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With the EOL clock ticking away, it is imperative to choose between status quo and future-proof ITSM solutions, today. Here are six reasons why we think ServiceDesk Plus is the future-proof Cherwell alternative. (And why Ivanti is not.)

Six reasons why ServiceDesk Plus is the right Cherwell alternative for your IT

A slick and modern UI for your IT

SaaS or self-hosted? We are truly both

A fine balance of no-code and low-code

Light on IT budgets, heavy on capabilities

A unified IT management ecosystem

Your service excellence = our success

A slick and modern UI for your IT

ServiceDesk Plus sports a modern UI that helps IT teams gain context in a flash, without obfuscating ticketing information. Cherwell, on the other hand, uses legacy desktop clients built on Windows-based architecture.

Our customers rely heavily on the platform's reports and dashboards, leaning on over 100+ pre-built reports, drill- down analysis, and advanced dashboards.

4.3/5 - User Experience rating for ServiceDesk Plus in Gartner Peer Insights

Ivanti - 3.9/5 and Cherwell - 4.2/5

SaaS or self-hosted? We are truly both

Unlike Cherwell, which lacks a well-rounded SaaS version, ServiceDesk Plus is available both on-premises and in the cloud. Both of the deployments have dedicated engineers and roadmaps, and are accessed through the web.

If at a later stage you want to migrate from one model to another, we will help you transition without any disruption or friction.

18 datacenters: ServiceDesk Plus Cloud runs on ManageEngine's own datacenters around the globe

A fine balance of no-code and low-code

From small IT shops to enterprise service teams, every team can hit the ground running with ServiceDesk Plus' out-of-the-box automation rules and no-code customizations.

You will not require full-time administrators or developers just to tailor ServiceDesk Plus, and there is no steep learning curve for your IT technicians like with Ivanti.

For complex IT environments, ServiceDesk Plus helps build unique workflows and automations through its extensible, low-code IDE.

80,000+ custom solutions created for end users in the cloud version of ServiceDesk Plus

Light on IT budgets, heavy on capabilities

ServiceDesk Plus is one of the most value-optimal ITSM platforms there is. In its final Magic Quadrant for ITSM Platforms, Gartner recognized that our pricing plans align well with the needs of large, value-oriented enterprises.

We follow a straightforward and transparent pricing model that helps you understand the costs of migration upfront.

Our transparency—coupled with affordable pricing tiers, core ITSM capabilities, and advanced workflow automations—have led customers to swiftly adopt ServiceDesk Plus as an alternative to perceived industry leaders.

80% reduction in ITSM costs for a leading chemicals manufacturer who migrated to ServiceDesk Plus from ServiceNow

A unified IT management ecosystem

All our solutions, including ServiceDesk Plus, are built from the ground up. ManageEngine is not in the business of acquiring products and stitching them up as shoddy features into our solutions.

ServiceDesk Plus integrates contextually into our other solutions—such as Endpoint Central, OpManager, PAM360, and ADManager Plus−which helps our customers unify their IT operations and workflows, without any licensing complexity.

Our vision is to build a cohesive IT and business management ecosystem that threads every domain, from ITSM and UEM to IAM and observability.

Three: The average number of ManageEngine solutions used by our customers

Your service excellence = our success

At ManageEngine, we strive to help our customers achieve service excellence across the enterprise. The average duration of a customer's partnership with us is six years.

The longevity we enjoy with our customers is a direct outcome of our customer success initiatives. Our product teams conduct regular health checks, offer on-site consulting, and assist with implementations.

We also host masterclass webinars, in-person workshops, and global User Conferences for our customers. We want to help them optimize their usage of the platform.

3000+ : The number of organizations that rely on ServiceDesk Plus for more than a decade

A billion dollar enterprise, bootstrapped

Cherwell vs. ManageEngine

ManageEngine is the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation. Our corporate vision is to remain a long-term partner with our customers, building future-proof solutions that scale with your business.

And yes, we don't rely on private equity, venture capital, or Wall Street. Our business is bootstrapped from scratch, just like our world-class products. We have broken quite a few benchmarks along the way, cruising past $1 billion in revenue with more than 50,000 happy customers.

You can count on us to play the long game. We don't pay extra for aggressive sales or intrusive marketing, which helps keep our pricing plans sustainable for your business.

If that hasn't convinced you yet, and Ivanti is pitching for your migration to its Neurons platform, here's what your peers think.

ServiceDesk Plus vs. Cherwell and Ivanti

Gartner Peer Insights
G2
Capabilities ServiceDesk Plus Cherwell Service Management Ivanti Neurons for ITSM
Multichannel Engagement 4.3 4.2 4.1
IT Knowledge Management 4.2 4.0 4.0
Case Management 4.3 4.2 4.1
Service Reporting and Resource Management 4.4 4.0 3.7
User Experience 4.3 4.2 3.9
Evaluation & Contracting 4.4 4.3 4.2
Integration & Deployment 4.4 4.1 4.0
Service & Support 4.3 4.1 4.2
Willing to recommend 82% 73% 69%
Criteria ServiceDesk Plus Cherwell Service Management Ivanti Neurons for ITSM
Ease of Use 8.5 7.6 7.5
Ease of Setup 8.1 7.4 6.4
Asset Management 9.0 8.1 7.1
Reports and Analytics 9.1 8.2 7.1
Knowledge Base/Ticket Integration 8.2 7.2 7.5
Time Tracking 8.5 7.6 7.3
Surveys 8.2 Not Available 6.9
Administration Console 8.8 7.3 6.5
Alerting 8.8 8.1 7.3
Automation 8.8 8.2 7.0
4.2/5 4.0/5 3.9/5

A modern, unified service management platform for your service teams, exceptional service experiences for your end-users

Enterprise Service Management:

Unify your enterprise on a single console

Spin up new service desks for HR, Facilities, Finance, GRC, and more. Bring the best of breed ITSM principles to these enterprise departments and build a unified self−service portal for your employees. Tailor each service desk−to the last detail—through no−code, UI customizations that are simple to set up and deploy.

Learn More →

Workflow automation:

Step up productivity with end-to-end automations

Build visual workflows to automate everything; from the mundane incident to the complex infrastructure change. Leverage our latest single-touch workflow automation to connect your IT systems—AD, servers, and databases−and automate ITSM operations such as onboarding and offboarding employees or backing up data.

Learn More →

Virtual agent:

Deploy Zia as the first line of support

Harness Zia, our conversational virtual agent, and delegate L1 tickets to her. Zia eases the workload for your IT technicians by analyzing the context of requests and performing a range of service desk actions for both end users and IT technicians. Let Zia guide end users with pre-defined conversation flows for popular issues or requests.

Learn More →

Customizations:

Refashion the platform effortlessly to suit your enterprise

Take the low-code path to unrestricted customization and automation through our built-in low-code IDE. Craft cross-functional IT-business workflows and invoke actions in external tools using custom scripts. Go beyond out-of-the-box and create new services using custom modules in ServiceDesk Plus. Reach the last mile of customization and embed low-code scripts within rule-based automations.

Learn More →

The ManageEngine ecosystem:

Make ServiceDesk Plus the nerve center of IT

Bring your enterprise into the ManageEngine ecosystem of IT management applications. From IT operations management and unified endpoint management (UEM) to service management and identity and access management (IAM), ManageEngine's solutions can be woven together seamlessly with ServiceDesk Plus as the hub for collaboration and context.

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Stay in control and run on your own server stack

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why is Ivanti ending product support for Cherwell Service Management (CSM)?

After its acquisition of Cherwell in 2021, Ivanti announced its plans to converge some of the ITSM capabilities of the CSM solution with that of Ivanti Neurons for ITSM. Now that this convergence is concluding, Ivanti has announced the end of life (EOL) for Cherwell Service Management.

2. I am a Cherwell customer. When should I migrate to another ITSM platform such that my ITSM operations and workflows are not impacted?

Ivanti has announced that it will not support Cherwell Service Management (CSM) beyond December 31, 2026. While this deadline is some time away, we recommend you kick off your ITSM platform search today. From assessing your current state of ITSM and archiving data to evaluating new platforms and implementing one, your IT team needs to cross off plenty of tasks before migrating to another platform. To sidestep a hasty migration, it is ideal that your search for a Cherwell alternative begins today.

3. My team relies on the on-premises version of Cherwell Service Management (CSM) and we hold a perpetual license. Would we still be able to utilize CSM after the EOL?

Since the solution essentially runs on your own server stack, the short answer is yes. However, Ivanti will no longer publish updates or patches to your solution. This risks opening up your IT to security threats or performance bottlenecks. Try out ServiceDesk Plus today for free. You can experience the full-fledged Enterprise edition for free up to 30 days. No credit card required.

4. We are looking to migrate to a cloud-based ITSM solution. Is ServiceDesk Plus available in the cloud?

Yes. ServiceDesk Plus is available both on-premises and in the cloud. The cloud version is hosted globally through our own datacenters. Right now, ManageEngine operates 18 datacenters spread across nine countries. Learn more.