Cireson offers two unique IT Service Management solutions, both backed by deep Microsoft expertise: System Center Service Manager Portal (SMP), our on-premise solution hosted in your infrastructure, and Tikit, our SaaS solution built for Microsoft Teams and hosted in the Microsoft Cloud. While both options offer some overlapping benefits, a deeper look at how each approaches IT service management can help you decide which is the right fit for your organization.
When deciding between an on-premise solution like the Service Manager Portal (SMP) and a cloud-based alternative such as Tikit, organizations must consider factors like accessibility, security, administration, and scalability.
Let’s explore the unique strengths of these two IT service management (ITSM) tools:
Accessibility and Deployment
SMP (On-Premise): SMP offers a powerful on-premise ITSM solution for organizations that prioritize full control over their infrastructure and data. Its deployment fosters strong collaboration between IT, networking, and security teams, ensuring a tailored and secure environment. With the flexibility to configure publicly accessible portals to meet specific security requirements, SMP empowers businesses to maintain high standards of data protection. While setting up and managing an on-premise solution requires internal expertise, it provides long-term stability, customization, and independence from cloud dependencies.
Tikit (Cloud): Tikit, being a SaaS application, is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. Its integration with Microsoft Teams ensures seamless mobile functionality, leveraging Teams’ extensive reach. Tikit eliminates the need for heavy infrastructure management, enabling faster deployment and updates while relying on robust cloud-native security measures maintained by Cireson and Microsoft.
Security Considerations
SMP: On-premise solutions like SMP allow organizations to exercise granular control over their data and configurations. Creating externally accessible services with SMP enables a collaborative approach, bringing together multiple teams to ensure a secure and well-integrated solution. While implementation requires careful coordination, this process helps tailor the system to an organization’s specific needs, enhancing security and reliability.
Tikit: Tikit benefits from enterprise-grade security inherent to SaaS solutions. Cloud providers continuously monitor, update, and certify their security protocols. This reduces the burden on internal teams, allowing ITSM professionals to focus on configurations rather than infrastructure security.
Self-Service and User Experience
SMP: Self-service in SMP is primarily delivered through web portals, providing users with access to knowledge articles and request offerings. While these portals function effectively, users may need to navigate them alongside other applications. Customization options allow organizations to align the portal with company resources, ensuring a more integrated experience, though this process may require additional effort.
Tikit: Tikit’s integration with Teams transforms self-service into a conversational experience. Users can interact with the Tikit Virtual Agent (TVA) as they would with a coworker, simplifying knowledge base searches and ticket submissions. This experience is further enhanced by agent-trained artificial intelligence (AI), which reduces the need for human intervention and accelerates time to issue resolution. This lowers mental workload for users and streamlines processes by eliminating the need to navigate through a separate portal.
Multi-Department Integration
SMP: SMP provides robust security granularity, allowing organizations to fine-tune access and control. While implementing a multi-department strategy requires careful planning and coordination, the solution can be effective for IT-specific use cases.
Tikit: Tikit is designed for multi-department deployment from day one. Its integration with Teams allows all departments—from HR, Facilities, Finance, Marketing, Operations and beyond—to handle requests efficiently within the same platform. This scalability is reinforced by AI-driven deflection, enabling faster resolution of queries and achieving department-specific KPIs.
Customization and Administration
SMP: SMP offers extensive customization capabilities, allowing organizations to extend its data model, redesign the UI, and introduce new functionalities to fit their needs. While this flexibility empowers tailored solutions, it may also require additional system administration, maintenance, and user training. Certain advanced configurations, such as managing SLA compliance in pending states, may involve more complex, code-based solutions.
Tikit: Tikit’s administration is straightforward, focusing on ease of use and quick configuration. While it lacks the deep customization options of SMP, its simplicity ensures that even non-technical users can manage the system effectively. Features like SLA management are native and easy to configure.
Choosing the Best Fit
Deciding between SMP and Tikit depends on an organization’s priorities:
- Cloud Adoption Strategy: If your organization is well on the way to cloud adoption, Tikit with its native cloud integrations to M365, Entra Id, Intune, and Power Automate will be a strong fit for you. If you have invested in an on-premise strategy, then SCSM and Cireson Apps, Integration with Active Directory, System Center including System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), and Orchestrator will be a strong candidate.
- Control and Customization: SMP is ideal for organizations seeking granular control over their ITSM solution and willing to invest in its robust setup options.
- Simplicity and Scalability: Tikit excels in ease of deployment, seamless integration with M365/Teams, and multi-department scalability, making it a strong choice for organizations prioritizing accessibility and streamlined administration. By understanding these distinctions, ITSM teams can select the solution that best aligns with their operational goals and resource availability. Whichever solution is right for you, we’ll help get you there.
