Impending Cherwell Deprecation May Require Swift Move to ServiceNow

There have been swirling rumours suggesting that both Cherwell and Microsoft Service Management are on the brink of deprecation. To the best of our understanding, some aspects of these rumours do hold some validity. For instance, Ivanti has indeed made it known that Cherwell Asset Manager is undergoing deprecation, although no comparable public announcement has been made regarding Cherwell Service Manager. What could this potentially signify? From an outsider's perspective, it seems Ivanti might be in the process of uniting its suite of ITSM, ITAM, and ITOM applications. Over the past 5 to 10 years, Ivanti has systematically acquired smaller players in IT Management tools, including names like Cherwell, Landesk, and Heat. In the wake of dwindling IT spending triggered by the pandemic, tech enterprises are compelled to exercise financial prudence. This begs the question: Does it truly align with Ivanti's interests to continue the upkeep and support of many acquired products alongside their proprietary offerings? This very contemplation leads me to anticipate a potential downsizing of Ivanti's offerings within the expansive IT Management tool domain.

As for Microsoft, I have not been able to find any concrete evidence that they are retiring their Service Manager offering. However, there exist a couple of factors that lend credence to these rumours. The first is Microsoft's new partnership with ServiceNow. Why would Microsoft opt for such a partnership if they were entrenched in direct competition? Moreover, considering recent history, Microsoft Service Manager has never emerged as a significant player within the realm of IT Service Management tools. Their visibility has noticeably waned on the Gartner and Forrester platforms for ITSM evaluations. Lastly, I have heard several customers mention that they looking to migrate off MS Service Manager, purportedly due to communication from Microsoft about the impending retirement of Service Manager.

What does this mean for you?

As Ivanti and Microsoft figure out their portfolios and offerings, ServiceNow becomes the logical choice. As a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, ServiceNow liberates IT departments from the shackles of infrastructure management merely to sustain their ITSM operations. ServiceNow continues to invest in its platform as they adopt modern practices such as AI and machine learning. Furthermore, it’s been speculated that in the next release or two ServiceNow will be the first to reach the holy grail of IT - where issues can be auto-detected and resolved. In addition to its position in the ITSM space, ServiceNow announced in Q2 2023 that for the first time ever ITx was not their largest subscription further demonstrating that the platform has extended beyond the confines of IT and is gaining solid ground in diverse business units. Could there be a more opportune moment to embrace ServiceNow? The stars are aligned, the stage is set, and the time is ripe.

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