I have also used ManageEngine.

I have experience with workstations under Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server, and a lot of other Microsoft tools.

I have experience with third-party applications like ManageEngine.

I have previously used SMS by Microsoft, which is System Management Software. I have also used a similar solution in the Mac ecosystem called Jamf.

Several things could be done in Jamf that could not be done in SCSM, such as custom attributes or tagging. In Jamf, I could build several reports based on custom attributes that were straightforward to define for dynamic group memberships. And SCSM is different. If you have a specific need in Jamf, you can cover it easily. But in SCSM, you have to tweak something, and that's quite complex. The two ecosystems target different client and customer needs. I cannot compare them because both of them, in their specific cases, are covering specific needs. SCSM or Intune for Windows devices is pretty good, and Jamf for Mac devices are both good. But as Mac and Windows are completely different stories, the tools used for managing one or the other are also decent. If Microsoft has to learn something from Jamf, it would be custom attributes or tagging.

The main difference between SCSM and similar solutions is integration. Microsoft can seamlessly integrate with all of the other solutions. There are some products that also integrate well, but it requires somebody with experience to implement it.

We also have experience with Ivanti and it is the clear winner if we compare these two. It does not have the same difficulties with deployment and the user interface is better.

We did previously use a different solution. It was something that we had developed internally.

We previously used SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) and SCCPM (Software Configuration, Change, and Process Management).  

We actually still use all of these solutions. We just apply them in different use cases.  

I was using the product in 2012 and after that, I left it for a while because I had to use a different solution for a different purpose and a different job. I had just been switching between jobs and doing this or that. For a time, I was using BMC Remedy and I was managing to work with it pretty well. It was deployed by the client. At that time, I was working with Huawei.

BMC Remedy, too, is a good solution. Then I changed jobs again and, for a while, I used an open-source solution called iTop. It is an exact copy of BMC Remedy with only a few things missing. So between times where I was working with System Center, it was a quite long time — more than five years. Now I am working with it again as a service manager myself.

At my current job, I'm a consultant. So when the vendor told me they were going to use System Center in 2016, I had to learn how everything worked again. I knew the product before and it was good. After we did a small deployment and went to see the demos, we decided to go with SCSM. We told our clients that it would work perfectly. We started working on a big government project that I needed to add sites, or apps, and some other items which are not actually IT. I hadn't done these things before so it was not very easy at first, but it was possible. You just needed to add and define a new clause and you could do many things. After that, we realized it was pretty easy and that we could add anything that we wanted. That type of flexibility was really an attractive point.

The solution we had previously was more manual. We had to physically go to the computer to update everything.

I also work on ServiceNow, Service Manager is nothing comparable to ServiceNow. You cannot really compare it to ServiceNow. The majority of market share is divided between BMC Remedy, ServiceNow, and Avanti Service Manager. Now they are all challenging SCSM and trying to get into the market. Although they are doing a good job, I have experienced using ServiceNow. I do have some knowledge about Avanti Service Manager, however. 

There's a good product that is suitable also for small and medium enterprises which like ManageEngine Servicedesk Plus. I had experienced it more than eight years ago. I had implemented the tool in my environment or in my work back then and it was very good and I loved working with it but I'm not working with it anymore.

Service Manager is not doing very well because, for example, there is no default web application and in order to use Service Manager we have to use the desktop console which is a disadvantage. If we need to have a web console or web application then we need to buy a solution from a third party company. 

Since the other products are already web-based applications, we don't need to buy a third-party solution to have access. It just seems to be the case with Service Manager that there's only the desktop. It is one of the main disadvantages along with the issues surrounding reporting. The reporting is very poor in Service Manager unless you have someone who has good skills and a strong technical background.

I didn’t choose SCSM, but was forced to work with it.

Previously, I used two in-house developed tools, ManageEngine and CA Service Desk Manager.