Beyond the Service desk.

[LewisMartin]

In most cases Service Management is seen as an extension of the Service desk. When most organisations look to Service Management practices and the ITIL framework, it's more than likely due to poor service and feedback being directed at the Service desk, via the CIO. The Service desk is the most underrated function that IT supplies, a debate to be covered another time!

Getting the people, processes and tools right for this function is paramount, so when service is perceived to be poor, Service Mangers jump into action to rewrite processes and blame the tools and people.

Focusing on the tool, this is where ServiceNow normally enters an organisation. Selected during a tool evaluation process, against others, ServiceNow is a Service Management tool that will support and develop the new or existing processes, be more user friendly for the Service desk staff, and drive forward innovation. Additionally, for many it is the first time they have seen SaaS (Software as a Service) working.

The adoption of ServiceNow also brings PaaS (Platform as a Service) capabilities.

Accenture's Emerging Technology Trends for IT Leaders in 2012 states - PaaS-enabled agility. The maturing platform-as-a-service (PaaS) market will shift the emphasis from cost-cutting to business innovation, supporting rapid evolution for business processes that need continuous change.

While the majority of organisations are using ServiceNow for the other ITIL processes like Change, Problem and Configuration type activities, many are already using the tool to support functions away from the Service desk and IT, such as HR, Facilities and Regulatory Compliance & Governance.

The majority of business functions follow a process of some form. ServiceNow is a tool that allows those processes to be supported, with the ability to automate workflows, drive notifications, produce records and complete forms, so there are growth possibilities beyond the Service desk, where most people see it belonging.

The beauty is, by extending the license count to cover those areas, and with some time and resource spent on configuration, organisations have a single product to support, licence, manage and maintain. Not only are the benefits realised through more efficient business practices, but also by reducing cost of ownership. From the removal of infrastructure (SaaS) and with one product potentially replacing many, reduced user and resource costs are realised.

In summary, ServiceNow can do much more for organisations than merely help the Service desk log a ticket quicker. It has the ability to shake up the normal thought process that each business function, or unit, needs their own application to work with to meet their business goals.