Understanding IT Service Management (ITSM)

IT Service Management, or ITSM, is how IT teams manage the full lifecycle of delivering technology services to end-users. From setting up new hardware to managing critical business applications, ITSM ensures these services are delivered efficiently, reliably, and in alignment with business goals.

What ITSM Is and Isn’t

At its heart, ITSM is about viewing IT as a service. For example, when an employee needs a new laptop, they submit a request via a service portal. That request is turned into a ticket, routed through a structured workflow, prioritized, and fulfilled by IT,ideally in a consistent and efficient way.

It’s a common misconception that ITSM is just IT support though. While support is one component, ITSM is far broader. It covers service requests, incident management, asset management, change management, and more. The goal is to align IT operations with the needs of the business and its users through well-defined practices and tools.

A Team-First Approach to ITSM

Traditionally, organizations have followed a tech-first approach to ITSM: implement tools, define processes, and then train people. Atlassian, among others, encourages flipping that model, start with strong, empowered teams who can shape the right processes, and then implement the supporting tools. IT teams are no longer just reactive service providers, they’re strategic enablers of productivity and innovation. That’s why it’s important to build practices around how teams work best, not just follow rigid frameworks.

Frameworks That Guide ITSM

Frameworks help standardize how IT teams operate. They’re not meant to be one-size-fits-all solutions, but rather toolkits for adapting best practices to your unique environment. The most common include:

• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library): The most widely adopted ITSM framework. ITIL 4, the latest version, promotes flexibility, value delivery, collaboration, and continual improvement.
• DevOps: While not strictly an ITSM framework, DevOps supports faster, more agile delivery by improving collaboration between development and operations teams.

Some view ITSM and DevOps as conflicting approaches, but they actually complement each other. ITSM provides structure; DevOps brings speed and agility. High-performing teams know how to blend both to balance stability with rapid innovation.

Why ITSM Matters

Effective ITSM benefits the entire organization, not just the IT team. It drives:

• Alignment between IT and business objectives
• Improved service quality and consistency
• Better collaboration across departments
• Faster issue resolution and fewer disruptions
• Lower operational costs and reduced risk
• Enhanced customer and employee satisfaction

In short, ITSM enables organizations to deliver technology services that are reliable, scalable, and user-centric.

Core ITSM Practices

Modern ITSM focuses on “practices” rather than just “processes,” reflecting a more holistic approach that includes culture, tools, and data. Some of the core ITSM practices include:

• Service Request Management: Handles routine requests such as software access, hardware upgrades, or password resets. These requests benefit from automation and self-service options.
• Incident Management: Focuses on quickly restoring service when unplanned outages or disruptions occur. It’s about minimizing impact and restoring normal operations as efficiently as possible.
• Problem Management: Investigates recurring incidents to identify and eliminate root causes, reducing the chance of future disruptions.
• Change Management: Helps manage updates to infrastructure or applications in a way that minimizes risk and avoids service interruptions.
• Knowledge Management: Ensures valuable information is captured and made easily accessible, both to IT teams and end-users, through documentation and knowledge bases.
• IT Asset Management (ITAM): Tracks and manages hardware, software, and other IT assets throughout their lifecycle to ensure compliance and optimize usage.

These practices are often interrelated and supported by ITSM platforms to provide a seamless user and team experience.

Choosing the Right ITSM Tools

Your service desk is the centerpiece of your ITSM strategy. It’s the main point of contact between users and IT, handling requests, incidents, and more.

The best ITSM tools should:

• Be easy to use, with intuitive self-service portals
• Enable collaboration across teams like IT, DevOps, and HR
• Offer flexibility, allowing your team to configure workflows that match your organization’s needs

Unfortunately, many legacy ITSM tools are hard to customize, create silos, or lack visibility across functions. Tools like Jira Service Management aim to solve those issues by combining ease of use, automation, and cross-team collaboration in one platform.

The Future of ITSM

As companies become more software-driven, the role of IT is shifting from a backend support role becoming a front-line enabler of business value. ITSM plays a central role in this transformation by ensuring services are delivered with consistency, agility, and customer focus.

Platforms like Jira Service Management help modern IT teams adopt collaborative practices, automate routine work, and accelerate service delivery. It supports key ITSM practices while offering templates and integrations that help teams get up and running quickly. As a Service Management Specialized Atlassian Partner, Praecipio can assist with end-to-end deployment of ITSM systems and best practices.