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OpenText Service Management (SMAX) vs SCSM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 19, 2025

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

OpenText Service Management...
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
16th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SCSM
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
10th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (11th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is 2.1%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SCSM is 1.5%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Service Management (ITSM)
 

Featured Reviews

Evgeniy Kolotilov - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers a range of tools for sales and configuration that can be used in banks and telecom companies
The deployment takes three months. In this process, customers need to allocate resources like networks, data storage, and images. They then need to decide which business functions they intend to use in production and perform some basic configurations. Custom documentation is prepared and provided for user renewals and administration. I would rate the experience of the initial setup a nine out of ten.
PraveenSharma3 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced remote functionality complements intricate admin management
We are using it as co-management, working from SCCM and some from Intune. However, there are dissimilarities between SCCM and Intune, so we use SCCM for specific tasks or policies Currently, with the system, we have some remote tool functionality which is not available with Intune. We are also…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) are that it is user-friendly, easy to configure, and adaptable."
"OpenText Service Management Automation X provides valuable features such as topic analytics for incident and problem management. It also includes natural language processing for analyzing technical descriptions. Additionally, it features a virtual chatbot capable of processing natural language to interact effectively with end users. This service enhances customer support and is not subject to the limitations often found in offerings from other vendors."
"It offers a range of tools for sales and configuration. It's like a business process improvement platform, suitable for various lines of business operations."
"This is a cordless application that can be used throughout any organization."
"The product provides an interface for the end users to make requests."
"The tool is very easy to use."
"The remote access is one of the features I really enjoy. The pushing of email updates and things like that are very good."
"This solution is easy to use."
"The solution's setup process is relatively straightforward due to the familiar deployment steps similar to other Microsoft solutions."
"I've used SCSM a lot, and its features are valuable."
"We use SCSM to manage all of our IT operations, including incident and service requests and problem management."
"SCSM is easy to learn because all of the material, including training videos, can be found online."
"This product has helped our organization by allowing people to connect with each other."
"The solution is quite easy to integrate with other Microsoft products."
 

Cons

"The product's connectivity with third-party products is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The contract management feature can be improved."
"The solution lacks sufficient documentation."
"The tool has negatively impacted our productivity."
"The initial setup of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) is complicated, but once it is set up the configuration is straightforward to adapt to the users' or customers' needs."
"Mobile application integration would be an improvement."
"Although some engineers at Microsoft are good, the support often lacks expertise, and response times are slow."
"The price of this solution is high and it needs to be cheaper."
"The logs and reporting-related features of the product have certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"Resources for understanding compliance and relative compliance need to be made available."
"It would be better if they had a portal for administrators. It would help me use it from anywhere and connect to any device from anywhere. I can administer the solution without a VPN."
"It crashes our client's computers. Sometimes they get blue screens. It would be useful if SCSM could check the upgrades or patches before we implemented them to see if they are going to crash a client's system. Or, if it does install, and the client's system crashes, it would be good if the solution could revert back somehow."
"They might be looking for additional functionalities that SCSM could integrate."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of the license for SMAX varies depending on the configuration, including the number of seats for users and the customer's specific requirements. It's not a fixed cost and can vary."
"The solution is somewhat cheaper than the competitors."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The license for SCSM is cheap."
"I would rate the pricing as two out of five."
"It is a lower price vs. other things on the market."
"It comes free with the enterprise agreement that we have, but the expense really is in having to buy another product to sit on top of it to make it work properly. You wind up having to buy additional support and additional product with their own support and maintenance costs on top of that."
"The platform is competitively priced."
"The price of the solution could be better. My organization has an enterprise annual license with Microsoft which provides us support."
"The price should be lower."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
8%
Government
26%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?
The solution is used for the end-user portal. It is used for incident management, requests, and other informational purposes.
What advice do you have for others considering Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?
The tool is appropriate if we don't have a complicated use case. It is the right tool for simple use cases. It's a lot cheaper than ServiceNow. It is an appropriate tool for a smaller business or m...
What do you like most about SCSM?
The solution offers good productivity at a low price point.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SCSM?
We acquired SCSM for free with our Microsoft Endpoint Manager purchase, and we only paid for the integration process.
What needs improvement with SCSM?
From an admin point of view, Intune has more features and is easier to manage compared to SCCM. SCCM is a little complex for the admin point of view. Although some engineers at Microsoft are good, ...
 

Also Known As

OpenText Service Manager, Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)
System Center Service Manager
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Zurich Airport, Envirosuite, Norsk Helsenett, Achmea, University of Milan, World Vision, Petroleum Development Oman, Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT).
Fibabanka, UMC Health System
Find out what your peers are saying about OpenText Service Management (SMAX) vs. SCSM and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
858,038 professionals have used our research since 2012.