What is IT service management, and how can it help modern organizations?

IT service management, or ITSM, is a set of practices that aims to align the delivery of IT services with the needs and goals of the organization. ITSM covers various aspects of IT, such as planning, designing, implementing, operating, and improving the quality and value of IT services. ITSM can help modern organizations achieve better outcomes, such as higher customer satisfaction, lower costs, increased efficiency, and more innovation. In this article, we will explore what ITSM is, why it is important, and how it can be implemented in different scenarios.

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1 ITSM Frameworks

Choosing a suitable framework is one of the first steps to adopt ITSM, as it provides guidance and best practices for IT service delivery. There are several ITSM frameworks available, each with their own benefits. Popular frameworks include ITIL, which covers the entire lifecycle of IT services; COBIT, which focuses on governance and management of IT processes; ISO/IEC 20000, an international standard that defines requirements for IT service management systems; DevOps, a culture and methodology that emphasizes collaboration and automation; and Agile, a set of principles and practices that promote adaptive and customer-centric development of IT services.

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Prashant Radhakrishnan

💼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 & 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿 | Ex-Big4, United Nations | CCMP™ & PROSCI Change ▶️ Driving Business Transformation Globally with Proven Expertise & Collaborative Approach
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The concept behind ITSM is the delivery of IT services as a service. This is different from traditional IT support. Instead, IT Service Management aims to be more inclusive. It constitutes the processes and tools IT teams use to manage IT services and technologies throughout the organization.

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2 ITSM Processes

ITSM processes are the activities and tasks that deliver and support IT services, and they can vary depending on the framework. Service strategy is the process of defining the vision, objectives, and policies of IT service delivery, while service design focuses on designing the architecture, specifications, and standards of IT services. Service transition is responsible for testing, deploying, and releasing IT services into the operational environment; service operation is all about delivering and supporting IT services to customers and users; and continual service improvement involves measuring, analyzing, and improving the quality and value of IT services. All of these processes are essential for a successful ITSM program.

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3 ITSM Roles

In order to implement ITSM processes effectively, it is important to assign clear roles and responsibilities to the people involved in IT service delivery. Depending on the framework, the common roles include a service owner, who is accountable for the end-to-end delivery and performance of an IT service; a process owner, who is responsible for the design, implementation, and improvement of a process; a process manager, who is responsible for the operational management and execution of a process; a process practitioner, who performs activities and tasks of a process; and a service desk, which serves as the single point of contact for customers and users of IT services. All these roles are essential for customer satisfaction, business value, compliance, efficiency, coordination, communication, reporting, and documentation.

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Aigerim Kappassova

Business Analyst at DataArt |
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There might be one more role - business analyst. A member of the team who will be responsible for process of transferring services into new model, define stakeholders, creating runbook templates for service desks.

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4 ITSM Benefits

ITSM can bring many benefits to modern organizations, such as improved customer satisfaction, reduced costs, increased efficiency, and more innovation. By aligning IT services with customer needs and expectations, ITSM can enhance the customer experience and loyalty, as well as the reputation and image of the organization. Additionally, ITSM can optimize the use of IT resources and assets to lower operational and capital expenses of IT service delivery, while also improving the productivity and quality of IT service delivery. Moreover, ITSM can enable the organization to adapt to changing market conditions and customer demands, as well as to create and deliver new and better IT services by fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning.

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5 ITSM Examples

To demonstrate the advantages of ITSM, here are some examples of its implementation in different scenarios. For instance, a retail company can use ITIL to design and improve its online shopping platform, ensuring a secure customer journey. Additionally, a financial institution can rely on COBIT to manage and govern its IT processes, while a software company can utilize DevOps and Agile to develop and deploy cloud-based applications with fast updates, high performance, and user feedback. Ultimately, ITSM helps modern organizations to achieve their objectives while ensuring compliance, security, reliability, and alignment with their business strategy.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What is IT service management, and how can it help modern organizations?

1

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3

4

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1 ITSM Frameworks

2 ITSM Processes

3 ITSM Roles

4 ITSM Benefits

5 ITSM Examples

6 Here’s what else to consider

Information Technology

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What is IT service management, and how can it help modern organizations?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 ITSM Frameworks

2 ITSM Processes

3 ITSM Roles

4 ITSM Benefits

5 ITSM Examples

6 Here’s what else to consider

Information Technology

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