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ITSM vs. ITIL What is the difference between them?

ITSM vs. ITIL What is the difference between them?

In the world of information technology, there are two very important terms: ITSM and ITIL, which most organizations use every day. However, many people mistakenly assume that the terms are interchangeable. What do they really mean? Why do many people confuse them with each other?

What is ITSM?

ITSM, or "Information TechnologyService Management", is the management of IT services from planning, through implementation and service, to making improvements. It means an approach to IT management in the enterprise so that the implementation of services is fast, optimized and as efficient as possible.

IT Service Management brings many benefits to organizations, such as:

-profit maximization and cost reduction,

-improving employee productivity,

-help in optimizing all processes in order to create an improved service method,

-certainty that all processes carried out by ITSM are consistent with the structure and recognized as best practices that the company can implement,

-elimination of unnecessary processes and automation of work flows,

-improving cooperation between teams and departments.

ITSM in its premise covers the handling of key processes such as:

- Incident Management.

-Problem Management.

-Change Management.

- Asset Management.

- Service Level Management.

- Knowledge Management.

Mint Service Desk is a certified ITSM system that provides support for all the above-mentioned processes.

What is ITIL?

ITIL, or Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is an approach to managing IT services. ITIL consists of a set of best and proven ITSM practices that are used by organizations to achieve the optimal level of service management. ITIL defines the following stages in the life of IT services:

- Strategic planning and understanding the needs - it is about reacting quickly to user requirements, taking into account constraints and planning the best course of action. The goal is to increase customer satisfaction with new IT services.

- Designing - is a stage necessary before the implementation of new services and consists in creating a solid foundation based on the strategy and expectations of users.

- Creation or purchase - new services can be created within the organization or purchased from another vendor, depending on the needs of customers and the capabilities of the enterprises.

- Implementation and support - after the service is created, it is implemented into the IT environment and thus made available to users with support in order to use it effectively and accurately.

- Betterment and improvement - due to the rapidly changing IT environment, systems must be improved and streamlined, and each IT environment should react to these changes as soon as possible.

Each of the above-described stages includes a set of strategic or operational activities that influence each other and ultimately create a complete service aimed at meeting the expectations of users.

ITIL improves the overall aspect of service management in organizations, supports digital transformation processes, supports the creation of innovative services, and takes into account the needs of all stakeholders, not just development teams and end users.

In 2019, the most recent version of ITIL 4 was published, which emphasizes an efficient and flexible IT organization.

Why are ITSM and ITIL so often confused with each other?

In terms of definitions, ITSM and ITIL are quite similar, so often the two terms are used interchangeably, which is wrong. ITIL is part of the entire IT service management sector and is one framework that organizations can use to implement ITSM effectively. Moreover, IT Service Management deals with the creation, design, implementation and support of IT services, and ITIL is used at the implementation stage to increase the value generated from services. Moreover, ITSM is used in planning savings budgets and future investments. In turn, ITIL is used to provide IT services.

You can provide your company with a certified ITSM system compliant with ITIL V4. Mint Service Desk is one of the best ticket and asset management software. Get to know all its functionalities!