Control Desk Continues to Woo Enterprise Clients
IBM has an attractive ITSM and ITAM roadmap for Control Desk. The BigFix divestiture, however, raises some pressing questions.
Source: Control Desk in Software Reviews IT Service Management
During our briefing with IBM Control Desk on April 24, 2019, IBM highlighted the following:
- Virtual agent functionality for end users
- Cognitive capabilities for infrastructure management
- Support for simultaneously supporting both ITIL and DevOps
- Improved integrations with Maximo for IoT and enterprise asset management
It also highlighted the following information regarding the relationship between IBM Control Desk and BigFix after the BigFix divestiture to HCL:
- IBM is negotiating with HCL to continue packaging BigFix Discovery with Control Desk.
- If IBM is not able to come to an agreement with HCL, then IBM Control Desk will look to integrate with an open-sourced discovery tool.
- Control Desk will continue to rely on integrations with BigFix for features such as a software intelligence library, application control, and software license management.
Our Take
Many of these features are cutting edge, and they definitely support Ginni Rometty’s vision for “smarter businesses” that she shared at Think 2019. The integration with enterprise asset management and IoT is also unique in the enterprise ITAM tool space.
However, the continued reliance on BigFix generates many questions:
- Will customers have to negotiate separate licensing with HCL?
- Does the continued integration undermine the product’s attractiveness?
- What level of coordination will there be between IBM and HCL post-divestiture?
- What will partner support look like post-divestiture?
- What will be the impact on Control Desk’s roadmap if HCL and IBM cannot continue to agree on integration and product direction?
- Due to the heavy level of integration between Control Desk and BigFix, will Control Desk be divested in the future to HCL?
IBM has made many strides with ITSM and ITAM functionality. The divestiture and continued reliance on BigFix, however, raises some interesting questions for current and potential customers.
Want to Know More?
How BigFix Administrators Need to Prepare for the Divestiture
2018 ITSM Tool Market Trends
IT Asset Management Market Trends and Buyer’s Guide
Software Reviews: IT Service Management Category
Software Reviews: IT Asset Management Category