ITServiceManagementLandschaft

IT service management (ITSM) refers to the set of activities, policies, and procedures used by an organization to design, deliver, manage, and improve the way IT services are used by customers. ITSM focuses on outcomes and value for the business rather than technology for its own sake. It covers the end-to-end lifecycle of services, from initial concept through design, transition, operation, and continual improvement.

Frameworks such as ITIL, COBIT, and ISO/IEC 20000 provide structured guidance for ITSM practices. ITIL, now in its fourth edition, emphasizes value co-creation and a service management system that spans four dimensions: organizations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and processes. Key ITSM processes typically include incident management, problem management, change management, release and deployment management, configuration management, knowledge management, service level management, capacity and availability management, and service continuity management. A service desk serves as the primary contact point for users, and a configuration management database (CMDB) stores information about assets and their relationships.

ITSM is implemented through a service lifecycle that includes service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation, and continual service improvement. In practice, organizations often blend ITSM with agile and DevOps approaches to improve speed and collaboration.

Benefits of ITSM include improved service quality, better alignment between IT and business objectives, increased efficiency, enhanced risk management, and higher customer satisfaction. Common metrics include incident response and resolution times, first-contact resolution, change success rate, and service availability. Successful adoption typically involves process documentation, governance structures, appropriate tooling, and integration with asset management and monitoring systems.