what are ITSM, ITOM and ITBM?

Sathish Kumar4
Kilo Explorer

Tell me about ITSM, ITOM and ITBM?

3 REPLIES 3

Anshu_Anand_
Kilo Sage
Kilo Sage

ITSM

IT Service Management (ITSM for short) focuses on customer needs and IT services for customers rather than on IT systems. ITSM stresses continual improvement.

The main idea behind ITSM is the delivery of IT as a service. This goes beyond traditional IT support. Instead, ITSM is more inclusive. It describes the processes and tools IT teams use to manage IT services, end to end, and covers all information technologies within an organization.

ITSM aligns an IT team’s goals with the broader objectives of the business, and that their actions support the overall mission.

https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/rome-it-service-management/page/product/it-service-management/ref...

 

ITOM

ITOM describes the individual processes and services that are administered by an IT department—this includes administrative processes, support for hardware and software, and services for internal and external clients. Effective ITOM ensures availability, performance, and efficiency within an organization’s services and processes.

ITOM defines the methods IT uses to manage services, support, and deployment to create consistency, quality of service, and reliability. There are typically management departments within an IT team that create policy on how services and support are managed and resolved, incorporating policies and procedures that revolve around how organizations intend to meet the client’s and the organization’s needs and SLAs.

https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/sandiego-it-operations-management/page/product/it-operations-mana...

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ITBM 

Align work with business goals to deliver product and services in a way that supports your strategic priorities. IT Business Management (ITBM) helps IT demonstrate value to the organization and rationalize investments to focus more on innovation. ITBM also helps transform the delivery of new products and services through lean execution methodologies.

https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/paris-it-business-management/page/product/it-business-management/...

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In simple terms,

https://www.basicoservicenowlearning.in/2019/11/servicenow-applications.html#:~:text=ServiceNow%20pl...

 

 

Hope its helpful

Regards,
Anshu

abdulriyaz8
Kilo Contributor

ITSM is about managing IT services, ITOM handles IT operations and infrastructure, and ITBM aligns IT with business goals and budgeting. 

MTA
Tera Contributor

Hi Satish,

 

I will explain ITSM, ITOM and ITBM in laymen terms to help you understand with real-world examples, as follows:

 

1. ITSM (IT Service Management)

Think of ITSM as the "Help Desk" for your company.

Layman’s Explanation:

Imagine you work at a big company, and your computer stops working or you can't access your email. You contact the IT department for help — that’s ITSM in action.

ServiceNow helps IT teams track, manage, and resolve issues (like a broken printer or software bug) through structured workflows, so nothing gets lost or delayed.

Real-World Example:

You submit a ticket to IT saying:

"My laptop won’t start."
ServiceNow logs this, assigns it to a technician, tracks progress, and notifies you when it’s fixed.


2. ITOM (IT Operations Management)

Think of ITOM as the “Control Room” behind the scenes.

Layman’s Explanation:

While ITSM handles user problems, ITOM is about keeping the IT systems running smoothly, even before problems happen. It monitors servers, networks, and apps, and automates actions when something seems wrong.

Real-World Example:

ServiceNow notices that a server is using 95% of its memory. It can automatically alert IT, spin up a new server, or reboot the existing one — before users notice anything wrong.


3. ITBM (IT Business Management)

Think of ITBM as the “Project Manager” and “Finance Planner.”

Layman’s Explanation:

This is about managing IT projects, budgets, and resources effectively. ITBM helps companies decide:

  • Which IT projects to fund

  • How to track progress

  • If they’re worth the cost

It aligns IT efforts with business goals.

Real-World Example:

Your company wants to roll out a new customer app. With ServiceNow ITBM, leaders can see:

  • How much it’ll cost

  • Who’s working on it

  • If it’s on schedule

  • What business value it’ll bring


How They Work Together:

Let’s say your company is launching a new website:

  • ITBM helps plan the project: who’s involved, budget, and timeline.

  • ITOM ensures the servers running the website are always up and scalable.

  • ITSM supports users when they call saying, “The website isn’t loading on my phone.”


Summary Table:

Concept Role Real World Analogy
ITSMHelp DeskTracking your pizza order
ITOMBehind-the-scenes MonitoringCity traffic control
ITBMPlanning & BudgetingConstruction project dashboard
 

Hope this helps.