With the modern day shift towards digitization of data and processes, IT departments worldwide are being called upon to rapidly grow their service catalog to include all the new technologies their users may benefit from. IT managers must stay abreast of cutting-edge technologies applicable to their fields, and to truly be an industry leader, IT managers should be proactively seeking out new applications that may give their company a competitive advantage.
The three main areas of growth for IT service management (ITSM) are service catalog updating, legacy IT service modernization, and discovery of new technologies relevant to the field. This is plenty to keep IT professionals busy and provides an interesting challenge to even the most forward-thinking IT managers.
Service Catalog Updates
Many corporations have traditionally used service catalogs that relied upon local desktop applications and data storage, with automated regular data back-up systems in place. Many ITSMs are moving towards cloud computing for data storage for many reasons, including the ease of regularly backing up data stored in a centralized location and the convenience of maintaining and upgrading applications running in a single environment where each user opens an instance of the same application, rather than each desktop having its own application and license to manage.
Legacy IT Service Modernization
Users become familiar with and dependent upon their favorite applications, and many resist change in this area. It is often better to prioritize user productivity and let that principle guide the progress of the modernization of services. Some workflows will immediately benefit from application replacement, and users can usually to recognize that fact. In the instances where replacement will have long-term benefits but short-term drawbacks like requiring users to learn how to use a new software suite, application replacement can be a hard sell.
Scouting New Technologies
ITSMs must be continually on the lookout for new applications and other industry trends that can give their company an edge over the competition. The goal is to provide maximum IT agility with minimum disruption to the company’s operations. ITSMs should attend industry conferences and keep abreast of industry publications, but would also do well to pay attention to the leading publications in other fields which may give them insight into which way IT may turn next, providing them with an edge over other companies.
By working to update the IT service catalog, continually striving to modernize legacy applications, and scouting new technologies, today’s ITSMs can contribute to the building of a cutting-edge business through restless innovation.
