Real-time Incident Management Platforms vs. All-in-one ITSM
When searching for an incident management platform, users often encounter ITSM solutions like ServiceNow that include incident management capabilities. However, ITSM platforms may not be ideally suited for real-time incident response.
ITSM tools are designed for structured, process-driven workflows, prioritizing documentation, ticketing, and compliance over speed and flexibility.
On the other hand, real-time incident response requires tools that emphasize rapid detection, immediate communication, and dynamic collaboration among teams.
Here is the table to help you understand the differences:
ITSM Solutions
Real-time Incident Management Tools
Scope
End-to-end ITSM, including incident, problem, change, and asset management.
Real-time alerting, on-call management, and incident response automation.
Incident Management
Incidents are logged as structured tickets with detailed workflows.
Alerts are sent in real-time to on-call engineers following escalation rules.
Primary Users
IT service desk teams, enterprise IT departments.
DevOps, SRE, IT operations teams.
Speed to Resolution
Focused on structured workflows that resolve incidents systematically.
Focused on rapid, actionable alerts and resolving incidents quickly.
Customization
Highly customizable for enterprise workflows and compliance.
Simplified, with emphasis on alert workflows and monitoring integrations.
Many organizations combine both solutions. For instance, solutions like ilert handle real-time alerting and ensure the right person is immediately notified during an outage, while ITSM tools like ServiceNow are used to log incidents as tickets, track resolution progress, and ensure compliance with governance standards.
