The next generation of IT Service Management
Traditional ITSM best practice frameworks have served us well, providing sound advice and guidance on managing IT operations, improving service quality and integrating IT and business strategies.
Although the theory is sound, only a small number of IT organisations have sufficient levels of ITSM maturity, or the resources to adopt the more strategic ITSM processes. The majority of IT groups are ‘flat out’ just to keep the infrastructure running, and can’t get beyond the basic processes of Incident, Request, Problem and Change Management. Even in those areas, practitioners face real challenges. Best practice may be delivering value, but practitioners struggle to articulate how IT improvements translate into increased value and better outcomes for the business. If IT is not seen to be adding value, it will be perceived as a necessary trading expense, with a primary objective set by the business to ‘run IT better, faster and cheaper than last year’.
Times have changed. Knowledge workers bypass IT at every turn, bringing their own devices to work, sourcing their own applications and seeking their own resolutions to IT problems. As technology becomes easier to acquire and use, their dependency on internal IT has changed. Where IT was once the first point of contact, now it is often the last port of call, and if that gap continues to widen, perception of IT value will suffer even more.
The need for speed
Modern businesses have to be agile, with support from a responsive IT function. The pursuit of maturity through slow and steady adoption of an increasing number of processes is not accelerating IT responsiveness - it is slowing us down.
Customers aren’t concerned about the complexity of the IT service management lifecycle. They need basic help, which connects them directly to their immediate service needs. They want a more agile and efficient response from their IT organization and a modern support experience.
Hornbill’s experience of deploying ITSM solutions in the field suggests that our software already delivers more best-practice capabilities than the average IT group will deploy in a lifetime. The traditional approach of vendors having their tools certified against 15 processes is not delivering the results that IT professionals expect.
Best practice isn’t going away, nor should it. Hornbill has taken stock of what we have achieved, and the lessons learned, to plot a new path for those we serve through the supply of ITSM solutions. The requirements have changed, and as a responsible vendor, Hornbill is looking beyond the constraints of best practice compatibility to deliver more innovative solutions that reflect consumer behaviour and the modern service society.
In 2015 Hornbill is taking a bold and conscious step of not participating in industry benchmarks and reports that consume time and effort, and instead will focus all our resources on product and technology innovation. We are creating solutions that are truly unique and different, which our customers really need.
Collaborative ITSM
During 2015, Hornbill will deliver the most significant advancements in ITSM software in recent history. So what’s different? Pretty much everything! The technology uses innovative new approaches to lighten the workload on IT and deliver a better experience to users.
Enabling the future of work
Peer-to-peer support encourages users to help each other with routine requests or offer assistance on the use of personal devices. Knowledge is captured from conversations and IT staff can pitch in to endorse proposed solutions and promote content that would benefit the entire user community. Instant translation allows people to participate in conversations in their native language, anytime, anywhere, taking full advantage of mobile device features, such as camera and location awareness.
Modernising ITSM
Innovation extends way beyond the features of the software. Never before has it been so quick, simple and cost effective to purchase, deploy, and start using an ITSM SaaS solution. Implementation costs disappear, as every customer receives a free “switch on” service that provides the configuration needed to bring in your users, customers, IT assets, all integrated with Single Sign-On (SSO) and ready to raise requests. The free service gets you up and running the same day with no fuss, complex installs, or consultancy services.
Optimising IT value
Complex upgrades and being stuck on old software versions are now a thing of the past. Hornbill delivers continuous software updates to automatically upgrade applications, with no loss of service, and customizations are always maintained.
Making IT Happen
As businesses demand an ever increasing number of services, faster delivery and tighter cost control, IT groups must look for more innovative ways to manage demand. They need software partners and tools that will simplify and modernise service management.
The time is right for software vendors to step up and innovate beyond best practice. Collaborative ITSM is a fresh approach that you won’t currently find in the quadrants or waves of industry analyst reports, or within ‘ITSM compatible’ software lists.
Hornbill is blazing the trail with an innovative approach that blends the most effective principles of traditional ITSM best-practice with collaboration technologies to empower people, modernize service management and simplify the business of making IT happen.
