Looking for a support tool

[Popeye]

We are looking for an ITIL compliant support tool.
For the moment we use Support Magic V4 (1995).
The tools we have heard about are Magic TSD, Remedy, HP Open View and Tivoli.
If anyone knows another application which is worth checking, please let me know.

[Laura L]

We use HP Openview Service Desk, but are evaluating CA Unicenter ServicePlus Service Desk. Gartner ranked it on top.

[MarkH]

We have implemented an ITIL oreinted outsourcing solution for one of our customers, using AR Remedy as the core tool. Although it works out of the box, be prepared to invest plenty of time and money into customising it. After cusomtisation though, it is a very powerful and flexible tool.

[Gav]

We have just spent the last 3 months doing a selection study on ITIL 'compliant' tools (which included HP, Infra and others)

Eventually we decided on a UK product called Marval. Whilst HP is very good, i think Marval was more closely aligned with ITIL and therefore it is our choice.

[ElaineL]

We are in the finishing stages of selecting a tool - we are currently using CA AHD and Magic TSD (2 seperate orgs merging into a single support framework). Our current top selection is Axios Assyst - a tool that was built based on ITIL from the ground up as opposed to the traditional 'big boy' tools that have tried to retrofit. The one thing that I can HIGHLY recommend is to spend enough time developing and documenting YOUR requirements based on the processes you've determined to implement. Then go after your tool selection - you won't be sorry.

[clicker]

[rjp]

We have currently reviewed a number of offerings and have a major system already in place - which we are unhappy with.

I won't recommend a particular solution (or name names) beacause it depends too much on local conditions which one is right for you.

It is interesting to note the 'churn' rate in the industry - I wonder if there are any studies on that Also it doesn't seem to matter which company it is - they all get churned by a significant percentage of their customers.

CA and HP are particularly agressive with their pricing - and it doesn't refelct watered down functionality. However, there does seem to be a strategy to 'create demand' for other products in their stables through getting the Service Desk software onto a site. Watch that you won't be vulnerable to demand creep post-deployment.

For the ITIL "purists" you probably can't go past the Marvel or FrontRange ITSM suites (Don't confuse the later with Heat).

Pink Elephant verification should only be considered an initial guide to the market - it's a paid for service, and not a rigorous as it could be.

As noted by others - no matter which solution you go with you will put a lot of effort into customising it for your environment (provided you are at the right scale to justify the top end systems). So be sure of two things:

1) You carefully scope the extent and cost of the customisation work required in the implementation process.

2) The post-sales relationship you will be in with the successful vendor. (CA pre-sales in my neck of the woods are amazing - I haven't seen better to date - but what happens after you're on baord?) Get reference sites from the vendors that match the scale and nature of your own organisation as closely as possible. And if you can swing it (often the best sites are direct competitors) get on a plane and go meet face to face.

[JANTHR]

Hello:

I have a question about the best-practice…. (ITIL)

I hope to find the answer with you, or they can orient to me with whom I must ask

Do you exists reference where it explains activities of outsourcing en IT? For example: What is the number of computers than can have like load a worker of IT?

My question is because a company of but 1000 employees, it needs to know if it exists to standard or best- practice to contract personnel of outsourcing of IT, depending on the number existing personal computers in this company.

The personnel of outsourcing will be technical support.

Can be solved My question with this information ?

[eisbergsk]

Here in the wilderness we currently use AMDOCS "ClarifyCRM-Clear Support" for Incident Management, HPOpenview "Service Desk 4.5" for Change & Config, my brain and Excel for Problem Management, Knova for our Knowledge Base, and stone tablets and chisels for just about everything else.

most of these are not the original tools, so there has been some churn.
You decide which is the weak link
/Sharon E.

[arif_taiyab]

I am working with IBM canada and we are using TSD(Tivoli Service Desk) and it a good tool for Incident management.

[sunij]

We use Remedy ARS which is very powerful because of its customization features. You can modify it to your need at any time. / Sunil