BMC, Ivanti and ServiceNow are the leaders on Gartner’s new Magic Quadrant for IT service management (ITSM) tools.

ITSM tools are mostly used by IT service desks and IT service delivery functions. They support tasks and workflows for processes including incident, request, problem, change, service level, knowledge and configuration management.

ITSM tools are classified based on capabilities and integration with IT operations management (ITOM) solutions.

Among the qualifications for the Magic Quadrant, vendors needed to have at least $40 million in annual revenue derived from ITSM products in 2019. If not, they needed at least $30 million in annual revenue derived from ITSM products during 2019, with at least 20% year-over-year growth compared to 2018.

BMC

BMC offers four ITSM products. Gartner gave high praise to the BMC Helix ITSM. It is strongly suited to meet the requirements of highly mature infrastructure and operations (I&O) organizations.

BMC has built a “robust” set of channel and technology partnerships, Gartner said. That broadens its ability to reach target customers, and integrate adjacent and complementary technology into its platform.

However, BMC’s rebranding of Remedy and its broader Helix platform messaging has yet to resonate with customers that still associate the product with legacy experiences. Customer still commonly see Helix ITSM as a point solution rather than embracing BMC’s broader Helix platform value proposition.

Furthermore, BMC’s 2020 acquisitions of Compuware and RSM Partners reflect its recent investment in the mainframe, rather than acquisitions that directly result in complementary ITSM functionality. In addition, BMC relies on partnerships and integrations for some of its newer features. These have resulted in a perception among some BMC customers of a shifting focus to the mainframe rather than ITSM.

Ivanti

Ivanti‘s Service Manager focuses on driving more support automation for edge devices through a combination of automation and self-service capabilities. It targets organizations with intermediate to advanced I&O maturity.

Ivanti extends its ITSM product with a “deep” set of integrated solutions for discovery, endpoint automation and self-enablement, Gartner said. Its newly released Ivanti Neurons for Healing provides a “unique differentiation” in this market.

Furthermore, Ivanti has marketed effectively through channels that cater to organizations with intermediate I&O maturity, and regularly appears on customer shortlists.

On the down side, Ivanti‘s portfolio has appeared “disjointed” to customers rather than telling a cohesive story across its products, Gartner said. As a result, customers often perceive Ivanti as a point solution rather than a strategic solution provider.

Moreover, Ivanti customers have cited challenges with the initial configuration of Service Manager. In addition, Ivanti has a lesser presence in emerging markets.

ServiceNow

ServiceNow‘s ITSM product focuses on providing a single platform connecting ITSM and non-IT workflows, augmented by a set of native AIOps and ITOM extensions. It targets organizations with intermediate to advanced I&O maturity.

ServiceNow has global reach with local sales and support organizations, and strong brand recognition, Gartner said. It is a customer favorite. And its ITSM tool revenue market share has grown to more than four times that of its closest competitor.

Furthermore, ServiceNow made significant updates to its partner program to help customers identify the right partners and to drive more consistent experiences when working with them. In addition, its acquisition of several AI-and ML-focused companies provides it with native IP to engineer into its platform. Also, it provides in-house expertise to innovate these features over time.

On the downside, ServiceNow lacks the license-model flexibility of many of its closest competitors. And Gartner has observed low adoption of its all-user licensing model alternative.

Moreover, some Gartner clients say ServiceNow’s market position is hurting their ability to negotiate their contract. This is significant for organizations looking to reduce or optimize spending through downsizing their ITSM in response to adverse financial impacts resulting from mandatory COVID-19 response measures.

Magic Quadrant niche players include: Broadcom, IBM, Micro Focus, ManageEngine, Axios Systems, EasyVista and Freshworks. Cherwell Software is listed as a challenger.