Word of the Day: ITSM (IT Service Management)

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms | September 25, 2018 ITSM (IT Service Management) IT service management (ITSM) is a general term that describes a strategic approach to designing, delivering, managing and improving the way businesses use information technology services. It includes IT change management, incident detection and response management, asset management and knowledge management. ITSM encompasses the deployment and support of enterprise applications, as well as the architecting and optimizing of IT infrastructure for storage, networking and cloud resources. In many organizations, ITSM also includes the creation and management of service-level agreements (SLAs) and workflow processes used by helpdesk support. Typically, each service has an associated service-level agreement which codifies the expectations of performance and availability and the ramifications if the service falls below these expectations.   It is important that IT teams create, deploy, manage, optimize and potentially retire each service with input from the business. Key performance indicators (KPIs) for each service must be communicated to the business heads that use them, with opportunities for recommending changes and improvements. The benefits of ITSM include better business-IT alignment, predictable IT performance and costs, and continual improvement in terms of IT effectiveness and capabilities. When IT processes are orderly and well-managed, organizations can spend less time fixing things that don't work and devote more time to strategic planning. The terms ITSM and IT service delivery are sometimes are used interchangeably. Strictly speaking, however, ITSM emphasizes IT service operation and improvement, while IT service delivery focuses on the IT department's ability to meet customer expectations. IT service delivery is generally discussed in terms of providers and customers, who in many cases are the organization's employees. ITIL is a popular framework for managing IT services. Continue reading... Quote of the Day "ITSM addresses people, processes, technology and suppliers, as these all are part of the end-to-end value stream." - Gary Case Trending Terms IT service catalog ITIL v3 change management IT asset management COBIT ISO 20000 TOGAF Learning Center A fine-tuned change request template minimizes user discontent Follow this example to make a useful, direct and simple change request template for everything from device requests to application upgrades. An ITSM program evolves from subpar to superb Lone Star College CIO Link Alander, using software from ServiceNow, has developed a first-class ITSM program that's driving a service approach across college departments, from legal and finance to HR. Texas college CIO pushes into enterprise service management In part two of this ITSM case study, CIO Link Alander describes how he has extended his mature ITSM program to get a real-time grip on big IT projects and launch an enterprise service management approach for automating business processes in other departments. 3 stages of ITSM and 5 ways to enhance your ITSM strategy Dennis Drogseth of Enterprise Service Management Associates explains the three stages of a typical ITSM program, from help desk to service desk to business-aligned ITSM. In this expert tip, he also offers five ways to change your ITSM strategy from a reactive help desk to business driver. What are the benefits of ITSM for fast-moving businesses? 'Better, faster, cheaper' is what companies should expect from a well-run ITSM program, according to ITIL expert Gary Case. But for many organizations, it will take resources and training to get there. Here are six benefits of ITSM that will help CIOs make the case. Quiz Yourself Digital transformation is tied to the broader trend of business transformation and takes ______ to take hold. a. awhile b. a while Answer Stay in Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed! FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.