IT Service Management - Common Benefits Of IT Management Frameworks

IT service management is the overall activities which are carried out by an organization in order to design, develop, deliver, operate, maintain and control computer information technology services provided to clients. It is not only crucial but also essential for any organization that deals with the task of managing various computer systems to have IT service management. This is because IT service management involves the overall monitoring, controlling and deployment of various computer information services to help improve business efficiency. Furthermore, it is one aspect of information technology which cannot be neglected.

IT service management is a branch of information technology management, which looks into several processes that should be conducted by an organization in order to achieve its objectives and this includes service analysis, identification and selection of appropriate IT solutions, training of technical staffs, utilization of IT infrastructure, maintenance of such systems, and use of information technology resources for improving organizational efficiency. These processes involve several interrelated steps and each of them have a specific goal as well. However, all these goals cannot be attained at once since it would result in organizational chaos. That is why IT service management makes use of a number of strategies which include a strategic approach, a problem solving approach and a technology transfer strategy. Since every aspect of this process has a direct bearing on IT costs and hence its profitability, an integral part of the whole process is the utilization of cost-effective computer systems.
There are different types of IT service management approaches. The most general approach is the developmental approach, which looks into the planning and deployment of new IT systems. This approach is implemented through process modeling, step-by-step logical and hardware design with client requirements in mind. This IT service management approach uses IT planning, monitoring and benchmarking procedures along with technical support and services planning and implementation. There are some organizations that prefer a functional approach where IT governance is involved. Most organizations however stick to a framework approach that involves both planning and deployment of IT solutions.

Planning of IT solutions depends upon certain factors such as the size of the organization, its needs and the resources available. The objectives of service provisioning and IT support must also be determined according to the exact purpose of a solution. For instance, a comprehensive application solution may be required for enterprise resource planning (ERP) purposes while a more simple one for e.g. software configuration may be determined according to the typical business of that organization. The most common IT service management frameworks are business process modeling (BPM), operational process modeling (OTM) and information technology (IT) engineering.

IT service management approaches can either be industry specific or generic. For example, BPM requires a detailed planning process, while a complete IT methodology primarily concentrates on the design and creation of IT methods and practices. It must also take into account current and future customer needs and expectations, competitive factors, business development factors as well as business restructuring. While IT Engineering mainly deals with the creation of information technology systems, it also takes into consideration any organizational transformations and other factors affecting the overall organization's ability to improve its efficiency.

Here are common benefits that IT service management provides for organizations. These include increased flexibility, reduced costs, improved maintenance and operational productivity, an effective and unified communication system as well as control over the use of technologies. Moreover, it has the potential of increasing sales figures, maintaining competitive advantages and preventing processes from getting out of hand. A structured approach and consistent IT monitoring and controlling method are therefore essential for the success of this entire process.
To get a detailed overview of this topic, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_information_technology.