BMC Remedy

BMC Remedy
Name	BMC Remedy
Developer	BMC Software
Initial release	1990s
Latest release	Proprietary
Operating system	Cross-platform
Genre	IT service management, help desk, ticketing

BMC Remedy is an enterprise IT service management (ITSM) platform designed to automate incident, problem, change, asset, and service request processes for large organizations. It provides workflow-driven service desk capabilities, configuration management, and integration pathways intended for complex environments in industries such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government. The product family emphasizes scalability, compliance, and extensibility for global operations.

Overview

Remedy is positioned as an ITSM suite offering case management, service catalog, and configuration management database (CMDB) features. It is commonly implemented alongside enterprise applications and platforms used by IBM, Microsoft, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, and Salesforce. Deployments often intersect with infrastructure vendors like Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and cloud providers including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. Large public sector implementations may reference interoperability with agencies such as the United States Department of Defense and standards bodies like the Information Technology Infrastructure Library.

History and Development

Originally developed in the 1990s, Remedy evolved through commercialization and acquisitions during the enterprise software consolidation era exemplified by deals involving Computer Associates and later BMC Software. Its roadmap reflects shifts in enterprise IT towards service orientation witnessed during the dot-com era and the rise of ITIL-driven practices championed by organizations such as the Office of Government Commerce. Over successive major releases, the platform incorporated web-based consoles, RESTful APIs, and support for mobile workforces paralleling trends set by vendors like ServiceNow and Cherwell Software. Strategic partnerships and channel distribution included integrators like Accenture, Deloitte, Capgemini, and Infosys.

Architecture and Components

The architecture uses a multi-tier design with separate tiers for presentation, application logic, and persistence—an approach common to enterprise suites developed contemporaneously by Oracle Corporation and IBM. Core components include a workflow engine, form designer, notification subsystem, and CMDB. Datastore backends often leverage relational databases such as Oracle Database, Microsoft SQL Server, and PostgreSQL. Integration adapters and middleware align with enterprise service buses and messaging systems from vendors like Red Hat and TIBCO Software. Authentication and identity integration are commonly implemented with systems from Ping Identity, Okta, Microsoft Active Directory, and LDAP providers.

Core Features and Functionality

Key capabilities include incident management, problem management, change management, release management, configuration management, service request fulfillment, and service-level agreement (SLA) tracking. The platform provides role-based access, audit trails, and reporting engines comparable to BI tools from Tableau, Qlik, and Microsoft Power BI. Workflow customization leverages a graphical process designer similar in intent to tools from IBM Business Process Manager and Camunda. Automation and orchestration integrations often reference platforms such as Ansible, Puppet, Chef, and HashiCorp tooling for configuration and deployment tasks.

Deployment and Integration

Deployments range from on-premises installations to private cloud and managed service models provided by partners like Rackspace and Atos. Integration patterns include API-based connectors, message queues, and federation with single sign-on solutions endorsed by enterprises like Citrix Systems and VMware. Large-scale rollouts coordinate with change-control frameworks used by corporations such as General Electric and Siemens AG and adhere to compliance regimes influenced by laws and standards including Sarbanes-Oxley Act and ISO/IEC 20000. Migration and coexistence strategies frequently involve IT service providers like Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services.

Licensing and Editions

Licensing is commercial and historically offered in modular editions targeting service desk, enterprise ITSM, and performance/analytics add-ons. Licensing models resemble enterprise software practices employed by IBM and Oracle Corporation, with options for perpetual licenses, subscription-based models, and enterprise support contracts. Volume licensing and global support agreements are commonly negotiated with multinational customers such as Vodafone Group and Deutsche Telekom.

Adoption and Criticisms

Adopters include large financial institutions, healthcare systems, telecommunications carriers, and governmental agencies that require strict change control and auditability, for example JPMorgan Chase, UnitedHealth Group, and national ministries in OECD countries. Criticisms mirror those directed at legacy enterprise suites: complexity of customization, high total cost of ownership compared with cloud-native competitors like ServiceNow, steep learning curves similar to older SAP SE implementations, and slower pace of innovation relative to startups in the SaaS ITSM space. Analysts at firms such as Gartner and Forrester Research have debated trade-offs between feature depth offered by established vendors and agility offered by emergent platforms.

Category:IT service management software