Who makes ServiceDesk Plus?

ServiceDesk Plus is made by ManageEngine, the IT management division of Zoho Corporation. ManageEngine offers a range of IT management products, and ServiceDesk Plus integrates with several of them, such as endpoint and network management tools, which some organisations find useful when standardising on one vendor.

Is ServiceDesk Plus cloud or on-premises?

Both. It is available as a cloud service and as software you install on your own servers. The cloud option removes server maintenance, while the on-premises option suits organisations with data residency requirements or restricted networks, at the cost of handling patching, backups, and availability themselves.

Is ServiceDesk Plus ITIL compliant?

It is designed around ITIL practices, including incident, problem, change, request, and asset and configuration management. Tools support ITIL-aligned processes; compliance with ITIL in practice depends on how an organisation designs and runs those processes, not only on the software it uses.

Is ServiceDesk Plus a good fit for small teams?

It can be, particularly for small IT teams that want structured incident, request, change, and asset management. The deciding factors are whether its workflows match how the team works, the administration effort the team can support, the deployment model it prefers, and total licensing cost. A short trial with real tickets is the best test, ideally run by the people who will use it every day.

Does ServiceDesk Plus include asset management?

Yes. It includes asset management features for discovering and tracking hardware and software, and a configuration management database for recording configuration items and their relationships. Some capabilities depend on the edition and deployment chosen, so check which asset features are included in the specific edition being evaluated.

What Is ServiceDesk Plus?

ServiceDesk Plus is IT service management software from ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation. It provides incident, request, problem, and change management, a self-service portal, a service catalogue, asset management, and a configuration management database. It is available as a cloud service and for on-premises installation, and is commonly used by small and mid-sized IT teams.

What it covers

ServiceDesk Plus provides the core practices of IT service management:

Incident management: logging, categorising, assigning, and resolving issues, with service level tracking.
Request fulfilment: a service catalogue and self-service portal for standard requests.
Problem management: investigating underlying causes of recurring incidents.
Change management: planning, approval workflows, and scheduling of changes.
Asset and configuration management: discovering and tracking hardware and software, and recording relationships in a CMDB.
Knowledge base: articles for users and technicians.

It also integrates with other ManageEngine products for areas such as endpoint and network management.

Deployment options

ServiceDesk Plus is offered as a cloud service and as software installed on your own infrastructure. The on-premises option matters for organisations with data residency requirements, restricted network environments, or a preference for self-hosting. Self-hosting brings the usual responsibilities: patching, backups, availability, and security of the server and its database.

Where it fits

ServiceDesk Plus is commonly chosen by small and mid-sized IT teams that want a full set of ITIL-aligned practices without the scope and implementation effort of large enterprise workflow platforms. Teams already using other ManageEngine products may value the integrations.

Organisations that need extensive workflow automation across many departments, deep custom application development, or very large-scale deployments may compare it with broader platforms. Teams that only need incident management and a simple service desk may find a lighter tool quicker to adopt.

What to check before choosing

Processes you actually run. Map your current incident, request, and change workflows and test them in a trial, rather than comparing feature lists.
Integrations. Monitoring, identity, chat, and deployment tools should create and update tickets automatically.
Administration effort. Who will configure and maintain workflows, forms, and automation rules?
Deployment and security. Cloud or self-hosted, where data is stored, and who is responsible for patching.
Licensing. Pricing depends on edition, number of technicians, and options; compare total cost for your size.
Reporting. Check that response and resolution metrics match how you want to measure service.

Migrating to or from it

Moving between ITSM tools is mostly a data and process exercise. Export and map historical tickets, assets, and configuration items; decide how much history to migrate rather than archive; rebuild workflows and service level policies; reconnect integrations; and retrain agents. Run old and new systems in parallel for a short period for open tickets. The biggest risk is recreating every customisation from the old tool, including ones nobody uses anymore. A migration is a good moment to simplify.

Running it well

Whatever tool a team chooses, the same practices decide whether it helps. Keep categories short and meaningful so reports say something. Automate ticket creation from monitoring and deployment tools, so records carry context without manual typing. Review service level breaches regularly rather than only at quarter end. Retire unused forms, fields, and workflows. And make sure incidents close with a cause recorded, so problem management and trend analysis have data to work with.

Security considerations for self-hosted ITSM

Self-hosted ITSM servers hold sensitive information about infrastructure, users, and incidents, and they are often reachable from wide parts of the network. Treat them like any critical internet-facing or internally exposed application: patch promptly when the vendor issues security updates, restrict network access, enforce strong authentication, and monitor for unusual activity. Help desk and ITSM tools have been targeted in attacks precisely because of the access and information they hold. Include the ITSM server in vulnerability scanning and incident response plans like any other critical system.

Frequently asked questions

Who makes ServiceDesk Plus?: ServiceDesk Plus is made by ManageEngine, the IT management division of Zoho Corporation. ManageEngine offers a range of IT management products, and ServiceDesk Plus integrates with several of them, such as endpoint and network management tools, which some organisations find useful when standardising on one vendor.
Is ServiceDesk Plus cloud or on-premises?: Both. It is available as a cloud service and as software you install on your own servers. The cloud option removes server maintenance, while the on-premises option suits organisations with data residency requirements or restricted networks, at the cost of handling patching, backups, and availability themselves.
Is ServiceDesk Plus ITIL compliant?: It is designed around ITIL practices, including incident, problem, change, request, and asset and configuration management. Tools support ITIL-aligned processes; compliance with ITIL in practice depends on how an organisation designs and runs those processes, not only on the software it uses.
Is ServiceDesk Plus a good fit for small teams?: It can be, particularly for small IT teams that want structured incident, request, change, and asset management. The deciding factors are whether its workflows match how the team works, the administration effort the team can support, the deployment model it prefers, and total licensing cost. A short trial with real tickets is the best test, ideally run by the people who will use it every day.
Does ServiceDesk Plus include asset management?: Yes. It includes asset management features for discovering and tracking hardware and software, and a configuration management database for recording configuration items and their relationships. Some capabilities depend on the edition and deployment chosen, so check which asset features are included in the specific edition being evaluated.