IT Service Management (ITSM or IT services) is a discipline for managing information technology (IT) systems, philosophically centered on the customer's perspective of IT's contribution to the business. ITSM stands in deliberate contrast to technology-centered approaches to IT management and business interaction. The following represents a characteristic statement from the ITSM literature:
Providers of IT services can no longer afford to focus on technology and their internal organization[;] they now have to consider the quality of the services they provide and focus on the relationship with customers.
IT Service Management is often equated with the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). However, while a version of ITSM is a component of ITIL, ITIL also covers a number of related but distinct disciplines and the two are not synonymous.
The Benefits:
- Provides a single, definable, repeatable, and scalable documented framework for IT best practices that flows across the IT organization.
- Clearly identifies roles and responsibilities for IT Service Management.
- Supports reducing IT costs and justifying the cost of IT quality.
- Supports ability of IT to measure and improve internal performance and service provisioning.
- Defines IT in terms of services rather than systems.
- Supports improvement of user productivity.
- Improves communication and information flows between IT and organization business departments.
- Provides a framework for IT to support regulatory challenges.
- Improves ability of IT to adjust as business opportunities and challenges are presented.
- Improves relationship of IT with the business - builds trust.
Business Needs and Challenges:
- Infrastructure and Security
- Business Technology
- Business Continuity
- Sustainable IT
- Technology Transformation
- Global Sourcing
- Cloud Computing
