App Portal vs App Broker

[pratulpatel1]

Questions: I am confused about App Broker vs App Portal? Which one is for us?

Answer: A lot of people have similar questions regarding the difference between App Portal and App Broker. To begin, let’s understand the history. Flexera has been offering App Portal as an on-prem product since 2011. App Portal is a complete solution for software governance, spend optimization and provides a complete user interface (UI) for employees to complete common tasks, like requesting a software, checking the status, uninstalling an unused software application and more. As more and more IT Service Management (ITSM) products (like ServiceNow) gained popularity in the market, customers began requesting App Portal capabilities using their choice of ITSM solution for the UI.

That’s when App Broker was born in 2016, with the capability to integrate with an ITSM product. Customers using App Broker can now offer the same capabilities to their employees while using the familiar UI of their ITSM solution. App Broker uses application programming interfaces (APIs) to communicate with the ITSM product. Customers can request a license to use the APIs at no additional cost. Although both products offer similar functionalities, there are differences which are documented in the PDF file in this KB Article (Note: download the PDF file in the link for the document).

Question: I heard App Portal is retiring? What’s the scoop? What’s the future?

Answer: The two separate on-prem products, App Portal and App Broker, will both remain as-is and supported just like they are today. We will continue to maintain and support them for the foreseeable future. Both the products will continue to get updates just as they do today.

Meanwhile, in line with the industry and customer demand, Flexera is working on a SaaS version of App Broker which is hosted on the cloud. The SaaS version will simply be called App Broker Cloud with the option to use App Broker UI, also hosted on the cloud. The SaaS version is built completely from scratch, offering a modern UI and the latest micro-services architecture to facilitate easier product extensions, customizations and integration with other Flexera products.

Expected availability:
App Broker Cloud: Q4 2019
App Broker UI Cloud: Q1 2020

Have more questions? We will use this online community space to answer questions on App Portal, App Broker and upcoming SaaS releases. We will continue to provide release notes here as well. We recommend customers subscribe to this category for ongoing updates as well as participate in our forums

[sempra123]

could someone provide me the installation document for app broker for service now

[jdempsey]

@sempra123 , all product documentation can be found on HelpNet.  You can also get there by selecting Documentation from the Other Resources menu in the navigation bar of this website.  Once on the HelpNet site, select App Portal / App Broker as the Product and then select your desired version (e.g. 2019 R1) from the Version drop-down.  You'll see a few different guides and release notes (including the Installation Guide) available as both browsable HTML and downloadable PDF formats.

[chaurets]

"The SaaS version is built completely from scratch, offering a modern UI and the latest micro-services architecture to facilitate easier product extensions, customizations and integration with other Flexera products." 

Question. Will these changes be coming to the on-prem version? If so, when?

[pratulpatel]

Hi @chaurets, the SaaS / Cloud version of App Broker will replace the on-prem version. Having said that, the on-prem version will continue to be supported and get updates based on customer demands and requirements but could potentially differ from the updates the SaaS version gets. Hope that helps.

[fenluo]

We actually have both files for downloading, which one we should choose? We are going to integrate it with Remedy

[JohnSorensenDK]

@fenluo 

If you "integrate it with Remedy" mean you're going to use the Remedy front-end (BMC's Workplace) to end users then you should be deploying App Broker.

Thanks,

John Sorensen

[fenluo]

@JohnSorensenDK 

App Broker is a free version of App Portal? 

thanks 

fen

[jdempsey]

App Broker is not a "free" version of App Portal.  App Broker for ServiceNow and App Broker for BMC are separate SKUs of the same product that are intended for immersive integration with the corresponding ITSM system's own portal UI.  End users and approvers interact only with ServiceNow or BMC Digital Workplace (formerly MyIT), while catalog administrators still interact with Flexera's (App Broker) admin web UI.  The installation binaries are the same.  The only difference will be the license file you upload after installation.  The license file will dictate if you have an App Portal license, App Broker for ServiceNow license, or App Broker for BMC license.

[fenluo]

I got more confusion now, as i got two download links: one is for App Broker 2019 R1 and App Portal 2019 R1 , so i am assuming it they are two different products?

[jdempsey]

As stated previously, they are two different SKU's of the same product.  Depending on what entitlements are tied to your account, you may see both links in the Product and License Center, but the installation binaries will be the same whether you pull them from the App Portal folder or the App Broker folder.  After you run the installation, you will be prompted to upload your license file.  The license file you select will determine which SKU is activated.

Note: I am only referencing the on-prem products here.  Once the SaaS version of App Broker becomes available, it will have some downloadable components, and those will be different than what is downloadable for the on-prem version.

[bibek9891]

So , if we need App broker for BMC, do we also have to purchase APP portal, OR both  of the products are licensed separately. Also how can we get the pricing details for APP broker and APP portal.

[CharlesW]

The only difference between App Broker and App Portal (besides the name) is that the REST API is exposed in App Broker.. Integrating with Remedy would require App Broker, since the REST API calls are used.. There should never be a need for you to have an App Portal license at this point. 

[fenluo]

I think App Broker comes with FNMS purchase, you can talk with their sales

[jdempsey]

Neither App Broker nor App Portal "come with FNMS".  These are separate products and must be purchased separately.  You should talk to your sales representative for pricing and packages.  FWIW, I recommend that anyone needing App Portal or App Broker simply purchase an App Broker SKU (either App Broker for ServiceNow or App Broker for BMC).  You can still use App Broker without ServiceNow or BMC, but this just gives you the flexibility to use the REST API if you need it for anything.  There is no reason to purchase the App Portal SKU instead of or in addition to an App Broker SKU.  Hopefully, this clears things up, but if not, please reach out to your sales rep with additional questions.