An Introduction to IT Service

Management Best Practice

White Paper
IT Service Management White Paper

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 3
GLOSSARY ............................................................................... 3
IT Service Management ......................................................................3
IT Infrastructure Management..............................................................3
IT Directorate .................................................................................4
BEST PRACTICE EXPLAINED ........................................................... 4
OVERVIEW OF THE BSI CODE OF PRACTICE ......................................... 4
Service Design and IT Management Processes .................................................. 5
Supplier Processes .................................................................................. 5
Resolution Processes................................................................................ 5
Control Processes ................................................................................... 6
Release Processes ................................................................................... 6
BENEFITS OF APPLYING BEST PRACTICE ............................................ 6
Why adopt the ITIL approach?..................................................................... 7
DELIVERING BEST PRACTICE BASED IT SERVICES................................... 8
OVERVIEW OF assyst by AXIOS SYSTEMS ............................................ 8
CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................... 11
SOURCES AND CONTACTS ............................................................ 13
OGC’s IT Infrastructure Library .......................................................... 13
For more information on the IT Infrastructure Library contact OGC at: ..................13
BSI Code of Practice ....................................................................... 13
For a copy of the BSI Code of Practice contact: ..............................................13
For more information on itSMF contact: .......................................................14
For more information on assyst and Best Practice contact:.................................14

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© Copyright Axios Systems Ltd 2002. The information, which is contained in this
document, is the property of Axios Systems Ltd. The contents of the document
must not be reproduced or disclosed wholly or in part or used for purposes other
than that for which it is supplied without the prior written permission of Axios
Systems Ltd.

Axios Systems Limited Page 2 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

INTRODUCTION
An increase in the dependency of business on their IT services in recent years has
changed the way and the extent that business must consider the delivery of those
IT services. IT departments are now viewed by business managers as 'service
organisations' and are expected to deliver clearly defined products to agreed
service levels. Business organisations thus consider themselves to be customers of
their IT departments and expect to be treated accordingly, very differently from
the way IT departments traditionally treated their “users” some years ago.
The services must be matched to business needs and customer requirements. They
must be flexible enough to adapt rapidly to changes in organisation structure,
demand, competition and technology.
Users of IT services are required to obtain value for money. There is continual
pressure in many organisations to reduce costs while maintaining or improving IT
services. They must also make optimum use of expensive – and often scarce – IT
skills. If customers are not satisfied with internal IT services, they may consider
outsourcing.
Most users have no interest in technology or IT components. Their responsibility is
to maintain and improve their own business processes and they are only interested
in the IT infrastructure in so far as it supports their work. As the nature and volume
of the work changes, IT is expected to stay ahead of service demand. This requires
a policy of proactive IT service development.
The best way to deliver the services that the business needs, is to identify and
apply appropriate industry Best Practice. This is effectively taking the lessons
learned from others’ experience and building upon them using the specific
knowledge and skills within your organisation.
This booklet is an introduction to the concept of Best Practice IT Service
Management: what it is, its benefits and how to facilitate its application.
For further details on implementing Best Practice in general, or about assyst
specifically, contact our Professional Services Group or register for one of our Best
Practice Seminars by contacting us at assyst@axiossystems.com.

GLOSSARY
IT Service Management
The BSI book defines Service Management simply as “Managing services to meet
customer’ requirements”.
IT Infrastructure Management
The IT infrastructure consists of the hardware, software, computer-related
communications, documentation and skills required to support the provision of IT
services. Underpinning the IT infrastructure is the environmental infrastructure
upon which it is built. These assets and their use must be managed, hence the term
IT infrastructure management. IT infrastructure management is considered to be
part of IT Service Management since it is an integral part of delivering IT services.

Axios Systems Limited Page 3 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

IT Directorate
The term ‘IT Directorate” is the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) preferred
term for the supplier of IT services within an organisation. This then applies equally
well to both private and public sectors. In this document we have used the term ‘IT
department’ believing it to be the term in common usage.

BEST PRACTICE EXPLAINED

Best Practice is the best identified approach to a situation based upon observation
from effective organisations in similar business circumstances.
The Best Practice approach is to:
! Seek out ideas and experience from those who have done similar things
before.
! Determine which of these ideas and practices would be relevant in your own
circumstances.
! Try them out – monitor and review whether they work for you (and if they
don’t work – first check you are doing it right before seeking alternatives).
! Incorporate them into your documented practices.

OVERVIEW OF THE BSI CODE OF PRACTICE

The British Standards Institution (BSI) published in 1998 a revised Code of Practice
for IT Service Management. This code of practice documents the approach
considered by authors to be current best industry practice. The authors are experts
in the field of IT Service Management, their experience and industry awareness
makes them ideally placed to identify what constitutes current best practice.

Extract from “A Code of Practice for IT Service Management” PD0005:

1998 are reproduced with the permission of BSI under licence number
PD/1999 0794. Complete copies of the standard can be obtained by post
from BSI Customer Services, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL.

Axios Systems Limited Page 4 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

The BSI Code sets out five processes which encompass IT Service Management. All
the processes are heavily, and necessarily, interdependent. The success of any IT
Service Management project depends on the successful integration of the relevant
processes.
The five integrated processes are:
Service Design and IT Management Processes
! Service Level Management.
! Financial Management.
! Capacity and Contingency Management.
! Security Management.
This process deals with the shape of IT Service Management, and impacts strongly
upon the quality and quantity of the services delivered.
The role of IT Service Management includes understanding how they can be
delivered in IT terms, and developing the underpinning processes that can deliver
customer requirements.
Key Benefits:
! Clarity of customer requirements and needs, thus improving customer
satisfaction.
! Increased efficiency and cost effectiveness.
! Improved, formalized control of ongoing services.
Supplier Processes
! Customer Relationship Management.
! Supplier Management.
This process defines the correct relationship with the customer and ensures that
customer expectations are realistic. This includes the relationship with your own
suppliers – and ensures that your expectation is both realistic and delivered.
Key Benefits:
! Clear definition of third party relationships.
! Maximised return on relationships.
! Continual review and improvement of supplier services.
Resolution Processes
! Incident Management.
! Problem Management.
When incidents occur, they must be recorded and resolved. Ideally incidents likely
to affect customer service can be anticipated and prevented. Resolution requires
comprehensive information to be available at the right level to the right people,
and the Incident and Problem Management processes ensure this.

Axios Systems Limited Page 5 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

Key Benefits:
! Improves customer satisfaction.
! Improved consistency and quality of service by faster appropriate response
and/or resolution.
! Comprehensive, invaluable management information across the enterprise.
Control Processes
! Asset & Configuration Management.
! Change Management.
What do you have? Where is it? What does it do? To deliver quality IT services this is
the central information that must be accurately maintained and easily accessed.
Key Benefits:
! Facilitates effective service and support of IT infrastructure.
! Comprehensive management information for financial management, risk
assessment and resource planning.
Release Processes
! Release Management.
Nothing remains constant for long within an organisation – and that means new
hardware, new networks, new software, new buildings, new processes. All of these
will require careful management of the release of new items. Release Management
includes assessment of alternatives, specification, introduction, training and
assessment of the benefits achieved.

BENEFITS OF APPLYING BEST PRACTICE

If you are in IT services, then by being better and more effective at your job, you
help your customers be better at their jobs.
Applying the Best Practice principles identified by the BSI will mean that you are:
! Developing a good understanding of the customers’ IT requirements –
central to being able to deliver them.
! Ensuring efforts go towards delivering services that are business oriented –
rather than technology driven.
! Improving value for money by increasing resource utilisation and
effectiveness, and reducing repetitive activities.
! Improving staff performance and morale, so establishing a better perception
of IT amongst customers, increasing confidence in IT services – and
justifying the organisation’s reliance on these.

Axios Systems Limited Page 6 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

Why adopt the ITIL approach?

The foundations to the BSI approach and addressing the principles of IT Service
Management in more detail is OGC’s IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) which offers a
systematic, professional approach to the management of IT service provision.
Adopting its guidance can provide:
! Greater productivity and best use of skills and experience.
! Increased customer satisfaction with IT services which meet their needs.
! Reduced risk of not being able to meet the business requirements for IT
services.
! Reduced costs in developing procedures and practices within an
organisation.
! Better communication and information flows between IT staff and
customers.
! Assurance to the IT Director that staff are provided with appropriate
standards and guidance.
! Quality approach to IT service provision.
There are also benefits to the customer of the IT services, such as:
! Reassurance that IT services are provided in accordance with documented
procedures (clear audit trail).
! Ability to rely upon IT services, enabling the customer to meet business
objectives.
! Provision of clearly defined contact points within IT services for enquiries or
discussions about changing requirements.
! Knowledge that detailed information is produced to justify charges for IT
services and to provide feedback from monitoring of service level
agreements.
The functions are inter-related, requiring information flow between them.
Organisations are most likely to gain real benefit in the longer term from
implementing all of the processes rather than some discrete ones. Without full
implementation some important activities and information will be missing.
OGC’s ITIL books form only one aspect of the broader “ITIL philosophy”. Equally
important, joining the 'ITIL club' admits an organisation to a consistent and
comprehensive approach to Service Management; ranging from software products,
through consultancy, training and qualifications.
The common approach brings with it a common language of ITIL terms; which
permits easier understanding of suppliers and products. Perhaps this is best
summarized, and its importance demonstrated, by the BSI code of practice when it
states its aim to “provide a common reference standard for any enterprise offering
services to internal or external customers.”

Axios Systems Limited Page 7 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

DELIVERING BEST PRACTICE BASED IT SERVICES

The processes you need are the Best Practices – tried and tested by others and
written down for you. All you have to do is ‘buy the book’, read, understand it and
adopt the processes and practices that are right for your situation.
For your staff to deliver the anticipated service improvements, they must have the
tools for the job. They will need good accommodation and equipment – perhaps the
right PCs and telephony – and they will need to be on top of their information and
have the right information at their fingertips.
ITIL has always recognised that in order to make the best use of the information
available you will usually require an automated support tool. This should be able to
control large quantities of data. Ideally, it will facilitate total integration of the IT
Service Management processes.
Fortunately a number of organisations involved in the development of Best Practice
and maintenance scene have developed appropriate IT Service Management
software solutions based upon the ITIL guidance.

OVERVIEW OF assyst by AXIOS SYSTEMS

Over the past few years the IT industry has been inundated with “help desk”
software tools that promise to solve your IT support headaches. Focusing on the
often simple task of call logging many fall short of the necessary standards required
by an organisation to manage the IT infrastructure.
The help desk is an important part of the equation but we must look at the whole
requirement. The help desk in isolation cannot address the challenge faced by most
organisations.
Many help desk vendors have tried to address this shortfall by creating bolt on
modules for their products, normally addressing Asset and Change Management.
However, these afterthoughts rarely present a harmonised solution. Some leave
glaring gaps and key areas are not addressed.
By going beyond the help desk, assyst from Axios Systems ensures that all areas of
your IT Infrastructure are equally addressed with a framework that has been
developed from the ground up to be fully integrated in a seamless balanced
fashion.
assyst is a strategic IT Service Management solution developed by Axios Systems.
Designed to manage the IT infrastructure, service support and service delivery,
assyst provides a visionary solution ensuring the highest quality of IT services and
support is delivered into your organisation.

Axios Systems Limited Page 8 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

Key Components of assyst include:

! Help Desk & Incident ! Problem Management
Management
! Asset & Configuration ! Availability Management
Management
! Change Management ! Contingency Management
! Capacity Management ! Financial Management
! Decision & Support Management ! Service Level Management
! Supplier & Contract Management ! Workflow & Process Management
! Release Management
Axios Systems fully understand that there are other tools currently available that
fulfil some of the functions outlined above, but the true benefit of the fully
integrated system such as assyst, is that you can manage the complete IT
infrastructure from the single system.
assyst has been developed with high performance operations as a major priority.
Many of our customers operate over Wide Area Networks with low bandwidth,
disperse geography and high levels of concurrent usage, therefore they need assyst
to maintain sub second performance levels.

Axios Systems Limited Page 9 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

The Business

Service Delivery

assyst’s ITIL-based

Service Level Management

Incident Problem Change Integrated Product
Management Management Management
Architecture
Service Level Management

Knowledge Management

Workflow & Process Management

Configuration & Asset Management

Supplier Contract Cost

Management Management Management

www Browser Client

Assyst Desktop Client
Java Enabled

Dynamic Dynamic Computer Network Transport Protocol

Dynamic Fax
E Mail Pager Telephony
Integration
Integration Integration Integration
Web Server

Windows NT
Windows 3,x Windows 95 OS/2
Workstation AssystNet

Native RDBMS Communications Layer

Network Transport Protocol

Native RDBMS Communications Layer

Knowledge
Management
Decision Support Assyst Database

OLAP

RDBMS Environment

Server OS

Axios Systems Limited Page 10 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

CONCLUSIONS
Applying ITIL Best Practice IT Service Management provides a thought-through,
integrated approach, which can be adapted to any organisation and any mix of IT
resources. By providing a template for service development, it allows the IT
Department to spend its energies on implementation, rather than ‘re-inventing the
wheel’.
Best Practice focuses IT resources on service quality in fulfilling customer needs. It
is a platform for moving away from yesterday’s frustrating, technology-driven,
‘boffin’ culture of IT services.
Implementation of Best Practice requires an IT Management software solution that
is capable of integrating detailed information from all sources and in providing
access to accurate, relevant management information on demand.
Many vendors have developed software solutions that have grown with the theory,
adding bolt-on modules along the way. However, few have leapt forward to
delivering a Best Practice engine based on ITIL guidelines.
In the end, the best solution will be determined by your projections of future
needs. In considering the best overall solution, it may be worth considering bolt-on
modules or scrapping the current platform and trading up to an integrated suite.
Whatever path is chosen, the management information it delivers should be tested
against the requirements of fulfilling ITIL Best Practice.
Naturally we at Axios believe that the assyst tool is the best available tool to help
your IT Service Management professionals deliver what their customers need, since
we designed it from the very beginning to do just that. One of the benefits of a
Best Practice approach though, is that you can be certain that software tools, and
training and consultancy also, that support are firmly based in an industry wide
‘standard’.
Axios strongly supports the best practice initiatives within the IT Service
Management industry, and especially the professionalism that this has helped to
develop in a field that these days vitally needs a professional approach to be
successful. It is our awareness of its importance to our industry that ensures Axios
contributes heavily to the ongoing development and establishment of relevant best
practice guidance and solutions.
To this end, Axios converses and co-operates with many organisations who, from a
simple sales perspective are our direct competitors. By putting resources back into
the industry’s supporting infrastructure we know we are helping our customers,
current and future, to deliver those vital IT services for their business.

Axios Systems Limited Page 11 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

Axios staff are directly active in many aspects including:

! Authoring panel for BSI standard on IT Service Management.
! Working with the British Computer Society’s Information Systems
Examination Board (ISEB) – as examiners, board membership, accreditation
and international liaison panels.
! Active membership and support for itSMF, the association for all
organisations interested in IT Service Management. This also includes staff
participation in various committees.
! Contributing to OGC’s rewrite of the ITIL guidance.
! assystAPP (assyst Accredited Professional Program) – unique certification
program – helps staff to put their ITIL theory into practice using assyst.

Axios Systems Limited Page 12 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

SOURCES AND CONTACTS

OGC’s IT Infrastructure Library
This process started in 1988 when OGC (formerly CCTA, The UK Government’s
Central Computer & Telecommunications Agency) began to prepare the IT
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) – books of guidance on IT Service Management – even if
in those days this function was not yet known as IT Service Management.
Although quite ‘heavy reading’, these books were quickly established as the ‘way
to do it’. They contained large amounts of integrated guidance on how to approach
the various IT Service Management processes, including Help Desk, Problem and
Change Management, Service Level Management and much more.
By the time OGC had finished the first pass at ITIL, in 1995, they had written 46
books. These are certainly comprehensive but – whilst the plethora of training and
qualifications help, especially with the introductory courses leading to a foundation
qualification for those interested in understanding the basic concepts – it could be
deemed intimidating at first glance.
In 2000-2001 ITIL was revised and restructured to make it simpler to access the
information needed to manage IT services. The core books have now been pulled
together into two books, covering the areas of Service Delivery and Service Support
in order to eliminate duplication and enhance navigation. The material has been
updated and revised for consistency, as well as refocused on business issues.
For more information on the IT Infrastructure Library contact OGC at:
Rosebery Court
St Andrews Business Park
Norwich
NR7 0HS
Tel: +44 (0) 845 000 4999
Email: servicedesk@ogc.gsi.gov.uk
Web: www.itil.co.uk
BSI Code of Practice
This BSI book explains in clear and concise fashion why and how businesses will
benefit from adopting the recognised industry Best Practice
For a copy of the BSI Code of Practice contact:
BSI Customer Services
389 Chiswick High Road
London
W4 4AL
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8996 9000
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8996 7001
Email: Info@bsi-global.com
Web: www.bsi-global.com

Axios Systems Limited Page 13 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002
IT Service Management White Paper

For more information on itSMF contact:

itSMF Ltd
Webbs Court
8 Holmes Road
Earley
Reading
RG6 7BH
Tel: +44 (0) 118 926 0888
Fax: +44 (0) 118 926 3073
Email: service@itsmf.com
Web: www.itsmf.com

For more information on assyst and Best Practice contact:

Email: assyst@axiossystems.com
Web: www.axiossystems.com
UK USA
Tel: +44 (0) 131 220 4748 Tel: 001 (703) 326 1357
Fax: +44 (0) 131 220 4281 Fax: 001 (703) 326 0429

Benelux Germany
Tel: +31 (0) 30 630 8828 Tel: +49 89 614 587 0
Fax: +31 (0) 30 600 0546 Fax: +49 89 614 587 70

Canada France
Tel: (416) 572 2062 Tel: +33 1 53 67 44 58
Fax: (416) 572 4125 Fax: +33 1 53 67 53 53

Axios Systems Limited Page 14 of 14 Version 1.1.0

03 September 2002