Thoughts and ideas on how to build tools, automate workflows and speed-up the workplace.
Handling compliance tasks requires us to have a clear record of which policies are in place and how they change over time. For this, we need a robust system that enables colleagues to interact with our policy data in a structured way. The trouble is the specific internal workflows involved in this are rarely the same from one organization to the next. Today, we’re exploring one way of addressing this problem, by building a custom policy management system in Budibase.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 14, 2025
In the world of ITSM, ServiceNow and BMC Helix (formerly Remedy) are undoubtedly two of the most dominant players. With comprehensive service management workflows, automation tools, and AI capabilities, they’re two highly advanced, enterprise-grade ITSM platforms. However, they’re also optimized for slightly different segments of the market. As such, it’s crucial to have a thorough understanding of each platform’s relative strengths and weaknesses in order to make an informed decision about which is right for your specific needs.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 12, 2025
Part of the Zoho suite, ManageEngine is a widely used platform for handling a range of ITSM, ITOps, and related processes. This centers around a feature-rich, modern service management tool called ServiceDesk Plus. However, this is a crowded space, with several prominent vendors cornering different corners of the market. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the top ManageEngine alternatives and competitors. Along the way, we’ll see some of the most important decision points across the marketing, including functionality, pricing, and non-functional requirements.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 10, 2025
Incident management is one of the most challenging aspects of IT service delivery. However, it’s also critical, as incidents can come with huge costs, including financial, security, compliance, reputational, or service continuity issues. Of course, prevention is always better than cure. However, the reality is that we can’t prevent every possible incident from occurring. So, where problem management and risk management might stop incidents from occurring, incident management is concerned with minimizing the impact of those that still do.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 28, 2025
Managing changes to engineering projects can be an incredibly tricky process. Even seemingly minor changes must be accurately assessed for risks, costs, compliance issues, and potential impacts. This applies to almost all kinds of engineering, including software, construction, and others. The key challenges here include identifying a need for change, assessing the impact of potential actions, and applying consistent business rules to authorize new change initiatives. However, engineering projects also introduce additional difficulties.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 27, 2025
Zendesk and ServiceNow are two of the biggest names in the service management space. Each platform offers a distinct slant on similar core functionality, including service desks, request management, ticketing, and related ITSM, ESM, or external-facing service workflows. Which is not to say that one platform is necessarily better than the other. Rather, each one is optimized for its own target organizations, teams, and use cases. In this guide, we’re diving deep into what each one offers, who it’s aimed at, where it’s a viable option, and what practical considerations we’ll need to make before rolling it out.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 25, 2025
Businesses of all sizes face a growing challenge of staying on top of the software tools they use. Combating shadow IT, managing costs, and ensuring our team have the capabilities they need can be a massive undertaking. But, the actual practicalities of this can vary from one organization to the next. For example, because of the scale of your team, the scope of the tools they need, or the complexity of your wider IT environment.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 21, 2025
Microsoft Access is one of the most popular database solutions for businesses of all kinds. However, many businesses are seeking out more modern alternatives, with the rise of new technologies including NoSQL tools, big data, AI, low-code development, and more. Despite this, countless businesses still use Access. Indeed - and to its credit - it’s been at the center of all kinds of solutions for decades. But, today we’re exploring some more modern alternatives.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 20, 2025