Gartner call regarding front ends for BMC Remedy 11/19/2012
"Don't buy a tool with an integrated service catalog."
"Lots of pros for having the service catalog separate."
"French company developed software seems to have a stronger interface. French companies have a strong embedded methodology of separating presentation and business layers."
"Well-designed tools don't change that much over time, in significant components and layouts. Back-end and underlying technology may change frequently."
PMG
Not a large company, but solid. SaaS and on-premise.
Biomni
UK company, cloud integration. Tight Symantec integration. Small presence in the US. Global support may be lacking. On-premise only, free version available (Front Office Essentials).
Cisco Workplace Portal
Bought New Scale. New Scale was considered the top service catalog tool at the time (about a year ago). SaaS through partners. No mobile service catalog.
CA Service Request
CA Service Catalog, interface is functional, quick access to favorite services. Favorites are determined by admin, not end-user. Sometimes tending towards the complex. SaaS only available via 3rd party hosting provider.
Axios
27 years support management tools, nicer look and feel. Service Catalog did surprisingly well. Axios finished 3rd overall in 10-tool evaluation, not far behind second. BMC 5th, Biomni in 6th place, ServiceNow in 7th.
Cherwell
Spend more time listening to users and customers. Easy to use and navigate. Amazon- or Google-like feel.
EasyVista
French company, easy-on-the-eyes interface. Easy to use and navigate. Amazon- or Google-like feel. Seems to have a cool project management tool built into the ITSM setup.
Column Technologies
Integrator and development company for Remedy integration.