5 tips to reorganise your ITSM efforts the right way

TSM solutions form the cornerstone of every organisation's digitisation plan. Whether it’s through the introduction of user-friendly self-service portals for service access, or the streamlining of various ITSM procedures, the correct service management system can make or break an organisation’s service delivery efforts.

Most organisations have either in-house legacy systems or have already made an investment in an ITSM solution, but knowing you have the right fit for your business needs can be tricky.

The ITSM landscape is filled with hundreds of vendors that provide a wide variety of solutions that cover a wide range of capabilities. Solutions are designed to meet business needs based on the size, scale, or required capabilities, amongst a multitude of differentiating factors. So, how do organisations navigate this ITSM jungle?

Choosing the right investment for your ITSM efforts

With a plethora of vendors and variables that dictate the value of an ITSM solution, it is easy to lose focus of the main objective: maximising value.

Here are five key points that can help determine the right solution for your business needs.

The scope of your ITSM operations

The first step is to map out the scope of your organisation's ITSM processes. Break down the operations that you currently perform and identify the different ITSM practices that you need. The scope can range from simple request management—encompassing the handling of incidents and service requests— all the way up to the entire ITSM spectrum, which involves advanced practices like change enablement or implementing a CMDB. By gaining a clear picture of what exactly your ITSM team needs to support the business, organisations can clearly define what they want from an ITSM solution and avoid spending on features and capabilities that are unnecessary.

The scale of your operations

After charting the ITSM practices your organisation requires, the next step is to consider the scale of your operations and identify how your organisation wants to use each practice. Prerequisites—including the number of variables, the complexity of automations, the established standard operating procedures, the requirement of bespoke workflows, or the number of integrations required within each practice—define the scale of your operations.

Additionally, factors like the number of end users, technicians, sites, or endpoints determine whether a solution can technologically handle the load while delivering optimum performance. The list of variables changes based on your unique business requirements, but the premise is the same. You need to consider the scalability of an ITSM solution from a technological and operational perspective to understand whether it can fit your business and technological needs.

ITSM solutions range from simple ticketing tools that are focused for small businesses to ITSM platforms that can drive automation across IT and business functions for large enterprises. Each type of solution comes with its own benefits and trade-offs.

Out-of-the box ITSM solutions usually come with plug-and-play modules for the major ITSM practices, with a degree of customisability but usually lack last-mile customisation options. Out-of-the box ITSM solutions also require little to no professional services to get started.

On the other hand, an ITSM platform covers the entire range of ITSM practices with last-mile customisations to meet unique business requirements that out-of-the box ITSM solutions can't meet. ITSM platforms almost always require professional help to get started.

Out-of-the-box ITSM solutions

Pros:

1. Plug-and-play capabilities
   

2. Cost-effective
   

3. Requires little to no implementation services
   
   

Cons:

1. Rigid processes
   

2. Lack of customisability
   

3. Inability to scale with operations and processes
   
   

ITSM platform solutions

Pros:

1. Ability to build bespoke processes and workflows
   

2. Ability to drive powerful automations across the enterprise
   
   

Cons:

1. Expensive
   

2. Difficult to set up and implement
   

3. High time to value
   

The time to go live

The time to go live is an aspect that's often overlooked, and when it does go ignored, it results in long, unplanned delays. While features and capabilities dictate the solution that is chosen, the implementation can make or break the decision. Organisations need to consider the effort and time required to set up the solution and have it running to their expectations. Implementations feature an extensive setup and customisation process along with the time needed to configure various ITSM practices to meet business needs.

Like we previously saw, the type of ITSM solution dictates the implementation effort required. By optimising the time to go live, you can start showing value much quicker, and by optimising implementation costs, you can improve your ROI as well. Therefore, it is vital to clearly identify the efforts that are required for the implementation of the solution. So, you need to factor in the effort and cost of implementation right at the beginning and not leave it as an afterthought.

The true cost of the solution

Current economic headwinds are making organisations rethink and reorganise their investments to get the maximum value while reducing redundancies. This is encouraging a shift towards a more value-oriented stand on investments made in areas that are traditionally perceived as cost centres. As organisations look to tighten up their spend on ITSM and IT management solutions, this opens the perfect window to get rid of bloated solutions and choose a leaner ITSM solution that can provide better value.

The cost of ITSM solutions varies from affordable solutions that provide basic capabilities to investment-heavy solutions that can meet every business requirement for your enterprise. If not properly planned, ITSM licenses tend to reach exorbitant prices when paired with professional services and expensive add-ons.

It is vital to carefully analyse licensing plans to eliminate hidden expenses and ensure you're paying a fair price for the services you actually use. Some common hidden expenses to watch out for include unexpected configuration or implementation costs that are not included in licenses; support premiums; and service costs for upgrades. Take stock of factors like license plans, implementations costs, and training costs when narrowing down your list of ITSM solutions.

The solution's ability to plug into your IT ecosystem

No organisation depends solely on a single solution to run its operations, meaning your ITSM solution must be able to align with your other solutions. Most employees use collaborative software like Microsoft Teams for work, and it is important for your service desk solution to be accessible for employees right within their Teams workspace.

Similarly, your ITSM solution's ability to work with other IT management solutions like monitoring solutions or endpoint management solutions improves the capabilities of the ITSM solution. Additionally, ITSM solutions often come with the option to implement last-mile customisations. Use scripts to build bespoke capabilities to meet your unique business requirements that can't be met with out-of-the-box configurations. The right ITSM solution can help you find more value out of most of your organisation's current IT and tech investments, acting as the base to transform various cross-departmental processes.

So, what's next?

The next time you're shopping for a new ITSM solution or if you're fed up with your current solution, then these five points should help guide you in the right direction. Understand your priorities and requirements using these five points to narrow down on the perfect ITSM solution for your business requirements—without jeopardizing your organisation.