The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Service Management, Q4 2023

Enterprise Service Management Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

Key features and pros and cons of top Enterprise Service Management products:

Atlassian - Leaders

Pros:

Simplifies team collaboration across the enterprise with comprehensive and integrated suite of tools
Extensive library of templates allows customers to quickly build lightweight, tailor-made workflows
Unique, open-first architecture encourages knowledge sharing without restrictions
AI capabilities drive improved user experiences
Strong visibility of processes, configuration management database, and hundreds of automations
Comprehensive developer support and product-centric approach

Cons:

Opts for lightweight approach rather than comprehensive modules for specialized business processes (HR, legal, facilities)
Businesses looking for extensive built-in features might find the product lacking

BMC - Leaders

Pros:

Comprehensive service operations solution for the enterprise
Innovation Studio's drag-and-drop capabilities allow non-IT users to create and manage workflows
ComAround Knowledge acquisition (KCS verified) has helped close gap with competitors
Platform flexibility and ability to make changes with high speed of delivery
Does not require highly trained engineers for customization
Strong asset management capabilities

Cons:

Portfolio management and customer service features not included in ESM package, leading to additional costs
Platform does not connect IT, developers, and business units as single offering out of the box, limiting collaboration
Customers report using other BMC products can be clunky without seamless integration

ServiceNow - Leaders

Pros:

Innovative, feature-rich, and scalable platform
Innovations continue to push market forward (change credit scores, process mining, benchmarking, real-time DevOps integration)
RiseUp initiative helps build skills for platform development and management
Knowledge management module is KCS verified and supports agile knowledge management
No-code app engine studio supports citizen development
Strong asset management capabilities and Employee Center Pro
GenAI-powered workflows, search, employee productivity, and app creation on roadmap

Cons:

Adoption of platform can be complex - from pricing and contracts to implementation and ongoing maintenance
Customers need additional Impact solution service to ensure maximum value from investments
Simplification needed to improve overall customer experience and value realization

Freshworks - Contenders

Pros:

Provides common HR, legal, and facilities ESM modules with customizable templates
Integrates with other systems allowing data transfer from platforms like Workday
User-friendly click-and-drag interface for workflow creation
Recent enhancements using genAI support chatbot conversations on platforms like Slack
Customers praise ease of adoption, low complexity, automation capabilities, and workflow design simplification
Diverse partner ecosystem

Cons:

Product briefing did not comprehensively discuss roadmap development, project prioritization, and integration of customer/partner feedback
Does not leverage AI to suggest ticket relationships, problems, or root causes
Lacks visual representation for asset dependencies in changes
Partner ecosystem not as extensive as some competitors

IFS - Strong Performers

Pros:

Comprehensive suite of non-IT workflows (HR, facilities, finance, security, logistics, fleet management, field service, marketing, legal)
Knowledge sharing and collaboration seamlessly integrated with FAQs, discussion forums, and collaboration areas
Strong in ITSM, ESM, ITOM, and ERP modules
Robust workflow creator with templates for efficient task and workflow management
API integration offers flexibility to trigger workflows in other platforms
Impact and risk calculation tools and ITOM suite for asset management
Customers value scalability and ease of adoption

Cons:

Service desk agent experience (UX) is outdated, lacking modern personalization
Ongoing UI and UX improvements needed to catch up with competitors

Ivanti - Strong Performers

Pros:

Strong security focus with endpoint management, vulnerability detection, remediation, and incident filtering
Non-IT workflows extended through Cherwell acquisition (HR, facilities, governance/risk/compliance)
Digital experience metrics provide overall service scores and employee ratings
Customers value ability to embed automation into processes
Strong asset database and flexibility to extend platform
Easy upgrades

Cons:

Increased focus on security may widen functionality gap with Strong Performers
Vision of partner ecosystem is in its infancy with substantial improvements necessary
Customer adoption strategy seems more focused on packaging than implementation success
Still catering to onboarding customers from Cherwell, indicating transition challenges
Platform lacks reporting functionality compared with other vendors

ManageEngine - Strong Performers

Pros:

Wide range of IT management capabilities at affordable price point
Combined with other Zoho products provides endpoint management and identity/access management
AI capabilities through chatbot Zia for predicting categorization, priority, technician assignment, etc.
Customers enjoy robust reporting
Product developers very responsive to customer needs
Comprehensive IT management ecosystem

Cons:

Gap between ManageEngine and higher-scoring Strong Performers persists
Knowledge management does not yet support agile knowledge management methods in KCS
Change-risk scoring still based on questionnaires and asset impact, does not yet use ML

OpenText - Strong Performers

Pros:

Customizable service desk views based on user roles
AI-enhanced categorization and universal discovery for assets
API framework supports varied integrations including ChatGPT
Virtual assistant Max facilitates inquiries, ticket submissions, and Teams interactions
Customers use platform for translation capabilities, employee-centric portal, and ease of adoption
Most functionality used out of the box

Cons:

Recently acquired Micro Focus and SMAX offering
Only offers few non-IT workflows (HR, facilities, security operations)
Product roadmap not publicly shared
User options added to requests and approval processes not intuitive, exposing raw code
Risk assessment for changes remains manual without AI automation
Feedback loop for product development limited compared with other vendors

SolarWinds - Contenders

Pros:

Smart solutions identify similar incidents, branch into problem management, and suggest solutions
Capability to initiate remote sessions directly from a record for swift problem resolution
Virtual agent integrates with Teams and Slack for viewing tickets, creating incidents, and global searches
Introduction of runbooks streamlines complex workflows with step-by-step guidance
Transparent roadmaps consider customer feedback and voting

Cons:

Leans predominantly toward incident management, potentially sidelining focus on ITSM or ESM
HR, marketing, and facilities are primary non-IT workflows supported
ESM partner ecosystem lags behind competitors in integration and maturity
Requires substantial continued investment to close gap with competitors
Reference customers did not respond to Forrester's outreach

USU - Strong Performers

Pros:

Uses SAFe approach to platform development
ESM workflows tailored for range of departments (HR, facility management, marketing, finance)
Supports user collaboration by launching Teams chat directly from incident
AI can identify trends and potential major incidents, optimize risk management
Asset discovery amalgamates data from various vendors into visual service tree
Knowledge sharing through service bot with guided dialogues and translations
Customers enjoy flexibility and stability of platform

Cons:

Does not integrate with development platforms, limiting utility for unified IT and development ecosystem
Some graphical representations are complex and visually challenging
Customers state integration needs improvement

Broadcom - Challengers

Pros:

CA Service Management has long-standing ITSM functionality for enterprisewide IT service management
Solution now containerized with variety of UX improvements
Introduced drag-and-drop capability to increase ease of use
Good fit for organizations with investments in multiple Broadcom products

Cons:

Made few improvements to platform since being acquired by Broadcom
Customer complaints continue regarding price hikes, poor customer service, lack of consistency across platform
Multiple changes in UX and contracting practice issues persist
No public announcements on platform improvements over past three years
ESM strategy is lacking, difficult to see long-term strategy in broadening Broadcom portfolio
Platform continues to fall behind others in market without investment
Declined to participate in full Forrester Wave evaluation

Zendesk - Contenders

Pros:

Easy-to-use platform with broad channel support
Modern messaging, rules-driven chatbots, portals, pervasive automation, and embedded knowledge
Strong market presence with more than 110,000 customers
Simplified pricing in 2022
Made acquisitions in AI space

Cons:

Platform has moved away from ESM, now focuses more on customer sales and support
Markets heavily toward digital-first companies and business process outsourcers
Areas for improvement include broader real-time intelligence and more robust workflow management
Declined to participate in full Forrester Wave evaluation

FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

A: Atlassian, BMC, ServiceNow

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

A: Leaders in the Forrester Wave are vendors that demonstrate the strongest current offering and strategy in the enterprise service management market. They excel in both current product capabilities (vertical axis) and strategic vision (horizontal axis). Leaders typically offer feature-rich platforms with strong innovation, comprehensive ESM workflows connecting business, IT and developers, robust partner ecosystems, and clear roadmaps for future development. They set the standard for the market and are recommended for organizations requiring comprehensive, scalable ESM solutions.

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

A: https://www.forrester.com/policies/forrester-wave-methodology/

Report:

Top Vendor Products for Enterprise Service Management in 2023

Enterprise Service Management Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

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FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

Reference