Since technology is everywhere these days, there is absolutely no company in the world that does not use an IT service. From owning computers and servers to storing important data on cloud services, Information Technology represents the core of every organization. It requires handling a set of technological aspects.
In this article, you will learn everything about the benefits and risks of IT Management as a Service. We will analyze what it takes to own an IT Infrastructure to secure the proper functioning of the network.
- What is IT Service Management?
- How important is IT Service Management?
- What is an ITSM Framework?
- Which are the popular ITSM Frameworks?
- What are the benefits of IT Service Management?
- What are the risks of using IT Service Management?
- Would you like to receive more information about our IT service?
1. What is IT Service Management?
Before we begin, we need to define what IT Service Management, (ITSM) is. This is often the best solution for companies that cannot afford to hire an entire IT Team to resolve any inconvenience related to IT infrastructure. An ITSM is a deployed platform that is centralized and equipped with all the necessary tools to manage an IT service. It is a practice that saves money and saves time.
Instead of continually deploying upgrades and new systems, IT Service Management uses the approach of managing 24/7 the entire IT infrastructure, which is more effective. This is a methodology that focuses on the customer’s needs.
Because ITSM is closely related to software engineering, it has adopted international standards of quality such as ISO 9000 as an effort to ensure that IT companies meet all of the regulatory requirements of IT services. Furthermore, there are international professional organizations, such as the IT Service Management Forum that promote good practices and methodologies.
In a few words, IT-enabled services are the set of practices that involves the managing of any technological device. And it also involves the designing and creating of any solutions that the company needs. It is closely related to cloud-based services.
2. How important is IT Service Management?
ITSM is one of the most important sectors in technology because it sets the procedures to optimize it. Every day there are hundreds of new implementations that improve and solve the most common errors of platforms. This is based on a trial-and-error model.
Imagine an e-commerce business that does not handle all the technical issues of its IT infrastructure. That sounds like a nightmare and it is. And this is because the Information Technology resources are not static, they move, retrieve, and produce data every minute of every day. This is part of the crucial importance of these IT solutions and it only represents the tip of the iceberg.
One of the most common misconceptions people have about ITSM is that it is only the “technical support department”. Although there is always an IT department in every company, ITSM is just much more than people think. It is about managing the very platform on which the company relies, like cloud-based solutions.
ITSM can save a lot of money through the optimization of production processes, adding value to the business’s organization. These methodologies are not about the technology devices themselves, it is about improving the existing IT services and creating new ones if necessary.
3. What is an ITSM Framework?
We cannot talk about ITSM without mentioning the core of what this is about: the frameworks. An ITSM Framework is a group of processes that are accepted within the tech community for this kind of service. There are several frameworks such as eTOM, COBIT, and ITIL that contribute to new skills and improvements of the platforms.
It is a common practice that companies adopt a determined framework with all of the standard processes to provide a better approach and service. But there are a lot of ITSM Frameworks to choose from, like everything on the internet.
Adopting an ITSM framework can help to enhance the range of operations, as well as improve the quality of cloud services. This is why there are many IT companies offering their tech solutions to a wider variety of companies out there with many tech problems to solve.
4. Which are the popular ITSM Frameworks?
Right now, there are several ITSM frameworks, each of them offering different solutions from different approaches but in the end, it will all depend on the needs of every organization. These are some of the most commonly used frameworks for IT Service Management:
- eTOM: Also known as Business Process Framework, is the most used framework for telecommunications service providers. It defines the key elements for business processes and dictates how elements should interact with them. It is openly accepted and standardized by the TM Forum.
- COBIT: COBIT stands for Control Objectives for Information Related Technologies and it is a framework oriented to help organizations to achieve goals with the minimization of IT risks. It was released in 1996 and has been updated five times since then.
- ITIL: it is the most popular ITSM framework. Originally, ITIL stands for IT Infrastructure Library but it became mainstream worldwide and now it is the most used ITSM framework. ITIL is great for the information process in both organizations and people. This is also useful for IT consulting.
- MOF: also known as Microsoft Operations Framework is a group of guidelines that define how it should be the processes of creating and managing IT services. These guidelines circle back around the entire lifecycle of every specific IT procedure. The purpose of this framework is to serve as a model in the industry. Helping to create a safer environment in which every organization can trust the process.
- TOGAF: this stands for The Open Group Architecture Framework. It is considered more than a framework, but a methodology. Its goal is to set up effective strategies around the specific business goals of a variety of organizations. It was created in 1996 and currently, it is considered a high-level ITSM framework.
5. What are the benefits of IT Service Management?
IT Service Management is a practice that has many benefits depending on the goals of the organization. Whether to automate processes or to reduce security risks, ITSM is full of implications and benefits, let’s review them:
5.1. Effectiveness improvement
Of course, we would expect this from ITSM. Since it is a set of processes meant to support every aspect at infrastructure levels, including the lifecycle of the entire production process. This implies efficiency for the Network and Infrastructure.
Because repeating the same tasks over and over again could result in errors, certain ITSM frameworks help to automate these types of processes, minimizing errors. By adopting an organized incident response system, it is possible to reduce recovery time in case of interruptions of service.
5.2. Reliable deployment of IT upgrades
Implementing changes and upgrades is often a frequent problem, especially in the phases of testing and fixing errors. IT-enabled services can extend a safe system to help organizations by reducing damaging risks. This infrastructure is composed of standardized policies and roles meant to improve the deployment of changes.
In order to keep up with the technological pace, organizations have to constantly upgrade their IT infrastructure, which could be a nightmare if there are no methodologies to prevent incidents. This is one of the key solutions of the ITSM.
5.3. Diminishing of operational expenses
Every year, organizations usually spend thousands and even millions of dollars on IT operations and infrastructure services. This happens according to the specific needs of every business, but one of the most common reasons is the expansion of size and range of operations. Security and hosting solutions are among these expenses.
Having a well-built IT infrastructure can significantly reduce operational expenses by centralizing actions in one system. This eliminates the need to overbuy tech solutions and, consequently, the reduction of significant operational costs.
5.4. Better liability and safety
The greatest benefit of the standardization of IT services is accountability. This encourages organizations and businesses to comply with the IT procedures and policies, which improves liability.
IT service desk providers enable clients to track all of their operations and how their clients respond to them. This is very useful to create better strategies that improve the whole production process.
It is the same benefit in case of incidents that could result in financial losses. This is why experts recommend the implementation of cybersecurity measures. Because of the transparency that standardization produces, organizations can analyze what went wrong in the process and demand responsibility.
5.5. Improving customer experience
Since every business depends on its clients, it is very important to improve the whole customer course of action, it does not matter the kind of product or service. IT support services can shorten significantly the time and quality of the experience.
Furthermore, customers can easily report incidents through a ticket-response system, which synchronizes with the central operational infrastructure. This is a big difference in comparing to organizations that do not have any IT Service Center.
5.6. Greater productivity
Smoother operations produce significantly greater productivity in employees and, therefore, better productivity of the organization. This is part of the goals of every ITSM framework and a direct consequence of adopting standardized guidelines.
Employees perform their tasks faster and better because the infrastructure in which they work has been improved. Another noticeable benefit is the shorter recovery time when the system suffers an interruption; this could happen for a lot of reasons but with ITSM, the infrastructure is safer.
5.7. Enhancing scalability
Scalability is a big deal for every organization because this is what makes them diversify their business, as it takes part in their evolution. One of the most effective tools is the cloud; this allows organizations to rely on the cloud-based infrastructure, to expand operations with better results.
IT outsourcing management allows companies to ensure the availability of their platforms 24/7, achieving higher levels of effectiveness that are necessary to get the scalability for their businesses.
5.8. Greater exchangeability between different departments
This is definitely one of the most compelling reasons to automate processes with ITSM. Working with an advanced platform allows the different departments within the organization to exchange information more effectively. Collaboration between all sectors in every organization is key to success and to improving procedures.
For example, with a proper ITSM, the Human Resources department can use a new set of tech tools developed by the IT department to improve performance. And when incidents happen, this department will report instantly and give feedback to the IT department. This feedback is often noted in IT Audits.
5.9. Enhance the ROI
As you may know, ROI stands for Return of Investment. It is a measure for performance within organizations, with the goal of evaluating the effectiveness and profitability of any investment.
But, how does this relate to IT Service Management? In a lot of ways. Business IT solutions are the greatest solutions to improve general performance. This way, staff can get the most out of the organization’s platform that is located in the cloud. With this set of tools, productivity can sky-rocket at levels never seen before.
6. What are the risks of using IT Service Management?
Every tech solution comes with a series of risks that might turn into a problem if the organization is not aware of it. When working with a managed IT service provider, there is a lot of aspects involved in the lifecycle of the process. Luckily, not all of them are irreversible.
Let’s review them:
ITSM Frameworks might not be compatible with certain systems: it is one of the most common issues because not all operating systems or cloud-based platforms support all of the ITSM Frameworks. To avoid this, the best practice is to research before implementing changes of this kind.
Not every ITSM Framework ensures scalability: this is a very important aspect because it will all depend on the specific needs of every organization. Not all frameworks allow the same kind of expansion for every infrastructure.
As you can see, the list is too short because there is not much negative to say about using an IT outsourcing service. Again, it will all depend on the organization’s needs to take effective actions in order to avoid these incidents.
7. Would you like to receive more information about our IT service?
We are Connect Tech, and we specialize in IT support and services. If you are looking for a reliable service provider, you have come to the right place. We know the importance of a well-managed IT environment and how much your business depends on it.
Having outsourced IT support is the best decision you can make for your organization. Here are some of our services:
- Cloud-based management
- IT security services
- Audits and consulting
- IT Infrastructure
- Hosting solutions
- IT Service Management Deployments
Would you like to contact Connect Tech to obtain more information about Cloud-based services and IT solutions? If you have any questions, call us on +97143316688. You can email us at contact@connectech.dev, and you will talk to one of our representatives who will answer your questions.
