective, the BitLocker key retrieval feature is very helpful. The analytics and reporting tools in this product are helpful. I can see device health and out-of-warranty status. This is crucial in keeping our environment up to date and secure.

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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

"Working with the Automation Anywhere application is very easy in our environment."

"Automation Anywhere has helped in automating business processes for simple to complex business cases and also helped in understanding, learning, and discovering new automation ideas."

"Our onboarding process was pretty good. We got access to all software that we needed to learn and utilize. The Automation Anywhere University is really good. In our business, the person who was onboarding us helped us to understand how to create a center of excellence and what verticals we needed to improve. So, the support was there. We are gradually becoming a center of excellence ourselves."

"The Control Room is the most important feature, where we can manage the bots and publish to various bot runners in the environment."

"In terms of monetary savings, we automated a bot in three days that has saved us $30,000 in costs."

"This product makes my life easier."

"Training videos are very good and include detailed examples, which is really helpful for beginners."

"Excel automation is especially helpful because a lot of small companies are still using Excel as their data storage."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"The most valuable are its flexibility and agility. It's quick to change it, to adapt it to your needs. That's the most important for us."

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

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

"What I like about the Control Desk is that everything is centralized, you have all the requests in one place, you know which ones are for whom and who is working on them, so you have one big package and nothing is lost."

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

"In the early stages of our company, all requests were done in notebooks, and none of it was centrally managed. But now we have a central tool which is an entry point for all requests that come in."

"The solution has been stable."

"The solution is very easy to work with."

More IBM SmartCloud Control Desk pros

"Our First Call Close rate for the Service Desk was 70-80% once we got all the workflows and Notes and Question screens populated."

"Primarily, I believe the focus lies on discovery, workflow configuration, and automation."

"My advice to others considering Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is that it is a good platform to obtain comprehensive help in one location, and users can utilize this platform comfortably."

"I like Cloud Neurons. Since it's a cloud version, it's much easier to enhance productivity because it collects all the information automatically."

"The solution is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface."

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

"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."

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

More Ivanti ITSM pros

Cons

"OCR capability needs to become better."

"I would like to see more bots available right out-of-the-box in the SAP area."

"The solution could improve the integration with some web applications. It was difficult to manage them."

"The implementation process is complex, as there is integration with other applications."

"We encountered issues during the upgrade of the framework. We were using the older framework of version 10.3.5. When we were upgrading, we were having a few issues in terms of getting the proper hardware and software prerequisites. For some things, like getting the controls of some of the application's tools, we were getting Automation Anywhere's help."

"We had had issues with scalability. Recently, we had a use case which we were working on, but we could not do it because Automation Anywhere could not connect to the system."

"Automation Anywhere can be improved by offering more integration with many more applications."

"What I am suggesting, when using A2019, if there are any additional features to exclude those antivirus scans until after my task is completed, then the antivirus can start scheduling. Then, I can easily tell the client that the priority are running and the Automation Anywhere scans can wait until after the release."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"The solution lacks a graphical user interface."

"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."

"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."

"It could use more facility or flexibility for reporting, and business intelligence in the tool."

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

"The user interface is not very interesting."

"The main issue that we hear from our customers is that the self-service user interface is a little bit old, possibly due to the fact that IBM is such a large enterprise company. People say that they think they're in the year 2004, because you can very clearly see that the technology is lagging behind modern trends."

"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."

More IBM SmartCloud Control Desk cons

"Currently, the solution only supports SOAP web services, but a REST interface is on the roadmap and has been confirmed for mid-next year."

"Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is not a user-friendly tool when compared to ServiceNow."

"They could provide product integration with popular platforms."

"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."

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

"There's a lack of integration with other products. This needs to be improved."

"Ivanti Neurons for ITSM's support model is not very strong. You should buy professional services. Its self-service portal and survey are extremely lacking. You cannot customize it, and it doesn't look very good. The solution does not have a strong community."

"I believe that short videos should be created and uploaded for newcomers to learn quickly since time can be limited."

More Ivanti ITSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's fine. However, I'm concerned with the credits in terms of the pricing for the AI models. It is understandable that the new ones are more expensive, but the base models, after doing the pricing conversion, cost about four to ten times as much as paying directly."

"I'm not sure what the monthly licensing cost is, as that is taken care of by another team, but I would say it's around $100,000."

"We are not receiving the right information about their features, e.g. Automation Anywhere University, or anything that they are selling. They need to improve their documentation."

"No one is balking at the cost. They are market rates and will change, but no one is saying, "That is ridiculous or impossible." They are saying, "Show me the ROI and prove that the cost is accurate.""

"The major reason that we selected Automation Anywhere was the licensing model."

"It's an ideal pricing model to customize the components based on everyone's needs."

"We have purchased licenses, but are trying to obtain more bot programmer licenses."

"The ROI is really good. We have saved time and money."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"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 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."

"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 product is affordable for small businesses."

"My customers do direct sales with Ivanti, and they complain that Ivanti Automation is more expensive than other solutions."

"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."

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

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

13%

Performing Arts

12%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	161
Midsize Enterprise	86
Large Enterprise	561

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	8

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 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

October 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk

October 2026

Download IBM SmartCloud Control Desk product report

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti ITSM

October 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, Ivanti Automation

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 ITSM offers powerful automation with AI integration, featuring customizable service management solutions like self-service, Self Heal, service catalog, and ticketing systems, supporting incident, change, and asset management.

Ivanti ITSM combines stability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, providing automation and AI-driven enhancements for handling incidents, changes, and assets. Users highlight its easy customization, user-friendly interface, and seamless integration with third-party tools. Notable for its patch management, endpoint visibility, and powerful workflows, Ivanti ITSM allows tailored service requests and comprehensive IT management, suitable for large and small enterprises. However, it requires enhancements for integration with non-Windows systems and some third-party tools, particularly improving self-service portal, UI, language localization, and support documentation. Configuration requirements, patching, and pricing models are also noted as areas needing refinement.

What are the standout features of Ivanti ITSM?

Self-Service Portal: Empowers users to resolve common issues independently.
Automation and AI: Drives efficiency with automated workflows and AI integration.
Service Catalog: Provides a structured offering of service requests and solutions.
Ticketing System: Streamlines incident tracking and resolution processes.
Patch Management: Ensures up-to-date and secure IT environments.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Customizability: Enables adaptation to specific IT needs.
Cost Efficiency: Offers scalable solutions without excessive costs.
Third-Party Integration: Facilitates seamless interaction with existing tools.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies adoption and day-to-day use.
Scalability: Supports growing and diverse IT requirements.

Ivanti ITSM is implemented widely in sectors like HR and finance for digital transformation, leveraging ITIL-certified processes and customizable workflows for comprehensive service desk operations. Its integration of intelligent chatbots and central support centers addresses IT needs efficiently, favored by organizations seeking ServiceNow alternatives.

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

September 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: September 2026.

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