IT Service Management (ITSM) includes a broad set of processes that encompass much of the IT department. However, while the IT service philosophy and industry best-practices have been well defined within various IT frameworks and standards, IT leaders are looking for answers on where to start, how to get buy-in, how to define success, and how much process is appropriate. For small and mid-sized enterprises on the path to improving the ability of IT to deliver business-responsive IT service, communicating the value of ITSM stood out as a success factor for gaining ITSM initiative buy-in. Twenty-three IT organizations shared their successes and challenges with Info-Tech for this ITSM In-Depth Report.

This research note summarizes preliminary findings, and examines:

• Drivers of ITSM process implementation and improvement.
• Involvement in the process by stakeholders outside of IT.
• The most commonly pursued modules or best practices for improving ITSM.
• Challenges along the road to process implementation.

IT leaders addressed challenges to ITSM improvement and implementation with both creative and common-sense solutions. This research note also includes a concise summary of advice from IT professionals dedicated to improving ITSM in their respective organizations.