Executive IT Insights: Navigating Business, Tech, and Security

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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