IT Service Management (ITSM) is the profession that oversees the process of designing, delivering, managing, and improving the way businesses use technology. The goal of ITSM is to align IT services with the needs of the company and its employees.
Strategy Planning
ITSM leverages specific processes, governance and tools to provide visibility into the performance, cost, age, and value obtained (or not) by applications, services, and their components. If done correctly, this provides valuable data to leadership and the business to enable informed decisions on short-term and long-term strategic investments in technology.
Operations
ITSM also plays a role in how organizations manage their IT infrastructure effectively. It ensures that IT services are delivered in a consistent and reliable manner, and it helps to manage risk by identifying potential issues before they become problems. On the proactive side of operations, delivery can be monitored and measured to employ an effective program of Continual Service Improvement opportunities through automation or proactive risk avoidance actions.
Process, Policy & Governance
To assist with the above, there are several industry Frameworks and Standards available, such as ITIL, COBIT, TOGAF and ISO/IEC 20000. These provide guidance on best practices for ITSM, including how to design, deliver, and manage IT products and services. Applying these industry standards can also ensure compliance with Policy, Risk and Audit practices as they too utilize these frameworks when layering in governance over IT.
Implementation means Investment
Implementing ITSM requires strong leadership support through investment in the right people, processes and tools. They must also have the vision and desire to obtain a clearer understanding of the needs of the business, how IT services should be employed, and mandating standard processes for delivering and managing IT services. Leadership should also foster a culture of continual improvement across the organization. This may involve regular Service reviews of ITs deliver of critical business services to ensure that IT remains aligned with the needs of the business.
Unlike other Technology groups, ITSM is not a function that operates to manage a specific technology like database, network, server, or applications. It does however consist of professionals who understand these technology stacks and provides ITSM Services to help them understand the full Service Lifecycle view of how their technical services provide the broader scope of value delivered to the company, and ultimately the bottom-line.
In more mature organizations, the investment in a Service Management Office is made to facilitate this space between technology practitioners and leadership. Providing value to both areas as a form of ‘middleware’ to ensure that what is being delivered, is actually delivering value at cost to the overall business strategies.
The 3rd Rail
One of the key benefits of ITSM that is often overlooked, is the need to drive all aspects of Strategy and Operations towards the improvement of the customer experience. Like a 3rd rail, it exists, but most days is overlooked. Then that one time you touch it… it can be shocking.
By delivering IT services that are aligned with the needs of the business, ITSM can help to improve productivity, reduce downtime, and increase customer satisfaction. Everyone remembers bad Service, and few applaud excellent Service. But few use that to focus on the path of Continual Service Improvement efforts, even when they are just good.
In short, ITSM is a critical profession, set of processes and functions which, when combined, improves the management of IT services effectively. That is what ITSM does, but what truly is a Service? That is another topic for another day.