ITSM Frameworks Explained with Examples

ITSM management is critical for organizations providing IT services. An AXELOS survey reported that in a self-assessment, roughly half of the organizations felt their ITSM capabilities were “great” or “good,” while the other half said they needed some improvements. ITSM frameworks can be an invaluable tool for improving an organization’s ITSM capabilities.

What is ITSM?

ITSM encompasses the processes, policies, and procedures used to manage and improve IT services planning, delivery, and support. The goal of ITSM management is to ensure that the IT services a business provides meet the needs of its customers and are aligned with the overarching organizational goals. ITSM is the actual practice of managing IT services.

What is an ITSM framework?

An ITSM framework is simply the structured approach used for IT service management and delivery. It includes the collective processes and best practices for ITSM and their implementation within a business. ITSM frameworks simply provide guidance for ITSM.

5 popular ITSM framework examples

1. ITIL

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework contains a group of documents with best practices for ITSM. ITIL processes assist companies in increasing the efficiency of service delivery while reducing the associated management costs. This framework focuses solely on ITSM, and it is the approach that is most widely accepted.

ITIL has seen wide adoption from organizations due to its comprehensive set of best practices for IT service management. This is also due in part to its suitability with organizations of all sizes across different industries. ITIL’s focus on the IT service lifecycle ensures that organizations can effectively plan, design, deliver, operate, and continuously improve their IT services.

The ITIL framework provides direction and best practices for the five stages of the IT service lifecycle:

1. Service Strategy – The identification of the IT service’s direction relative to the organization’s objectives.
2. Service Design – Laying out the IT service’s design includes planning operational modes, availability management, infrastructure design, and more.
3. Service Transition– Delivering and transitioning new or modified IT services into the live environment.
4. Service Operation– The consistent management of the IT services after installation to ensure optimal performance.
5. Continual Service Improvement – The data gathering, including key IT service metrics for later analysis.

2. COBIT

The Control Objectives for Information Technologies (COBIT) framework guides an organization’s IT management principles and IT governance, and it aims to align IT processes with an organization’s business goals. It focuses on the areas of regulatory compliance, information security, and risk management.

The most recent COBIT 19 framework, released in 2018, is based off six core principles:

COBIT is particularly useful for organizations that need to comply with regulations and industry standards. COBIT’s focus on risk management, security, and compliance makes it ideal for organizations in industries such as finance, healthcare, and government.

The most recent COBIT– 19 framework, released in 2018, is based onoff six core principles:

1. Meet stakeholder needs – Ensure the IT service’s compliance with the related parties’ requirements. These parties include employees, investors, stakeholders, customers, and regulating bodies.
2. Holistic approach – The approach that makes sure all organizational elements benefit from the management of IT governance.
3. Dynamic governance system – The assurance that the IT process can adapt to adjustments such as evolving business goals, emerging risks, and imminent improvements.
4. Distinct governance from management – Encompasses the distinction between governance (which involves high-level decision-making by leaders) and management (which involves operational tasks executed by managers and teams).
5. Tailored to enterprise needs – Ensures that customization of IT governance and management are suited to organizational factors such as size, structure, industry, and strategic goals.
6. End-to-end governance system – The integration of IT governance into every part of the organization to guarantee consistency and accountability.

3. MOF

Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) is an open-source service management framework and was designed to help guide IT service providers in improving their efficiency and effectiveness. MOF specifies organization and management principles for IT services to optimize the value and reliability of those services. Even though Microsoft is the creator of this framework, MOF is used generally and not exclusively for Microsoft products and environments.

While MOF was initially designed for Microsoft environments, the framework’s principles are suitable for a wide range of organizations. Microsoft Operations Framework taps into a holistic approach to an entire IT lifecycle. It focuses on the consistent improvement of an organization’s ITSM services.

MOF 4.0 talks about the entire IT lifecycle. They break it down into 3 different phases and one layer that applies to all the phases:

1. The Plan Phase – This stage refers to the planning of IT service to ensure that it aligns with the organization’s objectives.
2. The Deliver Phase – This phase encompasses designing, building, testing, and deployment of the IT service.
3. The Operate Phase – This is the stage where continuous management and monitoring of ITSM service are carried out.
4. The Manage Layer – This phase encompasses the active oversight function that spans all MOF phases, ensuring service quality, governance, and improvement.

4. ISO/IEC 20000

The International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (IOS/IEC) created an international standard for ITSM called the ISO/IEC 20000. This standard serves as a benchmark for IT teams to ensure that their ITSM processes and practices are aligned with business goals and international guidelines.

ISO/IEC 20000 fits industries that want to display their commitment to delivering high-quality IT services. Organizations can enhance several facets of their operations, such as service delivery, cost-effic

ISO/IEC 20000 has ten parts, but parts 1 and 2 are the most important and applicable to ITSM.

Part 1: Service management system requirements – This part entails the core requirements in building, implementing, managing, and improving of Service Management System (SMS). It involves an official rule set that organizations should comply with to get a certification under ITSM standards such as ISO/IEC 20000-1.

Part 2: Guidance on the application of service management systems – This section involves the referential guide and best practices in applying the requirements laid out in Part 1. Part 2 focuses more on the implementation of the IT service principles for efficient operations.

5. TOGAF

The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is an enterprise architecture framework or methodology that helps increase efficiency by aligning IT goals with overall business goals. It looks at the use and implementation of software and other technology holistically across the company.

Much like the aforementioned frameworks, TOGAF highlights principles for organizations to ensure that the IT strategy they’re implementing aligns with their business goals. However, this framework is more suitable with large organizations with complex IT environments. TOGAF provides a standardized approach to designing, implementing, and governing enterprise architectures, ensuring that IT investments support the organization’s overall objectives.

Each TOGAF principle has these 4 components: name, statement, rationale, and implications. TOGAF contains 21 architectural principles that are divided into the following groups:

• Business principles – These are guidelines that shape business operations to establish a clear link between IT initiatives and business objectives.
• Data principles – These are guidelines on how data should be managed, maintained, and used.
• Application principles – These are directives related to how applications are designed, developed, and integrated.
• Technology principles – These are rules that pertain to the management of technology infrastructure, including hardware, software, and networks.

4 ITSM framework use cases

ITSM frameworks are used for several specific use cases and areas of ITSM. Here are the 4 most common ITSM framework use cases:

1. Incident management

ITSM frameworks assist businesses in managing and settling various incidents that may occur, such as disruptions in service, security breaches, and system failures. It helps to resolve any incidents and restore IT services to operation.

2. Problem management

Problem management is directly related to incident management since the process aims to identify the causes of any incidents and manage those causes. An effective ITSM mode aids companies in managing or eliminating the identified root causes.

3. Change management

ITSM frameworks help businesses change systems and services while managing the effects of the change on IT services. Ideally, you want to minimize any disruptions to IT services when implementing any system or service modification.

4. Knowledge management

Knowledge management is a process that includes the creating, gathering, using, sharing, and storing of knowledge and information within an IT service desk. ITSM frameworks, such as ITIL, guide this process to ensure accurate information is available to the right people when needed.

What are the benefits of ITSM frameworks?

Some of the major benefits of ITSM frameworks are:

Effective ITSM processes

Using an ITSM framework to guide how your organization plans out ITSM results in more standardized and effective ITSM processes. This improves IT service delivery, reduces incidents, and increases customer satisfaction.

Increased accountability

Comparing current IT service delivery, practices, and processes with ITSM frameworks allows IT teams to see what components may be missing and visualize how their ITSM could improve. Additionally, as a company begins to implement changes and improve processes, the ITSM framework provides a reference point to compare against.

Enhanced alignment with business

ITSM frameworks help organizations to align their IT practices, processes, and overall service delivery with overall business goals. It enables companies to bridge gaps and be aligned with their objectives.

What are the challenges of ITSM frameworks?

A few major challenges of ITSM frameworks include:

Complexity

ITSM frameworks are often complex and a bit overwhelming since they contain so many details. Consider hiring someone with framework expertise to assist your organization with the implementation and adaptation of the ITSM framework:

Resources

ITSM frameworks may require a lot of time and resources to implement in an organization. Make a plan beforehand accounting for the tools, technology, and personnel your organization needs for successful ITSM framework implementation and ongoing management.

Integration

The ITSM framework your organization selects must integrate with the existing IT tools, systems, and processes. Create a strategy for integrating the ITSM framework and how it will align with your business.

Improve your IT services with an ITSM framework

No matter which ITSM framework your organization chooses, NinjaOne can help your organization provide better IT services through unifying ITSM management and endpoint management. With seamless integrations and automated time-consuming and repetitive tasks, Ninja’s software enables organizations to support their customers efficiently. Complete visibility into any endpoint also enables technicians to get more context when delivering IT services and taking action to meet service demands.

Ninja offers software for endpoint management, remote access, ticketing, documentation, and more. Watch a demo or sign up for a free trial today and discover the benefits of unified IT management.

ITSM FAQs

1. What is the difference between ITSM and ITIL?

Information Technology Service Management, or ITSM, is a broad concept and an overall approach to managing IT services. Meanwhile, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, is a specific framework that provides a set of best practices for implementing ITSM, consisting of detailed guides on IT service management.

2. What are the five stages of ITSM?

The ITSM service lifecycle is divided into five stages based on the most commonly used framework ITIL:

• Service strategy. This stage defines the IT service’s direction where it should align with the organization’s business goals. Service strategy also involves determining the IT services that customers need and the services that the IT department can provide, ensuring a streamlined delivery of IT services to meet customer expectations.

• Service design. The next stage is service design, where service strategies are planned. This is when organizations allot time to designing IT services that complement and fulfill their objectives.

• Service transition. This stage encompasses the logistics of transitioning services from development to production. This is where IT services are designated into the live environment by installing everything that was planned from the previous stages.

• Service operation. The fourth phase is service operation, which involves continuous management and maintenance of IT services. This stage is important to keep the IT services running optimally and ensure minimal downtime and maximum user satisfaction.

• Continual service improvement (CSI). The final stage, CSI, is a cyclical process that involves evaluating IT services to identify areas for improvement. This involves continuous data gathering to analyze key IT service metrics and review any improvements that need to be implemented.

3. How to choose the right ITSM model for my organization?

Deciding on the best framework for your ITSM will depend on your organization’s requirements. But there are general best practices you can follow.

• Base your framework on the size of your organization. There are certain frameworks from which smaller organizations can benefit. There are also frameworks that are tailor-fitted to larger ones. Do your due diligence in researching which one best fits the size of your organization.
• Consider regulatory requirements. Look into industry-specific regulations your organization is required to enforce. This is essential since regulatory requirements may influence the framework you need to choose depending on your industry.
• Review your current IT infrastructure. You must also consider how well your existing IT infrastructure will work with your chosen service framework.
• Tailor your framework based on organizational culture and maturity. A more mature organization might benefit from a more advanced framework, while a less mature organization might need a more basic framework.

4. What are the common challenges in implementing an ITSM framework?

Several challenges might occur when deploying an ITSM model. The most common ones are people’s resistance to changing processes and tools, inadequate implementation resources, framework complexities, integration with existing tools, and more.