IT process automation (ITPA) is a series of processes which facilitate the orchestration and integration of tools, people and processes through automated workflows . ITPA software applications can be programmed to perform any repeatable pattern, task or business workflow that was once handled manually by humans.
16-436: The Information Technology Infrastructure Library ( ITIL ) is a set of practices and a framework for IT activities such as IT service management (ITSM) and IT asset management (ITAM) that focus on aligning IT services with the needs of the business. ITIL describes processes, procedures, tasks, and checklists which are neither organization-specific nor technology-specific. It was designed to allow organizations to establish
32-572: A baseline. It is used to demonstrate compliance and to measure improvements. There is no formal independent third-party compliance assessment available to demonstrate ITIL compliance in an organization. Certification in ITIL is only available to individuals and not organizations. Since 2021, the ITIL trademark has been owned by PeopleCert. Responding to growing dependence on IT, the UK Government's Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) in
48-452: A designated time each day or week. Another automated process might be triggered, based on a particular event, such as a stoppage of service or system outage . Based on predetermined control flows , the ITPA tool can automatically remediate the problem or send alerts/escalations to the appropriate human decision-maker for immediate action. Businesses employing IT process automation may experience
64-468: A discipline, ITSM has ties and common interests with other IT and general management approaches, information security management and software engineering . Consequently, IT service management frameworks have been influenced by other standards and adopted concepts from them, e.g. CMMI , ISO 9000 , or ISO/IEC 27000 . Various frameworks for ITSM and overlapping disciplines include: There are international, chapter-based professional associations, such as
80-421: A focal point for reporting incidents (disruptions or potential disruptions in service availability or quality) and for users making service requests (routine requests for services). ITIL regards a call centre or help desk as similar kinds of tech support which provide only a portion of what a service desk can offer. A service desk has a more broad and user-centered approach which is designed to provide
96-407: A whole set of ITSM processes. At their core is usually a workflow management system for handling incidents, service requests, problems and changes. They usually also include a tool for a configuration management database (CMDB). The ability of these suites to enable easy linking between incident, service request, problem and change records with each other and with records of configuration items from
112-486: Is a primary IT function within the discipline of IT service management (ITSM) as defined by ITIL. It is intended to provide a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to meet the communication needs of both users and IT staff, and also to satisfy both Customer and IT Provider objectives. User refers to the actual user of the service, while customer refers to the entity that is paying for the service. ITSM tools are frequently applied to other aspects of business , this practice
128-590: Is characterized by adopting a process approach towards management , focusing on customer needs and IT services for customers rather than IT systems, and stressing continual improvement . The CIO WaterCooler's 2017 ITSM report states that business uses ITSM "mostly in support of customer experience (35%) and service quality (48%)." Execution of ITSM processes in an organization, especially those processes that are more workflow-driven, can benefit significantly from being supported with specialized software tools. ITSM tools are often marketed as ITSM suites, which support
144-449: Is often called enterprise service management (ESM). One of the big pushes in ITSM is automation of mundane tasks, this allows people who perform these tasks to take on more critical tasks, this process called IT process automation . The ITIL approach considers the service desk to be the central point of contact between service providers and users/customers on a day-to-day basis. It is also
160-800: Is often seen in IT service management or ESM during the ticketing process, it is becoming much more commonplace in daily business functions. Advanced ITPA software is intuitive enough to automate complex processes across multiple systems with or without the need for human input. When desired or necessary, human decision points can also be embedded into the workflow ensuring that the appropriate IT personnel receive alerts and/or escalations and can quickly respond accordingly. Some ITPA software products can be fully and seamlessly integrated with various existing systems, applications and platforms . This may include monitoring , incident response , messaging and notification and much more. The purpose of IT process automation
176-400: Is often used interchangeably with the term run book automation (RBA). IT departments in organizations of every size and industry can employ ITPA technology to specify certain criteria and outcomes for almost any task or process currently being performed. When a system event occurs, the appropriate workflow is triggered and executed to automatically address and remediate the problem. This
SECTION 10
#1732852085510192-648: Is to streamline IT operations in a number of areas and facets. It is used to replace repetitive manual tasks, processes and workflows with automated solutions. The ITPA product can be versatile enough to bridge multiple systems, applications and platforms to create a more uniform IT infrastructure . Each task is designed as a workflow which contains specified procedures, conditions and triggers. Automated workflows can be scheduled in advance, or designed to be triggered based on specific events or conditions. For instance, an automated workflow to perform routine system maintenance tasks could be scheduled to execute automatically at
208-646: The IT Service Management Forum (itSMF), and HDI . The main goal of these organizations is to foster the exchange of experiences and ideas between users of ITSM frameworks. To this end, national and local itSMF and HDI chapters (LIGs or local interest groups for itSMF) organize conferences and workshops. Some of them also contribute to the translations of ITSM framework documents into their respective languages or publish their own ITSM guides. There are several certifications for service management like ITILv4, TOGAF or COBIT. IT process automation ITPA
224-658: The 1980s developed a set of recommendations designed to standardize IT management practices across government functions, built around a process model -based view of controlling and managing operations often credited to W. Edwards Deming and his plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. IT service management Information technology service management ( ITSM ) are the activities performed by an organization to design, build, deliver, operate and control IT services offered to customers . Differing from more technology -oriented IT management approaches like network management and IT systems management , IT service management
240-602: The CMDB, can be a great advantage. ITSM tools and processes are commonly referred to as ITIL tools, when in fact they are not the same. More than 100 tools are self-proclaimed ITSM tools - example 'ITSM systems' include FreshService, ServiceNow and Samanage . Software vendors whose ITSM tools fulfill defined functional requirements to support a set of ITIL processes, can obtain official approval, allowing them to use Axelos trademarks and an "ITIL process compliant" logo, under Axelos ' ITIL Software Endorsement scheme. A service desk
256-648: The user with an informed single point of contact for all IT requirements. A service desk seeks to facilitate the integration of business processes into the service management infrastructure. In addition to actively monitoring and owning incidents and user questions, and providing the communications channel for other service management disciplines with the user community, a service desk also provides an interface for other activities such as customer change requests, third parties (e.g. maintenance contracts), and software licensing . Computer emergency response teams (CERT) are specifically dedicated computer security incidents. As
#509490