ITSM: current challenges and trends in the coming years
The post-COVID-19 crisis will be expectedly long and difficult, but despite all the difficulties of early 2021, IT organizations can learn a lot from this situation. And in order to come to the “new norms” of IT services provision, it is important to analyze the experience gained and rely on the knowledge gained. Therefore, first, we will list the main difficulties faced by IT organizations in 2020.
Challenges 2020
Business continuity was at stake. A number of organizations have faced the fact that the Business Continuity Planning (BCP) process did not prepare them for the challenges that the pandemic presented to them. Even those companies that followed industry best practices and dealt with crisis management were unprepared for the need for social distancing and isolation. Business continuity plans cannot cover all possible scenarios, since no one was ready for a massive shift of employees to a remote work format.
Output: companies need to improve resilience of business processes and use more flexible and mobile IT solutions, such as cloud services.
The viability of ITSM processes was difficult to maintain during the crisis. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, IT workers faced a double challenge: they needed to help their colleagues who were now working from home, and at the same time, they themselves had to get used to this format. This challenge was aggravated by the fact that many employees were sick, a number of tasks could only be solved centrally, and some companies did not have access to remote support technologies at all.
Output: Traditional work formats are a thing of the past, and today it is vital for organizations from different industries to master the format of remote support.
The wellbeing of the employees came to the fore. Additional pressure, an urgent shift to a remote work format and the long-term consequences of isolation – a combination of these reasons could cause mental and physiological problems.
Output: many companies have organized online communication for employees to make up for the lack of social contact. In the long term, many professionals may stay to work from home, so businesses need to develop special systems to monitor their wellbeing.
Services and support needed to be provided remotely. The business needed to support employees who were forced to work from home. They were not only provided with the necessary devices and applications, but also helped to adapt to new conditions.
Output: best practices for remote support should be part of the daily operations of the company. This will help employees quickly adapt in the event of a new emergency.
The pandemic has changed the IT industry as much as other industries, and the world will definitely not be the same as a year ago. The current innovations brought about by this unprecedented situation have spawned new trends that will ultimately shape the future of ITSM solutions.
New Trends
Digital transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously impacted the way business flows and has highlighted the need to develop new ways of working. Today technology plays a significant role in ensuring business continuity and gaining competitive advantage. 77% of CIOs name digital transformation is its biggest budgetary priority for 2021. With fragmented business teams, ITSM has become critical to delivering services smoothly and improving service quality. With a digital workflow-based self-service portal, employees can resolve issues themselves and IT teams can focus on more important tasks.
Implementation of ESM to facilitate digital transformation. The tools you need to create digital workflows and facilitate employee interactions outside of IT are part of the ITSM approach. ESM (Enterprise Service Management), even before the pandemic, helped drive digital transformation in areas such as human resources, finance, purchasing, sales and marketing. Now, new formats of interaction with employees have only increased the demand for the introduction of special ESM platforms for a comprehensive modernization of internal processes.
AI-powered automation. To support remote workers and increase their productivity, organizations have begun to integrate AI into their automation processes. For example, chatbots take on typical customer requests, thus reducing the burden on IT professionals. AI also helps to optimize the order of assigning requests to employees. According to the Axelos survey, 77% of respondents said AI and machine learning freed ITSM professionals from routine tasks, thereby helping them focus on more important issues.
Frames come first. Due to the pandemic, employees in organizations are now more dependent on technology than ever. Therefore, businesses need to implement ITSM solutions to assess, manage and improve the experience of their workforce. Organizations are also gradually changing their strategy to become more employee-focused. Now is the right time to re-prioritize and provide a work environment that will drive productivity and ultimately benefit all sides of the workflow.
Focus on safety. The number of cybercrimes has increased due to the transition to a remote work format and the introduction of AI and machine learning technologies. Therefore, it is important for organizations to pay attention to security and the elimination of potential vulnerabilities. According to Gartner, improving the information security system is one of the top priorities for business in 2021. It is important not only to pay attention to the general level of information security, but also to train employees on data protection.
Outcome
Of course, there are other ITSM trends for 2021 that may be more applicable to a specific business case than these. The pandemic has caused global changes in all industries, and the IT industry is no exception. It is important to remember that even forced changes, in which time and money are invested, will produce the best results in accordance with the needs of the business.
