Driving ITSM Modernization in the Public Sector with BMC Helix

Agency background

A large U.S. state government agency with more than 11,000 employees oversees the full spectrum of transportation services—from driver’s licensing and vehicle registration to highways, bridges, rail, and public transit. As the largest operating agency in its state, its IT operations directly impact millions of residents and businesses.

To better serve its mission, the agency needed a modern IT service management (ITSM) platform that would ensure compliance, improve efficiency, and provide a seamless migration path from its legacy systems.

Challenges

The agency faced multiple obstacles in its ITSM environment and required a modern, secure solution that could deliver value without disrupting operations or breaking the budget. Challenges and considerations included:

• Unsupported platform: The agency was running an unsupported on-premises ITSM solution, posing risks in compliance, scalability, and vendor support.
• Mandated change: Leadership directed a move away from the legacy solution, considering ServiceNow as the alternative.
• Compliance needs: Any new platform had to be FedRAMP-authorized to meet strict government security and regulatory standards.
• Budget pressures: The agency needed cost predictability and taxpayer value, making transparent and sustainable pricing critical.
• Migration risk: With an experienced workforce already trained in Remedy, leaders wanted to avoid retraining or redesigning processes from scratch.

The solution: BMC Helix Service Management Advanced

After evaluating its options, the agency selected BMC Helix Service Management Advanced (SaaS), deployed on Amazon Web Services (AWS) FedRAMP, as its ITSM platform.

Key reasons for the decision included:

• Cost-effectiveness: Transparent, predictable pricing that balances budget constraints with responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds.
• FedRAMP certification: Meeting strict federal security and compliance standards out of the box.
• Seamless migration: Ability to transition from Remedy 20.02 without extensive retraining or re-architecting processes.
• Services and education: Implementation support and knowledge transfer enabled a smooth adoption curve for IT teams.
• Future-ready reatures: Built-in capabilities such as BMC Helix Digital Workplace, AI-driven BMC Helix Service Management, BMC Helix Dashboards, and BMC Helix Virtual Agent positioned the agency to scale into modern ITSM and employee experience initiatives.

By combining compliance, cost effectiveness, and future-ready capabilities, BMC Helix proved the right fit for a public sector agency committed to modernization with accountability—ensuring stewardship of taxpayer resources and the most efficient path to success.

Use cases in action

With BMC Helix, the agency has strengthened service delivery across multiple areas:

• Incident management: Faster response to outages, including traffic monitoring of system failures during peak hours.
• Request management: A self-service portal for field staff to request devices or software.
• Asset management: Tracking of IT assets across control centers and field teams.
• Change management: Updates to critical transportation systems are managed with minimal disruption.
• Problem management: Recurring infrastructure problems, such as toll system malfunctions, are identified and permanent fixes are implemented.
• Knowledge management: Resolution steps and best practices are captured for reuse, reducing downtime in future incidents.

From traffic monitoring to employee self-service, BMC Helix ITSM helps ensure that essential transportation systems run smoothly and reliably.

Results

Since moving to BMC Helix, the agency has improved its IT effectiveness and the resilience of critical public services and achieved clear benefits, including:

• Reduced risk: No longer reliant on unsupported software.
• Lowered TCO: Reduced costs compared to alternative vendors.
• Improved security: Achieved FedRAMP compliance for secure operations.
• Empowered teams: Gave IT staff modern tools and training to support faster, more efficient service delivery.
• Future-ready: Positioned the agency for growth with AI-driven and digital workplace capabilities.

Impact

The modernization effort has transformed the agency’s IT service delivery from a reactive, risk-prone operation into a proactive enabler of statewide transportation services. Faster response times, streamlined communication, and automation have helped keep critical systems running with less downtime—ensuring citizens experience more reliable services.

As one IT leader summarized, “This platform allows us to focus on service delivery, not system limitations. We can support our mission with the speed and confidence citizens expect.”

ITSM modernization is not just about technology—it’s about delivering better outcomes for people and communities.

Looking forward

The agency plans to expand its use of AI-driven tools and self-service portals to further reduce manual workloads and empower end users. Over time, ITSM insights and analytics will help identify trends, anticipate issues, and drive continuous improvement across transportation systems.

By adopting BMC Helix, the agency has established a strong foundation for ongoing digital transformation and mission execution. Future-ready ITSM ensures the organization stays aligned with the evolving needs of the state’s citizens while maintaining compliance and efficiency.

Call to action

Public sector organizations face unique challenges in balancing compliance, cost, and modernization. This transportation agency’s success demonstrates how BMC Helix can deliver secure, cost-effective, and future-ready ITSM at scale.

To learn how BMC Helix can help your organization modernize IT operations, visit our BMC Helix ITSM page or take the Guided Demo today.

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