Rocket DevOps vs. ServiceNow IT Service Management

Rocket Aldon is perfect for simple changes to traditional IBM i development using RPGLE, CL, and DDS. It is great for finding related objects that are referenced in many locations and helping recompile all of these objects. However, Aldon has a particularly hard time with SQL views. For some reason, it is determined to lock every table related to a view even though this is not required by the operating system. Whenever one view references another view, you are always in danger of losing a view permanently if you didn't check it out and promote it. To clarify, imagine you created a view CUSTOMER_INFO. Then you make another view called CUSTOMER_SHIPMENTS that joins the CUSTOMER_INFO to a shipping table. If you ever change CUSTOMER_INFO and then promote it, there is a good chance that Aldon will delete the CUSTOMER_SHIPMENTS view and you will not get a single warning. It doesn't happen every time but when it does you are going to have a real mess on your hands.

Incentivized

I think [ServiceNow IT Service Management is] best suited for very straight-forward customer support type ticketing. If the problem can't be solved by the customer support team, then the ticket likely is a larger issue (ie: a bug) and then likely a Jira ticket would need to be created for more robust documentation.

Incentivized

• Software Change Management
• IBM i development
• Object relationships

Incentivized

• When I have a number of requests to make, for example a request to add a dozen or so user accounts to more than one group account in Active Directory , I can put all the needed information into the initial form, add it to my "shopping cart" and all of that information remains on the screen for the next item for which I only need to edit a few items (like the AD group name in this example), and keep adding them to the shopping cart until I have them all. When I "Check Out" each of those items is generated as a separate task under the one request. It simplifies and expedites the creation and tracking of these kinds of requests.
• I can easily and quickly see what tickets are currently assigned to me in order to prioritize them and remain aware of my workload.
• Numerous fields for CIs can be used when trying to find the entry for a particular item. For example, IP Address, server name, raw text, classification, and so on.
• To help with making sense out of related tasks, when a task is assigned to me and I need to open another task for a different team to work in order to complete my task, I can open a sub-task from my ticket so that the relationship between the two can be pulled up later into reports. For example, I may have a task to build a new vm, and need to open tasks for networking, security accounts, software installation and so on. By opening sub-tasks from my assignment, the time spent by all parties concerned is tied together for more meaningful cost accounting.

Incentivized

• Check-in checkout process can be cumbersome
• UI is crowded and not intuitive
• Requires in house expertise maintain and manage

Incentivized

• ServiceNow knowledgebase is limited for self-learning on how to use their features.
• ServiceNow sometimes has a very linear approach to some workflows or assignments where there could only be one child/parent relationship.
• The ServiceNow features for Project Management serves its function is rather cumbersome. The dependencies aspect or predecessors or successors options are rather limited. It is more focused on hours planned vs hours worked then dependencies.
• ServiceNow customer support is hit or miss. They could serve to have more self-help step by step articles.
• ServiceNow needs to have a better export or import features for their Project Management module.

Incentivized

Based on current integration with our release process, we will need to keep this for the future.

Incentivized

To be completely honest setting up a new ticketing system can be a pain in the ass. Once you have it setup and customized the way you want it, you don't want to switch unless you're unhappy with the product. Unless future releases and updates really muck the system up, I wouldn't change.

The Geneva version has improved overall usability a lot, but would still be overwhelming for new users. Much like SAP or other large-scale applications- it can be very daunting when you get the first glance of all the modules, but you'll get the hang of it after some training and strong discipline.

Incentivized

We have never had any issues with ServiceNow's availability that I am aware of in the two years I have been using it.

Incentivized

For a massive system, page loads are reasonably quick, including searches.

Incentivized

Support is hit and miss. Sometimes they give some great assistance and sometimes they are no help at all. It always seems like they can't replicate the problem but then they never try to get on our system to do deeper research. It's kind of frustrating dealing with them. Also, the website isn't that helpful.

Incentivized

I would give it this rating because we have had no major issues with the support for ServiceNow after we implemented it at our organization. They seem to respond promptly and efficiently if we ever do need to open a support case with them about an issue we are having.

Incentivized

To type in what should be a text box, you have to click an empty cell, a tiny text box pop up opens with a check box and an X. You the. Type in the text box and have to click the check mark. If you have a bunch of fields to fill out, doing this is very annoying. Absolutely know thought went in to this. I'm sure somebody in marketing thought it was a good idea. It wasn't.

ServiceNow implements its solutions for customers using the Start Now Implementation Methodology. The StartNow (STrategicAlignment and drive Rapid Transformation) Implementation Methodology include five deployment stages Plan, Discover, Prepare, Deploy, and Operate. Follow these steps for smooth implementation.

Incentivized

There are not a lot of CMS solutions for the IBM i server. Midrange Dynamics MDCMS is definitely one to consider. It seems very similar to Aldon Rocket and has a lot more functionality. I haven't used it but I have been to a demo and it looks promising. It seems a lot more intuitive and the promotions seem easier. However, that was a demo environment and even then it crashed so there's that to consider....

Incentivized

This software was used previously. the software was not easy to configure like servicenow and the visual dashboards and the ui experience was less appealing compared to ServiceNow. ServiceNow offers a lot pf features which can be used across the industry. Gives better integration options compared to Remedy. CMDB and Service Watch are great tools offered by ServiceNow which is lacking on Remedy

ServiceNow works as an enterprise solution.

Incentivized

• Software promotion is much easier and doesn't require custom coding.
• Developers can work collaboratively with less overlap.
• Developers can find objects faster and research code more thoroughly.

Incentivized

• We don't currently have a CMDB, so we are leveraging ServiceNow to build one using their ITSM and ITOM tools. This is a huge gap for us as a company and it will be a big win once this is in place.
• The core help desk functions are comparable to most other tools on the market, but SN does a great job of integrating that data with other modules like Problem, Change and Event Management to provide a truly integrated solution.
• The tool is expensive, so you will need to try to do as much as you can with the platform. We currently use other systems for HAM and SAM but will be including these in our ServiceNow instance in the future to help maximize our ROI.

Incentivized