Axios Systems has announced the results of its annual service desk management survey, which pinpoints ITSM standards adoption as a major challenge - alongside the traditional perceived headaches of human resource, lack of ITSM standards and budget availability.
<B>Organisations tentative on ISO 20000</B>
With the global acceptance of ITIL as the de facto framework for best practice in ITSM, the launch of ISO 20000, the first international standard for ITSM, was greatly anticipated and much hailed as the most important trend in ITSM in forthcoming years. Despite the obvious benefits though, less than one-quarter of companies appear to have taken the initiative and moved on to the next logical step of becoming ISO/IEC 20000-certified.
The international standard is based on ITIL and supersedes BS 15000, with Axios Systems the first organisation in the world to achieve certification. It provides a standardised and integrated approach to service management to confirm that organisations are adhering to industry best practice and ultimately ensures that the needs of business are being met.
"The success of many organisations is becoming increasingly reliant on IT and coupled with the complexity of today's infrastructures, it is critical that IT environments are managed effectively," says Janice Alford, Executive Consulting Manager. "ISO 20000 defines the service management processes which are essential for the delivery of first class, quality services."
Axios Systems, represented in South Africa by NSS, is an Accredited Course Provider for ISO 20000 and offers consulting which can be tailored depending on the organisation's ITSM maturity.
The Axios survey into IT and help-desk challenges for 2007 - seen increasingly as a benchmark for the industry's IT directors, CIOs and help-desk managers - suggests this year's major focus will be on improving customer service and meeting service level targets.
The majority of IT directors and help-desk managers polled said meeting service level agreements would also be a key focus, with added concern for cost reduction, technical areas such as security, IT consolidation, achieving ISO/IEC 20000 and understanding ITIL v3.
Commenting on the findings, local Axios business partner NSS noted that the lack of best practices and standards was clearly seen as IT help-desk management's major hot button for the year.
"What the research has shown us is that globally almost 75% of companies have adopted ITIL, with just over 25% looking to become ISO/IEC 20000 Certified, making it harder for them to fully align their IT departments with their strategic business objectives," says Janice Alford, Executive Consulting Manager. "This clearly shows that by adopting standards such as ISO/IEC 20000 rather than relying solely on the guidelines of ITIL, organisations will be able to improve customer service, reduce costs and be better equipped to align IT resources with the business."
For further information, call NSS on (011) 519 8600.
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