How to Use the 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle) in IT Service Management

80 20 Rule Pareto Principle

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The 80/20 Rule is the principle that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. It's often used in business to help identify how to operate more efficiently. It can be applied to almost every area of business, including IT Service Management (ITSM).

IT service organizations and teams are focused on providing the best possible service to their internal customers. Efficiency has always been integral to ITSM. Monitoring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and dashboards, and adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is essential to producing successful outcomes in ITSM.

But how do IT service managers and IT leaders know how and where to focus the team's resources and time?

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Are IT Certifications Worth It? Our Guide to the Top IT Certificates

IT Certifications

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Is it worth it for companies to encourage IT certifications for their technology employees? What certifications are organizations most interested in? Gaining competency in various areas helps expand the possibilities for your company's growth and an individual's job opportunities. If you're seeking a job in the IT industry, you want to know the best option to land the position you want.

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What Do CIOs Face Today? Top IT Challenges CIOs Care & Worry About

CIO IT Challenges

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Many medium to large-scale businesses have dedicated Chief Information Officers, or CIOs for short. These individuals are typically in charge of technical processes related to IT and managing data flow and storage. Smaller organizations may also have an individual in charge of these areas, but it may not be their first or only priority.

In recent times, CIOs have faced many challenges. These hardships are generally driven by a power struggle, not between people, but rather around responsibilities. Do they manage traditional IT functions like hardware fixes and software updates or do they drive the transformation of technology in the workplace to remain efficient and competitive? With cyber risks at an all-time high and customers being as demanding as ever, finding a balance between IT function and digital transformation are critical to becoming a forward-thinking organization.

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Master Service Agreement (MSA) or Service Level Agreement (SLA): Which Do You Need in Business?

Master Service Agreement (MSA) vs Service Level Agreement (SLA)

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In the IT sector, internal and external relationships are often governed by legal or quasi-legal documents. In IT and ITSM, the terms "Master Service Agreement" and "Service Level Agreement" are often used interchangeably. 

However, there are differences between the two kinds of agreements that can impact how you want to use them in your organization. While both can be used for similar purposes — such as establishing clear expectations for internal IT service providers or external vendors — what separates them and how they're used are sufficiently different that it's worth taking the time to understand why this is important.

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What Is a Service Level Agreement in Business? SLA Meaning and Definition

SLA Meaning and Definition

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So, what is the meaning of an SLA, or what does SLA stand for, anyway?

The term Service Level Agreement (SLA) is basically self-defining: two parties (service provider and customer) officially agreeing on the level of service by which they both are willing to abide. However, defining and creating an effective SLA between an ITSM team and the rest of the organization, or between a third-party provider and a business isn't always that easy.

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IT Asset Management Lifecycle: Tools, Processes and Best Practices

IT Asset Management Life Cycle

IT asset life cycle management is a mission-critical function for every business.

Whether those IT assets are cloud based from software vendors, hardware, or on-site systems, the planning, procurement, management, and maintenance of them is crucial to the operational success of an organization.

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Creating a Help Desk for IT? Here's What You Need to Know

Build Best IT Help Desk

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Setting up a Help Desk for IT, also known as an IT help desk, or overhauling your current help desk and implementing best help desk practices, is the best way to overcome current operational and technology challenges within an organization.

What does an IT help desk do? IT help desks are the first contact point to resolve any technical, network, communications, and hardware difficulties in any company.

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What Are the Most Important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Metrics for IT Operations Managers?

ITIL Iterative Process

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IT and IT Service Management (ITSM) is a data-intensive business and operational function. In most cases, everything that can be measured is measured in some way. 

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other metrics play a mission-critical role in the management of an IT team. It's also the main way IT operations managers can show senior business leaders how their team is performing.

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A Comprehensive Guide of ITIL Principle 3: Iterative Process Improvement with Feedback

ITIL Iterative Process

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ITIL® plays an integral role in IT management and ITSM teams within organizations. As part of ITIL, leaders, managers and team members need to keep the feedback process iterative, constructive, and committed to making continuous service improvements.

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Do You Have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for Your IT Department?

IT Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

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In today's society, several factors can impact business continuity. In addition to physical threats like theft and natural disasters, the Internet — despite its many benefits — can also wreak havoc. Downtime, in any form, can cost a company money and, perhaps, its reputation if not managed correctly.

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