By IT Brew Staff
less than 3 min read
Definition:
IT service management (ITSM) is how IT teams plan, implement, and maintain IT services, usually with an end goal of delivering optimal value to end users and customers. While it might be tempting to think about ITSM in simplistic terms such as “providing laptops to all employees,” it actually encompasses a range of processes, including, but not limited to:
- Change management: Protocols for reducing the “turbulence” (such as service disruptions) related to changes to critical IT infrastructure.
- Problem management: Telling IT teams how to analyze and solve problems and preventing those problems from recurring.
- Incident management: Helping IT teams figure out how to respond and restore service as quickly as possible when an outage occurs.
- Configuration management: Assisting IT teams (in conjunction with a configuration management database, or CMDB) in keeping all IT assets within an organization optimally configured, leading to better control of systems.
- Service request management: Helping IT teams manage service requests as efficiently as possible, while ensuring employees get their new laptops and smartphones right on time.
When it comes to implementing ITSM, many IT teams rely on frameworks that cover service strategy and operation, such as the ITIL, Capability Maturity Model Integration, and ISO/IEC 20000.
For IT teams that roll out an effective version of ITSM, standardized across an organization, the potential benefits are huge: boosted efficiency, reduced risk and costs, and the chance to align the goals of IT more tightly with the overall business. An efficient IT department allows others within the broader organization to be more productive.
