Improving the end user experience and connecting IT to wider business objectives is a significant focal point for IT professionals, according to new survey conducted by Ivanti at this years' Service Desk & IT Support Show (SITS) in London.
72 percent of respondents cited "improving the end user experience" as one of their top three strategic management priorities.
When asked about which automation and analytic capabilities were most important for their organizations' ITSM initiatives this year, "advanced levels of workflow automation", "analytics for incident/problem and availability management" and "analytics for user experience and visibility into end-user problems" were IT professionals' top priorities.
The majority of respondents therefore seem to be applying ITSM to address self-service requirements.
Another vital concern is the need to free up the IT Department to drive business efficiency, thereby ensuring that the impact of ITSM enables wider business objectives to be achieved. For example, the research shows that 52 percent of respondents see ITSM reporting capabilities that place data in the hands of key decision makers as a core priority within their ITSM strategy.
However, only 50 percent of those surveyed saw ITSM as a tool to support crucial security and compliance processes. Of particular note, only 36 percent of those surveyed who work in the healthcare industry (this includes healthcare consultancies, suppliers and practitioners) identified security and compliance as a point of focus for ITSM. This is surprising given the upcoming GDPR legislation and the amount of personal, and highly sensitive, data that healthcare organisations hold on to internally. It is also concerning given the growing severity of external threats such as the recent global WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware attacks.
"Traditional hierarchies with manual IT processes and tools, plus complex user interfaces that do not give users what they want, struggle to be drivers of digital transformation. When we developed and put this survey out to the ITSM Professionals at SITS, the question on our mind was, what are UK IT Departments doing to break the status quo and become an enabler, rather than a barrier to business growth and productivity?" commented Ian Aitchison, Senior Product Director at Ivanti.
"Businesses require IT to help provide technology and solutions which drive the business forward, and not just support it" he added. "Through simplification, integration and automation, many tasks like onboarding new employees, and replacing lost or damaged phones, that used to consume time and money can now be automated. The process of automation allows IT to focus on innovation by changing the way we test, measure and create new services and revenue streams."