What is IT service Management (ITSM) ?

IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT -- IT Service Management is a general term that describes a strategic approach for designing, delivering, managing and improving the way information technology (IT) is used within an organization. IT service management (ITSM) refers to the entirety of activities , directed by policies, organized and structured in processes and supporting procedures  that are performed by an organization to plan, design, deliver, operate and control information technology (IT) services offered to customers.

IT Service Management Goal

The goal of every IT Service Management framework is to ensure that the right processes, people and technology are in place so that the organization can meet its business goals.
The Goal of ITSM is to get disparate functional groups to work in a common manner based on accepted industry best practices to deliver services and value their customers want. In short ITSM is a people project supported by tools and processes, not a tool or process project supported by people.
In order to actually achieve success the first step is to realise that the true goal of an ITSM initiative is to establish a common and efficient approach for the various functions within the internal and external IT value chain to deliver stable and reliable IT services to the business customer.

ITSM Framework

ITSM Framework Position

Service Management provides a framework to structure IT-related activities and the interactions of IT technical personnel with customers and clients. ITSM is a process-based practice intended to align the delivery of IT services with the needs of a given company, leading to efficient business processes and beneficial cost cutting.
There are several IT service Management Framework :
1. ITIL (Information Technology Infrasrtructure Library)
ITIL is a ITSM framework that provides best practices for aligning IT with business needs. The most widely used framework for IT process management is ITIL v3, which has five parts: Strategy, Design, Transition, Operations and Continual Service Improvement. Ongoing development for ITIL has been vested in Axelos, a joint-venture company created by the U.K. Cabinet Office and Capita PLC. As of this writing, the most widely used framework for ITSM is ITIL v3. ITIL was created because there was a need for ITSM best practice in the late 1980’s and it has since become the de facto framework used by many organizations across

2. COBIT
COBIT is an ITSM  framework for developing, implementing, monitoring and improving information technology (IT) governance and management practices. The COBIT framework is published by the IT Governance Institute and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

3. ISO 20000
ISO 20000 is a global standard that describes the requirements for an ITSM system. Although the standard was developed by developed by the British Standards Institutions to mirror best practices described within the ITIL framework, it also supports other frameworks, such as Microsoft's Operations Framework.

4. TOGAF  (The Open Group Architecture Framework)
TOGAF provides a structured approach for organizations seeking to organize and govern their implementation of technology, particularly software technology.
TOGAF was created and is maintained by The Open Group, an independent industry association.

5. Six Sigma
A management framework developed by Motorola. The framework emphasizes setting extremely high objectives, collecting data, and analyzing results to a fine degree as a way to reduce defects in products and services.

6. Microsoft Operations Framework
A series of 23 documents that guide IT professionals through the processes of creating, implementing and managing efficient and cost-effective services. Like ITIL, MOF includes guidelines for the entire lifecycle of an IT service, from concept to retirement or replacement.