Given the rapidly changing technological landscape, enterprises need to align their priorities to meet IT and business needs. Also, businesses need to ensure high-quality service delivery at a minimal cost. One of the approaches that facilitate the success of these processes is IT service management (ITSM).

This makes IT service management tools an essential commodity for any modern enterprise. A Gartner research further points out that “IT service management tools are vital for infrastructure and operations organisations to deliver business value in the services they provide.”

But what makes managed IT service so important? Because ITSM encompasses processes for planning, developing, managing, scaling, and delivering IT services. According to an international survey of 491 companies, more than 90 per cent use ITSM frameworks, yet few know their benefits for companies and IT departments.

In this article, we will define ITSM, examine its benefits, and how it contributes to business success.

IT Service Management (ITSM): Definition and Role

IT service management helps technical teams design and deliver IT services. In contrast to traditional IT management approaches the ITSM process focuses more on customer needs.

In other words, rather than just focusing on IT hardware or software, ITSM aims to consistently improve entire IT customer service in line with business goals. The approach was once strictly a data centre management approach, but it has evolved and become broader and more strategic in aligning business and IT practices.

In recent times, ITSM has gained enormous popularity as a paradigm for managing IT assets for better and more optimal ROI. So, what are the reasons behind the adoption of ITSM and ITSM tools in these organisations? You can cite higher transparency and accountability in operations, better IT structure, increased customer satisfaction, and more.

Before we get to the benefits of ITSM to an enterprise’s digital enablement and transformation, let’s have a look at the primary differences between ITSM and ITIL.

ITSM vs ITIL: Differences and Similarities

Even though ITSM and ITIL often overlap, they are not mutually exclusive. ITIL is one of the best-detailed frameworks for ITSM. ITIL centres on the alignment of IT services with business objectives. It helps organisations embrace change and scale up.

The ITIL 4 –recent ITIL standard update– further brings this to the fore. It offers IT teams a holistic view of the customer and business value, allowing them to be more flexible in addressing challenges. To put it simply, it allows businesses to select operational processes that are relevant to their goals and priorities.

With ITIL 4, you have a framework that facilitates and supports ITSM in streamlining customer service delivery.

Read More: Where Does Node Automation Fit Into The ITIL Process?

ITSM Processes

ITSM processes assist in the management of IT services. The following are the core processes in implementing ITSM:

• Service Request Management

Service request management handles customer requests, including access to applications, software enhancements, and hardware updates. These requests are usually recurring requests, so customers benefit immensely from knowing what to do and having automated processes in place.

Read More: IT Automation and Orchestration: The Differences and Why They Matter

• Knowledge Management

Knowledge management describes how an organisation creates, shares, uses and manages its information and knowledge. It involves making effective use of knowledge to achieve organisational objectives.

• IT Asset Management

Essentially, IT asset management (ITAM) is the process of accounting for, deploying, maintaining, upgrading, patching, and disposing of IT assets in an organisation. Quite simply, it means tracking and ensuring the use of all valuable assets within your organisation, tangible and intangible.

• Incident Management

Incident management refers to the process of responding to unplanned events or service interruptions and returning such services to normal. Today’s businesses rely on more software services than ever, so the process needs to be responsive and reliable. That means ensuring better end-to-end health and uptime monitoring with a response to mitigate or nullify any incidents within your IT infrastructure.

• Problem Management

Problem management is the process of identifying and managing IT incidents. As far as problem management is concerned, it’s more than finding and fixing incidents. It’s about identifying and understanding the root causes of an incident and applying the necessary fixes to eliminate them.

• Change Management

Change management automates the procedure for handling all changes to IT infrastructures promptly and efficiently. Transparency and context are crucial to a successful change management program that eliminates bottlenecks and minimises risks.

Why Is ITSM Crucial for Modern Enterprises?

Let’s take a closer look at some of the main benefits of IT Service Management:

Increased Visibility: A better understanding of business operations requires increased visibility across the board. A lack of visibility can negatively impact a business. By working with your IT Service team to implement ITSM into your business operations, you will be able to prioritise your most urgent customer-focused tasks. By doing so, you will gain insight into the management and use of your assets. Similarly, you can leverage several ITSM software to secure and manage all your IT assets from a single platform to reduce complexity.

Enhanced Business and IT Structure: No business thrives without adequate structure. This rings even more true with IT enterprises. To ensure the timely completion of essential tasks, IT teams have to manage several processes, including procurement, sales, marketing, documentation, finance, and more. With ITSM, businesses will have greater control, structure, and oversight on critical IT tasks that drive productivity.

Better Customer Service: ITSM helps you deliver high-quality, distinctive customer experience suitable for the digital age. As a result, ITSM shifts your company’s internal focus to a more external one. You can better understand the needs of your customers by prioritising their needs. You aim to deliver seamless interactions with any services or products you design.

Reduced IT Costs: Cost-effective service management and scale-up operations faster because of ITSM’s emphasis on efficiency and standardisation. With its automated features, you can reduce the amount of manual work your team has to do and the amount of time it takes to solve issues. The capabilities help reduce IT operational costs and deliver the best possible results.

More Informed Insights: By implementing ITSM, businesses can get more insights into the overall processes. This insight can be key in ensuring a faster time-to-market.

Deliver Better Customer Value With ITSM

Fast and efficient service is a critical factor in delivering a differentiated customer experience. As such, ITSM focuses on the customer’s perspective to streamline their interactions with the business. Automation is a driving force for delivering fast and efficient IT services. Automated services free up the time of human resources and provide tools for customers to help themselves.

With ITSM, organisations can increase operational efficiencies, reduce costs, increase human resource productivity, minimise risk, and achieve higher customer satisfaction.