What is our primary use case?
10 years back, we need to re-evaluate our IT Help Desk solution as we wanted to expand ITIL processes. Back then, it was known as vFire.
We used Alemba vFire initially for incident and request fulfillment. We then added the use of change management, configuration mgt, and problem mgt.
How has it helped my organization?
From the time we started using vFire, we were able to ensure continuity tracking of Service Tickets (incident and request fulfillment-related). Thereafter, it had provided us with centralized record for change mgt, configuration mgt, and problem mgt and allowed us to link/relate outcomes from the various processes.
What is most valuable?
Alemba vFire provides the basic requirements for IT service management at a lower cost (in my knowledge).
Also, from my previous meeting with a consultant of Alemba vFire from Australia, he was able to share with us a good product roadmap.
What needs improvement?
Unfortunately, we were not able to implement the mobility feature so I won't be able to provide feedback on it (and it was something that has been requested since we have field workers and given the WFH case due to the pandemic). This is due to results of security tests and which we were not yet able to address in our environment.
We've been also trying to integrate our current system with discovery solutions but it was not easy. I am not sure if it is due to the fact that we still have an older version of the AlembavFire product.
Also, users are also requesting that the current system's UI can still be improved. For those of our users who had experienced ServiceNow, they cited that they can do RFC chats via the tool. In our group, we are using AlembavFire for recording the ticket and do other discussions/alignments via Teams chat.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Alemba vFire for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Alemba vFire has been scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Alemba vFire offers support and we have our vendor support. Technically they were okay, but at some point, there were challenges in implementing the most recent rollout with the local partners.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Remedy but upgrading then was too expensive so we switched to vFire.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup, I believe, was easy because we had a turnkey project and setup was done by vFire people.
What about the implementation team?
The technical implementation was by the vendor done especially on the configurations for the system. We had two key people from the vendor partner working with us for the implementation and configuration.
We had one-two people from IT team to work with the vendor for implementing the solution in the infrastructure. We had analysts working with the vendor on process streams to be implemented: one person for the incident, one for release, one for change management, and one for request fulfillment.
What was our ROI?
We have received a return on investment because we were able to use Alemba vFire for 10 years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Alemba vFire is one of the more affordable than the other solutions on the market. There is not any additional cost for adding configurations or assets.
The annual MA cost to ensure we get product updates is roughly about USD75,000 - 80,000 (although services are not included).
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have colleagues who have previously used ServiceNow and they prefer the flow. According to them, ServiceNow is more user-friendly and some of their process requirements can be executed via Service Now. This feedback is from the incident management, change management, integration, and configuration teams.
What other advice do I have?
The solution meets most of the basic functions needed.
I rate Alemba vFire a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
