Executive IT Insights: Navigating Business, Tech, and Security

Explore "Executive IT Insights," delving into the executive realm of information technology. Our blog category is your gateway to business strategies, tech trends, and security insights. Whether you're an IT director, CIO, or executive, join us for a nuanced perspective on navigating the digital era.

How Companies are Using IT Support Tickets

IT Support System Tickets

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When things go wrong with a product or service, customers want a fix, and they want it fast. In the healthcare field, quick support can be the difference between life or death. Whether it be a product refund or a replacement, providing service agents with the most information in a concise manner can help. Enter the support ticket, otherwise known as a service ticket, or help ticket — a well-established method for customers to seek assistance from an organization. These tickets allow support teams to gather necessary information and monitor progress until resolution. Customers may submit tickets through various channels, such as email, phone, web forms, or live chat, depending on the size and scope of the customer base.

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Help Desk vs. Service Desk vs. ITSM: What Are the Differences?

Help Desk vs Service Desk vs ITSM

IT support leaders often need to decide the best service approach for their entire organization. Forcing themselves to ask the question: "Which is better, an IT help desk, service desk, or IT service management?"

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How to Get Buy-In for Your IT Self-Service Portal

IT Customer Service Service Portals

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Self-service in IT Service Management (ITSM) refers to a model in which users can access and manage IT services without needing to involve IT staff or other intermediaries. This is accomplished through customer self-service portals or other tools that provide the information and resources needed to resolve common issues or grant access to services.

In the ITSM landscape, self-service can present itself in several ways. For example, it can:

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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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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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