SmartSearch Strengthens Security and Simplifies Service Management with HaloITSM
As a rapidly growing RegTech company, SmartSearch needed a secure, scalable ITSM platform. Replacing Freshdesk with HaloITSM brought automation, structure, and control.
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Core Features
Tenant
Teams & Agents
Users
Tickets
Optional Features
Halo AI
Asset Mgmt
Billing
Calendars & Appts
Call Mgmt
Chat
Contracts
Document Mgmt
Forecasting
Event Mgmt
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Services
SLAs
Software Releases
Suppliers
Supplier Contracts
Time Management
Advanced
Language
Custom Objects
Integrations
Migrations
Core Features
Organisation
Teams & Agents
Users
Tickets
Optional Features
Halo AI
Asset Mgmt
Billing
Calendars & Appts
Call Mgmt
Chat
Agreements
PDF Templates
Documents
Forecasting
Event Mgmt
Knowledge Base
Items & Stock
Notifications
Project Mgmt
Purchase Orders
Quotations
Remote Support
Reporting
Sales
Sales Orders
Self-Service Portal
Service Catalogue
SLAs
Suppliers
Supplier Agreements
Time Management
Advanced
Language
Custom Objects
Integrations
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Core Features
Organisation
Teams & Agents
Contacts
Quotations
Sales
Optional Features
Records
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People
Organisation
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Roles
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Channels
Call Mgmt
SMS
Social Media
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Web Widget
Processes
Forms
Workflows
Rules
Canned Text
Surveys
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Halo AI
Areas
Views
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Language
Custom Objects
Integrations
Migrations
Miscellaneous
Forecasting
Project Mgmt
Improved
InfoSec and access governance across the business
Unified
platform for IT visibility and control
Automated
onboarding replaced manual processes
Industry
Service Providers
Region
Europe
Previous Tool
Freshdesk
About
SmartSearch is a leading provider of digital compliance and anti-money laundering solutions. As a fast-growing organisation with a strong focus on operational integrity, the team needed a reliable ITSM platform that could scale, streamline support, and enforce security best practices across the business.
The Challenge
SmartSearch was previously using Freshdesk alongside tools like SharePoint. While simple and user-friendly, the system lacked the functionality and control needed for a secure, scalable operation.
There was no way to track asset history, making it difficult to troubleshoot recurring issues. Request forms were unstructured, especially for processes requiring InfoSec or infrastructure input, often resulting in repeated back-and-forth to gather critical information. New user setup was fully manual, and the knowledge base had grown bloated and hard to use.
From a support standpoint, the team experienced major outages with no direct phone support and slow resolution times, creating unnecessary operational and security risk.
“It was quite a simple system, and that worked until we started looking at things like asset management, stocking levels, and knowledge sharing across teams.”
– Matthew Collins, Service Desk Manager
The Solution
SmartSearch selected HaloITSM for its depth of functionality, flexible configuration, and strong balance of cost and capability. The platform was deployed quickly and addressed core service management and security priorities from day one.
The team now benefits from:
- Asset histories linked to devices, reducing guesswork and repeat incidents
- Azure AD integration to automatically create users with correct permissions
- Structured request forms, improving data quality for InfoSec and infrastructure
- Role-based visibility and access control, ensuring teams only see what they need
- Two-tier knowledge base, split for end users and technical staff
- SLA tracking and alerts, helping teams prioritise before deadlines are missed
- Reliable support, with a phone line, service status tracker, and known issues feed
“It brought everything into one place, we’ve reduced manual work, improved visibility, and the feedback from users has been really positive.”
– Matthew Collins, Service Desk Manager
The Results
Since moving to HaloITSM, SmartSearch has seen measurable improvements in both efficiency and control. Manual tasks have been replaced by automation, and core processes, including onboarding and request approvals, are faster, clearer, and more secure.
- Automated onboarding ensures correct access from day one
- Role-based controls reduce over-permissioned access
- InfoSec approval turnaround by structured tickets
- SLA timers and alerts support proactive service delivery
- Downtime risk reduced with reliable vendor support
- Reduced back and forth between end-users and agents
"It’s been a huge step forward — and we’ve only just scratched the surface.”
-Matthew Collins, Service Desk Manager
With change management, Azure DevOps integration, and an external knowledge base on the roadmap, the team is confident that HaloITSM will continue to support their growth, securely and at scale.