Migrate from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management with precision & ease

A seamless, customizable migration solution for moving your SolarWinds Service Desk data with perfect fidelity and minimal disruption.

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Last updated August 2026

SolarWinds Service Desk
InvGate Service Management
MIGRATION OVERVIEW

Why teams migrate from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management

The core problem
Migrating from SolarWinds Service Desk (SWSD) to InvGate Service Management is a medium-complexity ITIL-to-ITIL migration with no native export-import path between the two platforms. While both systems share ITIL data model conventions and most core entities — incidents, problems, changes, users, groups, and knowledge articles — have direct counterparts, the transformation layer requires custom middleware to extract via the SWSD REST API (api.samanage.com), remap to InvGate's request-centric schema, and load via InvGate's REST API with strict referential integrity enforcement. CMDB/asset data does not migrate natively, as InvGate's CI model is a separate product, and automation rules, SLA policies, approval workflows, service catalog items, and notification templates cannot be migrated programmatically and must be fully rebuilt. A delta cutover process is required to capture records created during the migration window, with realistic timelines ranging from 2–3 weeks for small tenants to 5–8 weeks for environments with 100,000+ records, heavy attachments, or complex workflow configurations.
Why this matters for your migration
KEY CHALLENGES

What makes this migration complex

These are the architectural mismatches and technical hurdles specific to a SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management migration.

Most Critical

Workflow and Automation Rebuild

SWSD automation rules, SLA policies, approval chains, and service catalog workflows cannot be exported or programmatically migrated and must be entirely rebuilt using InvGate's no-code visual workflow builder.

Blocks all downstream imports if mapped wrong

CMDB and Asset Discontinuity

SWSD CMDB hardware and CI relationships do not map to native InvGate CIs by default, as InvGate's asset management is a separate product requiring a parallel implementation or archive-only treatment of asset data.

Strict Referential Integrity Enforcement

InvGate's REST API rejects any request record that references a non-existent customer, creator, or category ID, requiring all dependent entities to be fully loaded and ID-mapped before ticket import begins.

Rich Text and Inline Image Rewriting

SWSD stores ticket descriptions and comments as HTML with inline base64 images or authenticated hosted image URLs that must be downloaded, re-uploaded to InvGate as attachments, and rewritten in HTML payloads to avoid broken links post-migration.

Custom Field Pre-Creation Requirement

InvGate requires all custom field definitions — including list options, tree hierarchies for cascading selects, and user-reference types — to be manually pre-created in the admin UI before any record containing those fields can be imported via API.

Attachment Volume and API Throughput

InvGate exposes no bulk-import endpoint, and at a sustained rate of 2–3 API calls per second a corpus of 100,000 tickets takes 9–14 hours to load, with large attachment volumes — potentially hundreds of gigabytes — adding days of additional migration time.

COMPLETE COVERAGE

Intelligent Human-Verified Data Mapping

Our migration engineer precisely maps every data point from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management, ensuring perfect continuity for your customer support operations.

SolarWinds Service Desk
InvGate Service Management
Incidents
Requests (Incidents)
Service Requests
Requests (Incidents)
Users
Users (Agents)
Groups
Groups (Teams)
Departments
Departments
Sites
Locations
Categories
Service Catalog Categories
CMDB Configuration Items
Configuration Items (CIs)
Solutions (Knowledge Base)
Knowledge Articles
Comments/Notes
Comments / Notes
Attachments
Attachments
Time Entries
Time Entries
Service Catalog Items
Service Catalog Categories

Looking for more entity mappings?

Contact our team
MIGRATION RISK ASSESSMENT

Every migration risk, already solved

Migration between platforms is full of edge cases. Our engineers have identified every risk from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management and built proven solutions for each one.

High complexity
  • Attachments
    Attachments must be staged locally before import, uploaded per-request via API with no bulk endpoint available, and large attachment corpora — up to the 25 MB per-file SWSD cap — can extend migration timelines by days.
    Solved
  • CMDB and Asset Data
    SWSD hardware and CI records have no native migration path into InvGate's asset management module, which is a separate product, meaning all CI relationships and configuration data must be treated as an archive or rebuilt from scratch.
    Solved
  • SLA Policies and History
    SLA configurations cannot be migrated programmatically and must be manually rebuilt in InvGate, and all historical SLA compliance data and clock history from SWSD is permanently lost as InvGate tracks SLA metrics only from record creation within its own platform.
    Solved
Custom engineering
  • Service Requests
    Service request records migrate as Request type_id=2, but associated catalog item structures, forms, and fulfillment workflows must be manually rebuilt as category-linked workflows in InvGate.
    Handled
  • Problems and Changes
    Problem and change records have direct type mappings but lose their approval workflow state and multi-stage chain configurations, which must be reconstructed in InvGate's workflow builder before go-live.
    Handled
  • Custom Fields
    Standard custom field types migrate with equivalent InvGate types, but cascading select fields require tree-type recreation via the admin UI and multi-select behavior differences may require validation testing post-migration.
    Handled
  • Comments and Audit Logs
    Ticket comments with public and internal visibility flags can be migrated via the incident.comment API using the customer_visible flag, but SWSD audit trails are platform-internal, non-exportable via API, and will not exist in InvGate post-migration.
    Handled
Clean transfer
  • Incidents
    Incidents map directly to InvGate Request type_id=1 with priority, status, and standard fields carrying over cleanly, provided users and categories are loaded first.
    Clean
  • Users and Groups
    Users map cleanly via email address, though InvGate requires separate name and lastname fields, and deduplication against any AD or SCIM-synced users must be handled explicitly during the load phase.
    Clean
  • Knowledge Base Articles
    KB articles map directly via the InvGate kb.articles POST endpoint, though each article requires a valid category_id reference and inline images embedded in article HTML must be re-uploaded and relinked.
    Clean
What Our Customers Say

Real migration stories

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CUSTOM MIGRATION

Fully customizable engineer-led migration

Tailor your migration from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management exactly to your needs with our flexible customization options. Our experts will configure the perfect migration plan for your business.

Migration Filters

Ticket Status

Filter by open, resolved, closed, or pending states

Assignment Group

Migrate tickets assigned to specific support teams or queues

Priority Level

Select records based on urgency, impact, or priority levels

Time Range

Migrate tickets created or updated within a specific period

Data Types

Incidents & Requests

Active and closed tickets including history, comments, and attachments

Problems & Changes

Root cause analysis records and change management workflows

Assets & CMDB

Hardware, software, and configuration items with relationships

Knowledge Base

Help articles, FAQs, and internal documentation with categorization

ZERO DOWNTIME

Your timeline. Our engineers.

A dedicated engineer runs your migration, planned around your schedule and your data.

No babysitting a wizard. Avoid debugging errors yourself.

Looking for a more detailed migration timeline?

Contact our team

Speed

The migration timeline depends on both our turnaround time and yours.

We can complete a migration in under a day when the accounts are connected and the sample migration is approved promptly.

Background Sync

We also support migrating the newest records first, so you can go live faster while the rest of the data is synced in the background.

Data Volume Impact

Larger data volumes may require longer migration windows.

Continuous Operation

Weekend migrations minimize disruption to your customer service operations.

MIGRATION TIMELINE

Your SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management migration, step by step

See how long your migration will take from start to finish. Drag the slider to estimate based on your data volume.

How many records are you migrating?

<10K 50K 100K 250K 500K 1M 2M 5M 10M+
Checklist ~3 days
Sample 1 day
Review ~2 days
Full 2 days
Delta 1 day
Your team ClonePartner

Estimated total

~9 business days

1

Migration Checklist

1 day · ClonePartner ~2 days · Your team

We prepare the optimal data mapping as a shareable spreadsheet. Your team reviews, approves, and adds any customizations.

2

Sample Migration

1 day · ClonePartner

We run a test migration with a representative sample of your data to verify mapping accuracy and identify any potential issues before the full run.

3

Review & Approve

~2 days · Your team

Your team reviews the sample migration results, confirms data accuracy and mapping, and gives the go-ahead for the full migration.

4

Full Migration

2 days · ClonePartner

We execute the complete migration of all your data to your new InvGate Service Management, with real-time progress tracking and comprehensive logging.

5

Delta Migration

1 day · ClonePartner

We capture and transfer any new data that was added or updated during the main migration to ensure no data is lost. This final sync keeps everything current.

Related Guides

Pros and cons of different migration options

Choosing the right approach is key because migrating from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management isn't just about moving data – it's about protecting your service continuity and SLAs.

Feature / Criteria ClonePartner Automated Tools CSV Import In-house migration
Custom Scripting for complex data Engineers build & maintain No Manual Yes – but costly
Sandbox & Pilot Migrations Full sandbox + pilot plans Limited No Often Informal
Manual validation & reconciliation Automated + manual QA No Yes (Manual) Heavy manual effort
Backup & rollback plan Robust procedures No No Often incomplete
Handles automation and integrations Full support Partial No Possible but fragmented
Post-migration engineer support Dedicated engineers No No Limited SLA support
Adaptable to API changes Proactive adaptation No Manual fixes Slower response
Turnaround / SLA predictability Predictable SLAs Fast but brittle Slow and manual Often slower
Data Security & Compliance High – enterprise grade Medium (depends) Low (manual) Hidden gaps common
Pricing predictability Transparent & fixed Low (per-job) Low (manual hours) High/variable OPEX
End-to-end project management Full E2E delivery & PM No No Often partial
Business impact & opportunity cost No diversion of staff No No Diverts engineering

What does an Engineer-led migration mean anyway?

Speed & Accuracy: Our Blended Method

We blend automation (smart scripts, bulk APIs) with human expertise for speed without risk. Our engineers manually check every mapping, validation, and exception.

You get:

  1. Speed of automation for bulk record migration
  2. Precision of engineers verifying integrity and business logic
  3. Pilot migrations and sandbox testing to catch issues early
  4. Real-time validation reports and rollback readiness
Result: 50x faster migrations than manual imports — with near-zero error rates.

Handling the Tricky Tech and API Details

The SolarWinds Service Desk and InvGate Service Management APIs each behave differently, which is where our engineers shine. We build custom logic to handle the data quirks where generic tools typically break.

We handcraft API logic for:

  1. Field mapping and transformation
  2. Pagination, rate-limit handling, and throttling
  3. Preserving incident history, worknotes, and CI relationships
  4. Syncing custom fields, SLAs, and workflows without breaking structure
Our scripts: Natively retry failed calls, re-queue large attachments, and ensure data parity.

No Guesswork

We don't just promise smooth migrations—we measure and prove them. Every client receives a Migration Validation Report with all metrics.

Typical results across projects:

  1. 100% record-count parity between your SolarWinds Service Desk data and InvGate Service Management
  2. Zero downtime during staged cutovers
  3. 99.9% attachment integrity (verified via checksum)
  4. Full automation and preservation of all business rules
Our standard: Includes full SLA and CMDB-relationship preservation and 30 days of engineer-assigned support post go-live.

We Adapt to Your Setup (Not the Other Way Around)

No two teams configure SolarWinds Service Desk or InvGate Service Management exactly the same way—with unique workflows and data. We customize every migration script to fit your exact workflow, SLAs, and CMDB relationships.

Our engineers adapt for:

  1. Custom fields, SLAs, and workflows
  2. Multi-brand or multi-language setups
  3. Historical imports and partial (date-based) migrations
  4. Integration re-mapping for CMDB, monitoring, or chat tools
The promise: If your data doesn't fit a standard template, we build one just for you.

Enterprise-Grade Security & Compliance

Your customer data is precious. Our migration process maintains the highest standards of security and regulatory compliance.

SOC 2 Type II

Independently audited compliance with rigorous security standards

ISO 27001

Certified information security management system

GDPR

Full compliance with EU data protection regulations

HIPAA

Certified for handling protected health information

AES-256 Encryption

Bank-grade encryption for all stored credentials

Latest TLS

Secure transfer protocol for all data in transit

Role-Based Access

We follow role-based access control for every migration project

Scheduled Deletion

Automatic data purging after migration completion

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about migrating from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management. Can't find what you're looking for? Talk to our team.

Can I migrate SolarWinds Service Desk data to InvGate Service Management via API?
Yes. Extract data from SWSD's REST API (api.samanage.com) and load into InvGate via its REST API. Both support incidents, users, groups, KB articles, comments, and custom fields. InvGate processes creates one record at a time — there is no bulk import endpoint in the public API.
Do SolarWinds Service Desk automation rules migrate to InvGate?
No. SWSD automation rules cannot be exported via API or programmatically migrated. You must manually rebuild them using InvGate's no-code workflow builder, which supports multi-step approvals, conditional branching, and native connectors that exceed SWSD's trigger-action model.
How long does a SolarWinds to InvGate migration take?
Timelines range from 2–3 weeks for small environments under 30,000 records to 5–8 weeks for large tenants with 100,000+ records, heavy attachments, and complex custom fields. The workflow rebuild and user acceptance testing typically take more time than the data transfer itself.
Does InvGate Service Management support CMDB and asset migration from SWSD?
InvGate separates ITSM and ITAM into two products: Service Management and Asset Management. SWSD assets must be migrated into InvGate Asset Management separately, then linked to service requests via CI endpoints. This is effectively a parallel migration track.
Can I preserve original ticket dates when migrating to InvGate?
Partially. InvGate's incident create endpoint accepts a 'date' parameter (epoch format) that sets the 'occurred on' date. However, the system-generated created_at timestamp will reflect the actual import time. Store the original SWSD creation date in a custom field if precise reporting is needed.
How long does the SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management migration take?
Most migrations complete within 1–5 business days, depending on data volume and complexity. We provide a detailed timeline after the initial assessment and can often complete small migrations in under 24 hours.
Will my team lose access to SolarWinds Service Desk during the migration?
No. Your source system remains fully operational throughout the entire migration. We run the migration in the background with zero downtime to your current operations.
Will there be downtime when migrating from SolarWinds Service Desk to InvGate Service Management?
No. Our migration process is designed for zero downtime. We use a staged approach with background sync and a fast cutover, ensuring no disruption to your live business operations.
How do I validate that everything migrated correctly?
Every client receives a Migration Validation Report with comprehensive metrics including record-count parity, attachment integrity verification via checksum, and full audit logs. We also offer unlimited sample migrations so you can verify before committing.
Do I need professional help for this migration?
While simple migrations can sometimes be handled in-house, professional help ensures zero data loss, proper field mapping, and preservation of relationships between records. Our engineer-led approach catches edge cases that automated tools miss.
Does ClonePartner provide guidance before committing?
Yes. We provide a free consultation and assessment. We'll review your data structure, discuss your requirements, and provide a detailed migration plan and fixed-price quote before you commit to anything.

Still have questions?

Book a free 30-minute consultation with our migration engineers. We'll walk you through the exact approach for your SolarWinds Service Desk→InvGate Service Management migration.

Contact our team

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InvGate Service Management Migration?

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Attention to Detail

We meticulously handle every aspect of your migration, ensuring no data is lost during transfer and mapping every field correctly between platforms.

Custom Solutions

Every business is unique. We tailor your migration strategy to match your specific requirements, workflows, and data structures.

Security & Compliance

Your customer data is handled with enterprise-grade security protocols, ensuring compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and industry standards.