www.axiossystems.com White Paper Service Desk and IT Service Management Software ITSM Tooling Uncovered with ITIL Chief Architect A White Paper by Sharon Taylor Aspect Group Inc © Copyright Axios Systems 2010 www.axiossystems.com ITSM Tooling Uncovered with ITIL Chief Architect p2 Copyright Notice © Copyright Axios Systems 2010. The information, which is contained in this document, is the property of Axios Systems. The contents of the document must not be reproduced or disclosed wholly or in part or used for purposes other than that for which it is supplied without the prior written permission of Axios Systems. Table of Contents The thing about tools is... 3 Before the tools 4 ITSM tool decisions – Factors to consider at every stage 6 Initial ITSM implementations 6 Service Improvements 6 Things to consider when selecting tools 8 Knowing what you need 8 Examples of criteria: 9 Thinking of tools as strategic partners 16 Acquiring a relationship 17 Migration and Integration 18 Tool Certification 18 Process integration 19 Legislated requirements 19 Own, lease, rent 20 Return on Investment 20 Greater product sophistication means a better ROI 21 Thinking your organization is unique 22 Believing there is no such thing as out-of-the-box 22 Using the Ram and refine approach 23 Upgrade or replace? 23 Decision drivers 23 Strategic factors 23 Tactical factors 24 Operational Factors 25 Flexibility 25 Access 25 Ease of use 26 Integration 26 Modularity 26 Words for the wise 27 About Axios Systems 28 About the Author 31 www.axiossystems.com ITSM Tooling Uncovered with ITIL Chief Architect p3 The thing about tools is... Whenever I work with clients on IT Service Management (ITSM) implementations or program improvements, I hear the same common issues repeatedly about the mistakes organizations make with their selection and use of ITSM enabling technology. Many organizations have made significant investments in tools to enable ITSM; however, due to a lack of tool performance that efficient, well-managed practices rely on, these organizations eventually discover that they are losing traction and not earning the Return on Investment (ROI) they anticipated. The reasons for this are many and varied: Old versions – Organizations want to leverage past investment, but older 1. versions of tools often cannot meet the demands of newer, more robust process needs. Patchwork syndrome – Incremental investment in tools without a broader, 2. longer term vision results in many disparate tools, often heavily customized and configured. These tools then become expensive to support and overly-complex. A common ailment is that patch-worked tools are often maintained within different areas of an organization that do not share a common view. Lack of integration – Tools are often acquired for specialized purposes (i.e. 3. the automation of a single process) and are not integrated. Over time, if enough disparate tools are acquired but not well-integrated or integrated at all, ITSM efficiency becomes impaired; afterthought process integration is something many tools cannot do or do not do easily without costly retrofits. Too much choice – The market is ripe with tool choices and many 4. organizations are unclear about what their options are and what choices they should or should not consider. Also many organizations have made tool choices not well-suited to their needs. www.axiossystems.com ITSM Tooling Uncovered with ITIL Chief Architect p4 Before the tools Service Management experts agree that any organization looking to implement ITSM practices should follow a few key steps to ensure a successful outcome. First, understand your needs. Be clear about the outcomes you want; agree with the customer about what is important to them, document requirements and the approach you will take. Next, work on the process development and cultural adoption required to work differently than before; refine these to best fit your circumstance and meet your needs. Once these things are established, it is then time to look for technology solutions that will enable, streamline and synergize the processes. For years now, experts have agreed that tools should not drive people and processes, but they should complement and automate already well-embedded and efficient processes and practices. The reality is that most organizations approach ITSM in stages and the tools they select to automate processes become a patchwork of applications that over time have been tweaked and often heavily customized. This results in ITSM tools that are expensive to support and maintain. While all this tweaking seems to be logical at the time, it can end up costing far more than planned. Once maturing practices come into play, the true cost can be staggering. Organizations are learning that a more strategic, longer-term view about Service Management can greatly lower costs for ITSM and offer greater overall ROI. This is as true for tools as it is for ITSM practices in general. There is not one right or wrong way to approach the tool conundrum, but there are aspects that every organization should consider at every stage along the ITSM journey. Thinking through these considerations can save time, money, headaches and will likely boost customer confidence. www.axiossystems.com www.axiossystems.com ITSM Tooling Uncovered with ITIL Chief Architect p6 About Axios Systems Axios Systems is one of the world’s leading providers of IT Service Management (ITSM) solutions. Its customer-centric approach, combined with its award-winning software, enables customers to improve their Service Delivery and Support and deliver Continual Service Improvement by helping to align and realign IT services to changing business needs, supporting business processes and improving productivity. Its core solution, assyst, built around a market-leading Configuration Management Database (CMDB), intuitively steers users through the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) processes which help organizations transition toward the next generation of ITSM and Service Desks. assyst offers a unique lifecycle approach to ITSM with the integration of all ITIL processes (including Incident Management, Capacity Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Asset Management, Configuration Management and Service Level Management), twelve of which have been verified by Pink Elephant’s PinkVERIFY service as compatible with industry best practices (based on ITIL V3), in a single, out-of-the-box application. It empowers management with a dashboard-based transparent view of real-time performance against Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and Operations Level Agreements (OLAs) using Web 2.0 technologies. www.axiossystems.com ITSM Tooling Uncovered with ITIL Chief Architect p7 Implementing assyst into an organization optimizes IT infrastructure efficiency, reduces overheads and lowers the total cost of IT ownership (TCO), helping to ensure a significant return on investment (ROI) with rapid time-to-value. Axios also offers a comprehensive set of consulting and training services to support ITSM best practices in an organization. Axios is headquartered in the UK, with offices across Europe, the Americas, Middle East and Asia Pacific. Axios’ global presence is further strengthened with a worldwide network of partners. For more information, visit www.axiossystems.com. The assystNET interface. www.axiossystems.com www.axiossystems.com ITIL - Delivering Real Value in a Downturn About the Author Sharon Taylor, President of the Aspect Group is a well known and respected figure within today’s IT Service Management community. As the former Chief Architect and current Chief Examiner for ITIL®, the world leading IT Service Management best practices, Sharon is the author of numerous ITSM books and regular columnist for a variety of global IT management publications. Sharon recently completed a three year term as the Chairman of the Board for the Chair of the itSMF International, responsible for ensuring global growth and governance of ITSMF in over 50 countries, and is at the center of best practice development and endorsement. She is also past President of the North American Institute of Certified Service Management Professionals, a sister organization to the UK Institute of Service Management. Sharon is the recipient of the 2008 ITSM Lifetime Achievement Award. Her contributions to the community and to best practice are based upon extensive professional experience in the industry. After many years as an active ITSM professional within Canada, she is currently President of Aspect Group Inc, leading AGI’s consultancy, training and ITSM practice, working with clients throughout North America, Asia and Europe. As a long time CEO, Sharon brings a business background and focus to IT service management and has used her business experience in influencing the future directions of the IT service management industry.