Technology has become a fundamental part of day-to-day business. This has made the corporate environment of organizations increasingly complex, thanks precisely to the integration of new technological tools. As a result, the need has arisen to create strategies that allow organizations to have organized and quality computing systems. As part of these strategies, ITSM was born.
Although ITSM is logically aimed at managing information technologies effectively, this approach is able to offer advantages that go far beyond IT. And so it is that its successful implementation can exponentially increase overall business performance. Read on and discover all the benefits.
What exactly does ITSM do?
To better understand exactly what ITSM does, it’s a good idea to talk a little bit about IT.
Information Technology (IT) comprises all the networks, equipment, software, storage and data management systems of an organization. This includes smartphones, printers, computers, tablets, routers, and other devices. All software installed on systems, and databases, servers and backup drives.
All those elements together make up the company’s computing systems. Their proper functioning and coordination are what enable optimal communication between customers, prospects, partners, suppliers, and the company.
The ITSM
ITSM is a strategic approach to the design, delivery, management, maintenance and improvement of IT equipment, applications and services. Based on the implementation of best practices, such as ITIL, the goal of ITSM is to enable the company to achieve its objectives, through better knowledge of the existing IT system, improving service, automating tasks, offering a catalog of efficient applications and services, and reducing costs.
IT Service Management seeks not only to optimize the use of technology within the company but also to achieve proper coordination between users, people and processes to achieve a service delivery that provides the customer true value.
Some of the most important points covered by ITSM are the following:
IT infrastructure management configuration: That is, ensuring that IT resources are designed, selected and installed.
Incident management: This means ensuring the company’s resilience. In other words, conceive and implement strategies to prevent unplanned events from affecting the operation of the organization.
Improvement in the delivery of value to customers through optimal products and services.
Advantages of ITSM
#1 Centralization and optimization of processes
Proper management of IT services enables the simplification and centralization of all processes that are carried out daily within the company. This allows the organization to achieve lighter and more efficient workflows, to facilitate the execution of activities by the members of the company.
The ITSM is able to offer a self-service system in which through a Knowledge Base, users have easy access to problem-solving. In addition, change management promoted by ITSM improves infrastructure reliability, reduces downtime and unavailability, and reinforces service continuity strategies.
Based on the standards and best practices of frameworks such as ITIL v3, ITSM also helps to optimize existing processes, better structure the activities and services offered by IT departments and strengthen exchanges and interactions with their customers and users.
#2 Cost reduction
The centralization and optimization of service management processes enable information systems departments to better monitor their activities and benefit from significant productivity gains.
ITSM tools also help streamline management costs and strengthen control of IT assets by performing real-time analysis and tracking of available IT equipment and resources: devices, network components, software, contracts, licenses, and more.
ITSM also gives companies the opportunity to automate processes to save time and money involved in hiring extra labor.
#3 IT Performance Monitoring
ITSM plays a key role in the development and monitoring of strategies implemented by IT departments; as it provides a comprehensive overview of all IT services offered. With the implementation of ITSM, IT Departments now benefit from automated reports; Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that allow them to monitor and evaluate the performance of their IT services, for example:
- The number of blocking anomalies and technical incidents.
- Application availability rate and hours of inactivity.
- Monitoring of defined service levels (SLAs).
These performance indicators enable IT departments to benefit from a global view of the quality of their IT services while promoting rapid decision making and the implementation of new action plans to optimize the management of the services provided.
How to implement ITSM within the company?
Implementing ITSM may seem complex, but with the right tools and advice, the process of applying this strategic approach can become simple.
Some of the first steps you should take are the following:
- Determine the main objectives of the organization, points of pain, and the state of the IT infrastructure and resources.
- Based on the above, establish the company’s vision for the future and the IT resources you need to achieve it.
- Develop an action plan to move from the current state of IT to the state you expect.
- Define the concrete steps that you must take to follow the action plan.
Once the strategy is created, apply a continuous cycle of evaluation (and re-evaluation), architecture, deployment, and support of IT services. This will allow you to determine if the implementation is succeeding or if you need new strategies.
It is worth noting that ITSM implementation becomes much easier with the help of a good software solution. So consider investing in one. We recommend that you start by taking a look at Freshservice by Freshworks, an excellent tool based on ITIL best practices.
If you want to know more about Freshservice or any other ITSM or security software solution, don’t hesitate to contact us. At GB Advisors we strive to offer quality advice and the best solutions on the market.
