Cherwell EoL is here: 7 best Cherwell alternatives to consider for your next ITSM

Cherwell will discontinue support for its current platform by December 31, 2026.

After December ‘26, Cherwell users will no longer receive critical updates, security patches, or technical support. The impending EoL (End of Life) poses a significant challenge for Cherwell's existing customer base – not to mention, the security risk.

This post is meant to help you avoid that while you still have time.

Before we go any further, here’s some background.

What you need to know about Cherwell’s EoL

Cherwell is an ITSM (IT Service Management) software that enables IT teams to streamline and automate IT service delivery and support.  

Cherwell was originally focused on incident management, change management, and service request management. Over the years, it expanded its capabilities to include a wider range of enterprise service management features.

When Ivanti acquired Cherwell in 2021, the intention was to provide customers with a more comprehensive set of tools to manage their IT operations, service desk, and overall business processes. Cherwell continued to operate as a distinct brand and product line under Ivanti.

However, in October 2023, Ivanti announced the End of Life for Cherwell Service Management, terminating both renewals and product support.

This is why the EoL announcement has come as a shocker for its existing clientele, which primarily consists of mid-to-large-sized enterprises.

It’s about time existing Cherwell customers started evaluating alternative solutions and planning the migration while they still have some runway.

Top Cherwell alternatives

Here’s our pick of the top 7 alternatives that Cherwell users can consider:

1. Atomicwork

Atomicwork is a modern service management solution that was built from the ground up in the AI “era”. It comes with an AI assistant that lives on popular tools that employees use for internal communication and collaboration – like Microsoft Teams and Slack.

It gives end users a single window into the organization’s knowledge sources like Sharepoint, Confluence, Notion, and PDFs.

Other than federating knowledge, Atomicwork can perform workflows like password reset and app provisioning without involving support agents, so IT staff can focus their time on strategic work.

If the user needs help from an agent, be it for IT, HR, Finance, etc, they can create an incident or service request with the click of a button.

What makes Atomicwork a powerful Cherwell alternative – other than leveraging AI to automate a large chunk of repetitive tasks – are the robust service management, asset management, and analytics capabilities under the hood, to help you seamlessly shift all your IT operations.

2. BMC Remedy ITSM Suite

The BMC Remedy ITSM Suite is a legacy ITSM platform that still offers modules covering various ITSM processes, such as incident management, problem management, and change management, among others.

The BMC Remedy ITSM Suite is well-suited for large, complex organizations with mature ITSM processes that require an enterprise-level platform to manage their service delivery needs.

If your organization requires an on-premises solution for ITSM, BMC might be worth looking at.

3. Freshservice

Freshservice is a cloud-based ITSM solution that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. It comes built-in with most IT capabilities and is well-suited for small and medium-sized businesses.

Freshservice offers a range of ITSM modules, including asset management, release management, and more. It also provides ESM (Enterprise Service Management) capabilities offering a single platform for teams like IT, HR, Finance, etc. to provide support to end users.

4. Invgate

Invgate is a no-code service management and asset management solution that’s focused on keeping things simple.

Invgate allows IT organizations to automate workflows, drive self-service, and offers an analytics module to improve IT operations and the end-user experience.

The product comes with a wide range of functionalities, from network discovery to inventory management and license management for software deployment and metering.

5. Jira Service Management (JSM)  

Jira Service Management (JSM) is a part of the Atlassian suite of collaboration and project management tools. It provides service management capabilities that are tailored specifically for DevOps and agile software teams.

JSM integrates tightly with other Atlassian products like Jira and Confluence, allowing for collaboration and information sharing across the organization. If you’re looking for a solution that offers a tight integration with these tools, JSM can be a great choice.

6. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is a comprehensive ITSM solution that provides a wide range of service management features.

ServiceDesk Plus offers both on-premise and cloud-based deployment options, allowing organizations to select the deployment model that best aligns with their infrastructure and requirements.

7. ServiceNow

ServiceNow is a leading cloud-based ITSM and ESM platform. The solution offers out-of-the-box features to meet most organizations' IT needs.

ServiceNow is particularly well-suited for large enterprises with complex IT and business service requirements. It is a comprehensive platform that allows you to customize and build out solutions for a range of use cases.

If budget and access to development resources are not major concerns for you, ServiceNow is your safest choice, being the market leader for decades and providing an entire gamut of capabilities.

A stitch in time saves nine

The above alternatives span across no-code/low-code ITSM and workflow automation platforms, catering to different org sizes, IT maturity levels, and nuanced business requirements.

Cherwell customers should carefully evaluate each option based on their specific needs, budget, and long-term strategic goals.

With the Cherwell EoL fast approaching, it is essential to map out a detailed migration process and timelines to ensure a smooth transition.

Despite being a shocker to long-time Cherwell customers, the EoL announcement also provides an opportunity for you to reimagine and transform your IT organization into a modern one.

‍Disclaimer: We, at Atomicwork, have built ITSM solutions in the past and understand the challenges that IT leaders and organizations grapple with. With the immense power that AI offers, we were able to build a modern service management solution for 2024 and beyond.

If you’d like a walkthrough of the platform, sign up for a demo.