What is our primary use case?
We use this solution primarily for event management, aggregation, correlation, and analytics. It has moved from simple correlation to AIOps and helps us and our customers move towards AIOps. In addition, the regional ITOM has been valuable.
We measure the challenges we face when detecting an anomaly based on thresholds, KPIs, or application infrastructures. We assess the three Ws of what, where and why. That has been the most valuable feature for any administrator, service, IT operator or support agent.
What needs improvement?
There needs to be a focus on AI machine learning production. Their AI ML prediction algorithms have been improving, but we would like to see further enhancements. We don't need both Splunk and ServiceNow IT Operations Management. The problem with ServiceNow is that it allows you to coexist, but we don't want to coexist as partners or end users. We want to be able to replace and save some bugs and money.
It should have better integrations with other solutions. For example, rather than out-of-the-box level integrations, it would be good to have tools like SolarWinds, ManageEngine, or any monitoring tool. In addition, the tool plethora is changing fast, and we have some custom tools in the cloud with Google and AWS Azure. So we want those integrations to be enhanced with ServiceNow.
Another issue is that the licensing model is becoming too cumbersome on the DICOM side. Their standard professional enterprise is becoming too onerous with many advanced features, and with their recent acquisitions, they are still figuring out some things. For example, Loom Systems is used to enhance their ITOM AI ML. They also recently brought in a few other tools like Asari. We want all of these to be merged under one roof, so instead of us preparing multiple modules, we would be happier if we could have Asari integrated with ITOM and other advanced analytics.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. Once it is set up, it flows, and the data metrics are captured. Unlike an IP on an IPBM, we might create new workflows, so the challenges of having a tech step do not exist. Once it is set up, it's straightforward. I think there is only a pre-defined set of things you can utilize, so it is stable. We have about 15,000 nodes.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is relatively scalable. It is scalable if you view scalability within a simple ecosystem or the same ecosystem where you add devices and endpoints within the same subnet network. There are no challenges in this case, and it may require a few licenses. However, if we are acquiring another company or expanding geographically, we have to set up a mid-server for the subnets of the new offices and network locations, which can make the scalability complex. Therefore, the scalability in an existing setup is straightforward, but it becomes complex if ramped up.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support has been a bit challenging because if we raise a ticket regarding a lost asset, it takes a while to hear back and resolve the issue. However, they are very responsive if it is a simple issue. The overall support and knowledge of the technical support team are decent. However, there is still room for improvement. Therefore, I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of IT Operations Management was not that straightforward and was relatively complex. It was complicated because one of the prerequisites to have a full-flow ITOM is to have a discovery dependency on all mapping. Composing this discovery with an agent-based discovery and setting up the mid-server takes time. In other implementations, you can start on the SaaS platform without integration and have separate tickets running separately with just an email. But for an ITOM, it gets tricky because you have to set up your discovery where you keep your dependency topology mapping in place and where you get your CMD.
Therefore, based on the scope that needs to be covered, it can become pretty complex if it is a hybrid environment. An AIOps could be fairly difficult from an implementation perspective. If you don't get AIOps on day one, you have to run it for probably three to six months before collecting enough events and data logs to churn out those analytics. I rate the setup a six out of ten.
What was our ROI?
ROI is fair because it takes time to realize benefits within the first year. However, the ROI is decent after that because all the hardware and software have complete visibility. There is access to the entire tech desk, and tech refresh and asset lifecycle management are under control. So, it could take 18 to 24 months for a medium to large enterprise to see an ROI. Therefore, I rate the ROI a six out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
ServiceNow IT Operations Management is very expensive. The list price is around $40 per node per month for the high-end, all-inclusive version. So because it is somewhat expensive, an enterprise customer won't put all their nodes on it and would rather use only the production environment. The solution does not distinguish between production and non-production for the nodes. We spend roughly $250,000 US dollars on this solution a month. I rate the pricing a two out of ten, with ten being competitive and one being expensive. The pricing could be better.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Splunk is a close comparison to this solution and would be an alternative as it has heavy application dependency. Other alternative solutions are AppDynamics and New Relic, and the main difference between ServiceNow IT Operations Management and other solutions is the accompanying features. ServiceNow IT Operations Management has service mapping, impact management, metric intelligence and health of analytics. If we want to know the health of any assets, we can do that with ServiceNow. AppDynamics can do that to a degree through a business impact manager but not to the degree that ServiceNow can.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution a seven out of ten. It would be good if there were a focus on application performance management. In addition, they could improve cloud capabilities from an event management correlation perspective.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner