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SolarWinds Service Desk

SolarWinds Service Desk

What is SolarWinds Service Desk?

SolarWinds Service Desk is a fully integrated IT service desk and IT asset management solution. Easily track, monitor, and analyze your assets, including hardware, software, contracts, purchase orders, licenses, and warranties all in one place. Automatically scan your network to discover and update asset data. Streamline ticket resolution by aligning incidents to impacted assets, automatically capturing asset incident history, and automating ticket routing and priority using AI.

Who Uses SolarWinds Service Desk?

Ideally suited for companies of any size, anywhere, with sophisticated IT organizations looking to deliver superior service to their internal customers (employees & internal other requesters).

SolarWinds Service Desk Software - SolarWinds Service Desk Dashboard
SolarWinds Service Desk Software - SolarWinds Service Desk Automations
SolarWinds Service Desk Software - SolarWinds Service Desk Incident Management
SolarWinds Service Desk Software - SolarWinds Service Desk Knowledge Base
SolarWinds Service Desk Software - SolarWinds Service Desk CMDB Dependencies

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Reviews of SolarWinds Service Desk

Average score

Overall
4.6
Ease of Use
4.6
Customer Service
4.6
Features
4.4
Value for Money
4.5

Reviews by company size (employees)

  • <50
  • 51-200
  • 201-1,000
  • >1,001
Shayla
Shayla
Human Resources Specialist in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Internet, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The tool is fantastic for managing incidents

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: For IT issue management, change management, and software purchase approvals, we utilize SWSD. Users may see where their requests stand in the IT department's queue, and the department as a whole can stay organized.

Pros:

This incident management software is a tried-and-true classic, with a user interface that's friendly to both IT pros and regular folks. It serves our purposes without overwhelming us with extra features we won't need.

Cons:

More views, like a tiled one, might be helpful for examining incidents or shifts. At this time, just a bulleted list is accessible. More dashboard widgets would be welcome, too.

Sarah
Sarah
System Administrator in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Information Technology & Services, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

An excellent tool for service management

4.0 3 years ago

Comments: For the most part, Solarwinds Service Desk is utilized for automating incident generation through integration and reducing the amount of human work required. Custom dashboards make it possible to see the weekly, monthly, and yearly trends in various types of tickets, such as incidents, requests, changes, and issues, and to perform analysis.

Pros:

It offers a wide range of functions, such as incident tools and an employee support site. In addition, the user interface is simple and clear. To reassign requests, learn about what happened, and access the information you need is simple. I no longer have to worry about maintaining the backend systems. Instead of getting bogged down in making sure all systems are up-to-date, we can concentrate on our business and providing excellent customer support.

Cons:

When a ticket is being updated, the user is not informed that the ticket is in the process of being updated. Moreover, the fact that the search engine does not provide slack binding should be stressed more strongly. During the dynamic page refresh, the page becomes unresponsive.

Santiago
Deployment Tech in US
Education Management, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

A review of solarwinds

3.0 3 years ago

Comments: It was my first help desk product and has been one of my favorites sense. Besides controller restrictions and how that can impeded closing a ticket, it worked great and, at its core, was a strong helpdesk product that removed the overbearing micromanagement you might see in other options.

Pros:

There is no nonsense involved with this software. A lot of time feels like its lost in options that offer too much customization. You are able to distinctly view what your responsibilities are to your department and work from there.

Cons:

Its too simple. It makes for a cluttered looking interface, unfortunately. While this is no major problem, any lack of self-discipline can lead to a very messy ticket queue.

Krishna
Krishna
Human Resources Generalist in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Hospital & Health Care, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

It is simple to implement, administer, and update

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: In my opinion, web-based program solutions are the way of the future, and SolarWinds is right there with them. I truly mean it when I say I'd want to switch to SolarWinds because of the ease with which everything can be done from a web browser.

Pros:

I like that we can measure time, open rates, add project and task users, and connect files to our projects and tasks. This is a must-have for me in my current position. It's a great way to stay on top of tasks. All task updates are sent to you in real time. Support and asset management use cases are at the bleeding edge of this technology here. An good solution that meets the majority of ITSM criteria is available.

Cons:

The task arrangement for submitting new tickets might be a little complicated at times. Most users won't be able to see or realize how much backend setup is required, thus someone has to do it or teach them.

Hossam
Hossam
Network Infrastructure & Operations Manager in Saudi Arabia
Verified LinkedIn User
Retail, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Hossam's SolarWinds Service Desk Review

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: My overall experience with SolarWinds is very positive, although we have switched to another system due to budget issues, yet i still prefer it.

Pros:

SolarWinds Service Desk is easy to use & what i like most about it is its dashboard customization feature, as i can be able to monitor my team's ticket status all day long, without having to look into the tickets of other teams, and being SolarWinds, it gives me the ability to view it in appealing charts, and reporting & notification is well maintained.

Cons:

The least i like about it is its cost in relative to other ticketing systems in the market.

Brett
Brett
System Engineer in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Retail, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Great Cloud Service with Many Features, Expensive for the Full Version

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: Incident, problem, and change management are all extremely easy to set up and begin using due to the cloud-hosted nature of the product. As it is fully web-based, low-level training is not required for techs or users.

Pros:

Easy to deploy as it is a cloud-based system. Initial setup requires low effort and detail. Branding is easy to apply, functionality is easy to test out of the gate.

Cons:

Information on asset discovery, connections, and scanners feels lacking. Connecting to SCCM via the database has very little information, and after a month of attempts, it is not functional. Support has been a bit slow on response when inquiring regarding this issue, even after purchase.

Assi
Application Developer in US
Information Technology & Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Handling IT Issues Easily

5.0 12 months ago

Pros:

From asset tracking to IT management, this tool has all we need The deployment process is quite straightforward and the customer support is amazing.

Cons:

Quite helpful and no worthy complaints to list.

Randy
Deployment Engineer in US
Information Technology & Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Best and reliable Service Desk for all problem’s related to Solarwinds

5.0 last year

Comments: So far, i have had a great time using Solarwinds products especially Service Desk..

Pros:

Super reliable and efficient in all ways

Cons:

Haven’t encountered any problems using the Service Desk provided by Solarwinds..Solarwinds is excellent and amazing with all its products

Samir
System and network administrator in France
Building Materials, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Good tool for management

5.0 last year

Pros:

I like the simplicity to use Solarwinds all day

Cons:

A lot of tools to i dont know how its working

Heidi
Support Specialist in US
Government Administration, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

Free Trial for 60 Days

4.0 last year

Pros:

The platform was visually appealing and the setup seemed rather easy to become accustomed to.

Cons:

We were unable to come to a monetary agreement and went with another ITSM.

Jacquelyn
interior design specialist in US
Building Materials, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

It's like I have a personal IT Team standing by...

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: It has been very encouraging. Working with such a great team definitely takes the stress out of worry about what ifs.

Pros:

The communication and the care everyone takes in their work. They communicate with me and work together to ensure that all of my issues are resolved and that there is nothing else that they can do to help.

Cons:

Nothing so far. I have had nothing but positive experiences with everyone I have worked with at Solar Winds.

Aman
Sr. Manager, Cyber Security Architect in Canada
Real Estate, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

Great product for all sized organizations.

4.0 2 years ago

Pros:

Easy to deploy and customize. Love the easy of it's management.

Cons:

Nothing major I can think of. Cost is a little at the higher end.

Cláudia
EHS Engineer in Portugal
Automotive, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

IT helpdesk

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: It's a userfriendly tool with minor problems.

Pros:

I use this tool on Teams to creat and view tickets for IT support. And for me it's very pratical and a quick way to report IT situations.

Cons:

When answering to the helpdesk, my comments weren't registered.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Financial Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Improve services with SolarWinds Service Desk

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: Overall experience is good, reliable and fast, will be suggesting to other users also.

Pros:

I most liked about this software is service automation and real time update feature which is great.

Cons:

Least like about this software is the proper guide is required to understand it's all service desk features, all other are good.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Banking, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Good Product for ITIL Best practices

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: I am the administrator of the application in my Managed Information Services department. I selected this product, deployed this product and administer this product and the setup and use of the product is intuitive and easy to master quickly.

Pros:

The ease of creating automated workflows makes the product easy to use and creates efficiencies by automating mundane manual processes. Having the ability to work, escalate and integrate tickets all from a single pane of glass is also a good feature

Cons:

Reporting is a downfall for a majority of apps these days. While some of this is mitigated through the ability to filter and export list results, more functionality in reporting is needed.

Mayank
Senior Specialist in US
Information Technology & Services, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Experience with MS Teams (Pending)

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Overall experience is amazing & I am loving this application.

Pros:

I am using this application since last 2 years & I found that real time alert triggering & Search feature is superb. We can easily find any required data using this app if it is available in its database & if it is configured.

Cons:

So far, I found no reason which I can share as a low-light for this app. Nothing which I can mention as a dwarback for this app.

Andrew
Center IT Engineer in US
Information Technology & Services, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Wish it was my daily driver...

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: Overall I enjoyed using this a great deal and wish we could move over to this from our current helpdesk solution. The connection time for our current software is absurd, having an external program needed just to remote in is a joke, and Kaseya goes down very...VERY often. This seems like the bar is set pretty low for SolarWinds to succeed, but I'd like to give credit where it's due. Web-based solutions for programs is truly the future in my opinion and SolarWinds is right inline with that. You can basically do everything from the web browser which means less for us to set up or maintain (and doesn't bug you about program updates all the time). I mean it when I say I'd love to move to SolarWinds.

Pros:

To give some background, we took on IT services for a smaller company that was getting absorbed by us. While a lot of the IT foundations laid down were pretty flimsy or problematic, one thing stuck out as very well done. They were using Solarwinds for I.T. support and it was definitely a sigh of relief amongst the other mismanagement from before. Everything such as device enrollment was pretty simple, the feature set for online client management was well-stocked, and my favorite was the ability to remote in without needing an external program to do so. We currently use Kaseya and it's just hot garbage, I sincerely wish we could move over to Solarwinds for our main company's IT helpdesk tools.

Cons:

While there is a lot to like about this, some of the UI felt a little "cramped" from time to time. The feature set was nice, but what I was looking for was sometimes a tiny little button on a small option bar. Perhaps some buttons or icons of size would help streamline things, as this can also make training others more difficult, since the task options are easy to miss.

Jean-Louis
VP IT in Canada
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Enterprise Quality at a reasonable implementation cost.

5.0 7 years ago

Comments: Great ITSM alternative to the big guys, with all the same features, without the price tag. They offer a full feature trial and will help you with a PoC. Great value, positive ROI and superior TOC. Have a look at this one!

Pros:

This tool is a hidden gem. Compared to it's peers in the ITSM space, SAmanage has all the features you would expect from an Enterprise ITSM without the Enterprise price tag. It's cloud based SAAS model saves you from the hassles of onprem setups, and if you are global it just works for all your users. The feature set is rich, I recommend you do a Proof of Concept (POC) with them to gain an appreciation of everything the product gives you. The on-boarding process was very well orchestrated, they guide your team through the whole implementation via a Trello board. Everything is spelled out for you, there is little risk here. Truly an Enterprise Grade Product at a reasonable SMB Total Cost of Ownership (or Subscription-ship). Worth having a look.

Cons:

The product does not hit the radar in terms of "Known" go to ITSMs. So this left us to do more research and vetting with their existing clients. Also, because they are lean on price, they do not spend a lot of time "Wining and Dinning" you, and this gave us the false impression of the organization being small. They are not small as we found out in the implementation phase. They are a true SAAS so they don't have travelling sales people with territory in the traditional sense, again it gave us the wrong impression of their sophistication. Some of the features compared to the expensive ITSM packages are not as robust, but for the prices difference we can accept those as is. They meet our needs as is. I do recommend you do a PoC with them to gain a full appreciation for what they do offer and where some of their simplicity map-out for your needs.

Sebastian
Sebastian
Director of IT in Argentina
Used the Software for: Not provided
Reviewer Source

Nice UI, Awesome Customer Service, Fast evolution

4.0 10 years ago

Comments: For some organizations, selling the idea to have an ITSM can be difficult. They helped me to build the case and to sell the idea, they supported me in the whole process. Once they sold me the product, they showed an awesome customer service with very short turnaround time for each support request. They have a strong and active community, which is very important to share ideas and problems. The errors that I found were solved quickly and they also hear their users, by giving us the ability to push for ideas to include in the system. The inventory management is great in details and features. Some Improvement Opportunities
So far, some improvements opportunities that I see can be around the SLAs which could be more flexible (structured as Target->Action, there could be more for each of them), but is not really a problem.
The reports could be more flexible by allowing the user to build his own reports, and scheduling the reports to be sent to specific users The asset agent deployment for linux is a bit tricky and could be improved a lot. Mac and Windows are very straightforward and easy to install. There are and will be a number of things not covered by the product, but what they showed me so far by evolving partially from what the users propose and how fast they evolve, gives me the confidence I need to rest assure that everything that I need will eventually be there. Pros
An awesome customer service and support.
Great asset management. Good set of reports and dashboard capability. SLA are great at the level we use it, you can specify different targets and actions. Ability to configure different times zones and business hours of all your company sites, we have 4 offices with different times zones and so far that's working great! Allowed us to configure a service catalog, to capture and structure common requests from our users, like the request of Virtual Machines, where they always missed some data we needed. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but so far, our experience has been great, I would totally recommend this product!

Adrian
IT Administrator in US
Information Technology & Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Easy to use service desk, with many great features

5.0 4 years ago

Pros:

I like the amount of information that the agent gathers and reports back to the service desk. Having an abundance of information at my hands makes my job infinitely easier.

Cons:

Sometimes the agent will report software that no longer exists on the device. This can cause some inaccuracies.

Jay
Mgr. Application Development in US
Higher Education, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Tremendous product that drives efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: I've had a great experience with SW SD. As a developer the ability to create workflows and use the API has made this tool indispensable. It is also extremely helpful when trying to track down a problem that may have occurred in the past or is similar to something we're currently dealing with.

Pros:

I like the easy-to-use interface, the communication history that allows us to keep track of end user needs and concerns, and the API (personally that's my favorite).

Cons:

I have very few complaints. I wish the list of "filters" wouldn't show the most commonly used at the top or would at least leave those items that are commonly used also further down in the list. I feel like I'm always searching for the items I want in the list because they're not in the same place if I recently used them! Outside of that I wish there was a ticket prioritization feature (or even project management-related features).

Scott
Senior Systems Administrator in US
Information Technology & Services, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great little ITSM

4.0 6 years ago

Comments: They have been a great partner to work with bending over backwards to accommodate us in our mergers and acquisitions as we consolidated tenants and imported and exported data. They listened to our feedback and incorporated some of our ideas into their final product as well. They are a company that will work with you to get the job done the way you need it done.

Pros:

This is a great ITSM. We have been with them for many years and have watched them grow. They have a lot of the features of the big name systems but without the high cost. If you are looking for an ITSM that will get the job done here it is. While it does not have all the expanded features of some of the big systems it has asset management, change management, incident management and a service catalog which is all you really need to get started. Plus they have integrations with other platforms like slack for interating with your tickets. Overall a good choice for an ITSM

Cons:

The only drawback would be that they are a young company and they do not have all of the in depth features of some of the big ITSM's like Servie-now and others. But then again do you really need all that complexity?

James
Network and Security Engineer in US
Oil & Energy, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Outstanding!

5.0 8 years ago

Comments: We needed a solution, and we needed one fast. We had test driven many, but something didn't feel right. Two things made us choose Samanage. The software had every feature we were looking for, and the people were excellent. From the beginning, we were treated like VIP's. We were given professional courtesy, we were given kindness and flexibility, we were shown appreciation, and we were given everything we needed to stand up the ticketing system in our environment. The staff, made us all feel like we were part of their family and we can't thank them enough. The demos were terrific, the trial was awesome, the sale itself went smooth, the implementation was perfect (including the SSO option), the support was phenomenal and the Go-Live went off without a hitch. This was just one of the best end to end experiences I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. The Samanage team are just a bunch of really cool professionals that truly care about their customers. Every call was a pleasure, and they taught us how everything worked. We have had nothing but excellent support, and we are happily enjoying all the features and functionality as we use it daily. I have personally thanked them over the phone, and in email messages, but I still can't thank them enough. We were on a hard deadline to get everything working in a very short time. The Samanage team delivered on time, and within budget. We couldn't be happier. Thank you, Samanage Team! You ROCK!!!!!! :)

Pros:

Ease of use, very intuitive. As described in the demos. Evertyhing worked as expected.

Cons:

It doesn't know how to make me coffee in the morning, but other than that, it's hard not to like something that makes your life easier.

Henry
Desktop Systems Specialist in US
Oil & Energy, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Samanage Helpdesk Best!

4.0 8 years ago

Comments: The most granular are where Samanage stands out from the crowd is in its Dashboard and the array of reports that it generates. Upon login, the Dashboard is where users are automatically placed. It provide users with immediate inside into what's going on across the organization.
Another feature I like in Samanage is its single sign-on functionality. Many of contenders failed to support this capability at all. Once users are signed on, they can be assigned different roles and groups depending upon what they need to do and what access level is required.
There's also something Samanage calls "risk detection." This isn't a security tool constantly searching for code holes or digital invaders, however. Rather, it's based on the data Samanage gathers as a helpdesk and asset management tool where it uses that information to keep track of best practices, expiring licenses, and similar information that might compromise your IT organization from a financial or contract perspective. We weren't able to test this feature, so be sure to evaluate yourself thoroughly before banking on it.
Samanage doesn't have everything a good help desk solution should have, but it does offer many features that are important to ITIL, including problem, incident, and change management. Samanage has a pleasing aesthetic, is fairly easy to use once you get used to it, and given its feature breadth you'll certainly find the right tool for the job somewhere in the suite.

Pros:

Contains most needed features. Includes ITIL service management tools. Offers asset tracking and more reports than other help desk solutions

Cons:

A lot of features but some seem unnecessary.

Jeremy
Consultant in US
Used the Software for: Not provided
Reviewer Source

Samanage simplified and expanded the feature set of our current Incident Management System

4.0 9 years ago

Comments: Samanage helped simplify our incident management, expand our feature set and ultimately helped us increase the capabilities of our customer support and information management on the support side. We were really impressed with the import capabilities and admin capabilities provided right out of the gate. We were also impressed with the flexibility of the licensing and the willingness to help package exactly what we needed for our solution. One feature we have greatly benefited from is the Contract Management which helps us track the different contracts we hold with customers. The Service Requests have also helped guide users into providing information for their requests, making our job easier when trying to facilitate the requests and needing certain information to do so. We were not impressed with the limited capabilities of the Solutions portion of the application and this carries over to the Help Desk Portal which has no current way of organizing Solutions based on the customer or "Site", category, or any such other filters. There is only the option of displaying the solution Internally, which is good because in that view, we can create filters to organize and make sense out of the hundreds of Solutions we have created. But, we really wanted to improve the self help capabilities of the help desk portal we are provided but with the current way Solutions are shown on the portal, we can not use this feature to show customers common solutions to their problems. Overall, Samanage has been a great asset to our support team but we are hoping to see some improvements this year when it comes to permissions for viewing Solutions and also organizing solutions on the Help Desk Portal in a manner similar to how the Service Requests are displayed. I should note that since this is a SaaS solution, we instantly see improvements and features being added and the community.samanage.com site is very active. Lastly, I want to praise Samanage's help desk and engineering team which has been spot on with their support and solution delivery. We have helped to find a number of bugs and problems throughout our use and usually we will see these problems resolved within a week or less which is incredible turn around time for fixing minor issues in a software solution if you look at other companies and traditional on premise software.