What is ITSM? Full Form, Processes Flow, Framework, Benefits

What is ITSM (IT Service Management Processes)?

ITSM aims to align the delivery of IT services with the needs of the enterprise. The full form of ITSM is IT Service Management. The focus of ITSM tools is to deliver satisfactory service to the end-user.

ITSM is a combination of a set of defined policies, process, and methods for delivering IT products and services. It improves and supports customer-centric IT services.

ITSM Processes

ITSM process helps you to manage IT services. Organizations need to manage the service’s capabilities, how it performs, changes to it, and what happens when it experiences problems.

There are many different ITSM processes which appear in various forms in the other ITSM frameworks. Here are some vital ITSM processes:

Configuration Management

It includes the physical and logical perspective of the IT infrastructure and services

Change Management

It is standard methods and procedures to manage all the changes made in ITSM services

Release Management

Testing, release, and verification of changes to the IT environment.

Incident Management

It is a day to day process, which restores normal, acceptable service with a minimal impact on business.

Availability Management

It optimizes IT infrastructure services, capabilities, and support to minimize service outages. It also offers sustained levels of service to suit the business requirements.

Capacity Management

Helps the organization to manage resources and also allows them to plan for future resource requirements.

Service Level Management

It helps you to improve and maintain the level of service to your clients. It helps to meet the SLA (Service Level Agreements).

Project Management

Project management allows IT firms to maintain orderly services to avoid issues like outdated systems.

Financial Management

This IT service helps you to manage the costs required by the company to meet its financial obligations. These services also include the resources needed to meet requirements.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge management helps you to avoid duplicated work by organizing and making available information about various types of IT products and services.

Problem management

A problem is the root cause of any incident. An IT organization might temporarily solve the issue but can’t fix the problem. This may lead to incidents, so problem management is a method to fix issues to improve service delivery and performance.

How to Implement ITSM Process and Workflows

Here, are five simple steps to implement ITSM process and workflows

Step 1) Audit
Audit your current ITSM operation and find out the gaps.

Step 2) Educate
Educate, communicate, and involve stakeholder while implementing ITSM processes.

Step 3) Outline
Outline the critical success factors and keep a tab on KPI and metrics.

Step 4) Use ITSM tools
Use relevant ITSM tools to automate the process.

Step 5) Feedback
Develop feedback loop and other stack holders.

Popular ITSM Frameworks

An ITSM tool is a software service that is widely used to deliver IT Services. It is standalone software or a suite of applications consisting of multiple apps to focus on various functions. It also helps you to perform various functions like incident management, managing service requests, etc.

Here, are some most popular ITSM services frameworks:

Business Process Framework (eTOM): It is a process framework for telecommunications service and providers.

COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies): This is an IT Governance framework which specifies control objectives, metrics, and maturity models.

FitSM: It is a standard for lightweight service management. It streamlines service management framework typically aligned with ISO/IEX 20000.

MOF (Microsoft Operations Framework): It includes a general framework of service management functions and guidance on managing services based on Microsoft technologies.

Six Sigma: This framework helps you to focus on your core objectives, collecting data, and analyzing. It helps to reduce defects in services and products.

TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework): It is created and managed by an open group as a method to provide businesses with a structure for implementing the technology.

ITSM Success Factors

In ITSM framework, effectively managing IT as an enterprise-wide, service-oriented entity. It generally comprises following separate and distinct perspectives. It plays a crucial part in ITSM Success factors:

People – Helps you to offer quantity and quality of expertise and knowledge.

Process – IT and organization-specific practices, guidelines, procedures, etc.

Technology – It offers logical and physical technology infrastructure consisting of hardware, applications, DBMS, etc.

Organization – Internal and external business factors which affect IT, how IT and the organization interface, what is the organizations. It also includes how it does affect IT services.

Integration – It is also important how IT services should be integrated with a specific business model. It also includes what services does IT provide, how are the services are offers.

Traditional IT vs. ITSM Processes

ITSM services always focus on better management of technology. But it mainly focuses on addressing the importance of aligning different IT services with business needs. Here are important attributes that have gone through a change from traditional IT to ITSM processes:

Traditional IT	ITSM Process
Technology Focus	Process Focus
Fire Fighting	Prevention
Reactive	Proactive
Focuses of users	Focuses on customers
Centralized	Distributed
Mostly Isolated	Integrated
Informal processes	Formal processes
One-off	Repeatable
Use for IT perspective	Use for business perspective
Operational oriented	Service orientation

Challenges of ITSM

Here are important challenges while working with the ITSM process:

Difficult to adapt to the team
Maintaining regulatory compliance
Risk and security concerns
It does not offer visibility across teams
Not offers any coordination with developers
Avoiding unplanned downtime

What is ITSM Certification?

The ITSM Certification is governed by STQC, RCB, ISO/IEC 20000-1. Professionals with the ITSM Certification are trained with IT practices which helps them to deliver appropriate business solutions over a wide variety of IT-related requirements.

These professionals are being trained with IT best practices that allow them to deliver appropriate business solutions over the specific demands of their clients.

Benefits of Certification:

Acquisition and retention for the best resources and skillsets
Aligning and integrating IT and business goals.
Helps yo to improve the success of project delivery
Allows you to achieve the best return on your investment
Offers best practices which are helpful for effective IT governance.
Managing business changes.
ITSM certified candidates should be recognized experts in the effective and efficient use of people, process, and products.

Benefits of ITSM services

Here are some important benefits of using ITSM services:

Repeatable and highly scalable processes
Helps you to define roles and responsibilities
Allows you to improve your productivity
Helps you to shorten the gap between detecting incidents and it’s solutions
Ability to identify and address repeat problems
Analytics to measure and improve Its performance
ITSM offers better service at a lower cost
ITSM quickly reacts to change and innovation in the market
Employees able to know what services are available and how they should use them
Improves quality and productivity Reduces costs
Enhances customer relationships and service
Increases teamwork and collaboration
Provides information security and risk reduction

Disadvantages of ITSM services

Here are cons of using ITSM services

All the ITSM frameworks are not compatible. They can’t be integrated with all IT Related services used in an organization.
Some frameworks do not support specific operating systems, web-based services, or cloud platforms.
If your organization relies on using certain software or web services, then it is vital to check the compatibility of the chosen ITSM
There are few ITSM platforms which do not offer good scalability. This can be more of an issue with big organizations and those companies on a rapid expansion spree.
It may prove to be counterproductive in the long run.

Summary

ITSM aims to align the delivery of IT services with the needs of the enterprise
ITSM process helps you to manage IT services.
Some important ITSM management processes are: 1)Configuration 2) Change 3) Release 4) Incident 5)Availability 6) Capacity
Most important ITSM frameworks are: 1) eTom, 2) COBIT, 3) FitSM 4) MOF 5) Six Sigma and 6) TOGOF
Important success factors of ITSM processes are: 1)People 2)Process 3) Technology 4) Organization, and 5) Integration
Traditional IT is technology-focused whereas ITSM Process
are process Focused
The biggest challenges of ITSM services is that it is difficult to adapt to the team
The ITSM Certification is governed by STQC, RCB, ISO/IEC 20000-1
The biggest benefit of ITSM services is that it is repeatable and highly scalable processes
The biggest drawback of some ITSM frameworks is that it does not support specific operating systems, web-based services, or cloud platforms.