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ir

Day 1 topics covered:

1. Introduction to ServiceDesk Plus 21.Explaining features related to a Technician in handling a
2. ServiceDesk Plus Overview request
3. Benefits of a Service Desk Plus 22.Knowledge Management
4. Import requestors from Active Directory /LDAP and 23.Solutions Database
Configuring Pass- through authentication. 24.Public and Private solutions
5. Changing a user in to a Technician and defining roles for 25.Solution Approver
them 26.Typical Helpdesk Workflows – Request Life Cycle
6. Self Service Portal 27.User calling in
7. Creating a New Request 28.Self-Service Portal
8. Checking Status of previous request 29.Email
9. Searching Solutions 30.Service Catalogue
10.Updating Contact Details 31.How to Define a service and service request template
11.Announcements 32.Defining Workflow
12.Incident Management 33.Adding Resources
13.Request Tracking 34.Additional Fields for individual Services.
14.Automate with Business Rules 35.User Groups
15.Request Escalation using SLA 36.Problem Management
16.Queues 37.Problem Detection & Classification
17.Configure Notifications 38.Associating an Incident to a problem request
18.Time-Tracking 39.Problem Analysis
19.Preventive Maintenance 40.Solutions, Work Around, and Known error record
20.Helpdesk Customizer 41.Problem Closure

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Day 2 topics covered:

1. Change Management – Updates on Release 20.Manage hardware inventory
Management 21.Remote Control tools
2. Defining Change Status, workflow and templates 22.CMDB
3. Initiate Change Request 23.Discover Assets
4. Change Plans and CAB (Change Advisory Board) 24.Detailed Asset Inventory
5. Approval from CAB members 25.Software Library
6. Implementing a change as a project 26.Asset Relationships
7. Post Implementation review 27.Purchase Management & Contract Management
8. Project Management 28.Purchase cycle Overview
9. Configure project roles for users and/or technicians 29.Create POs
10.How to create projects 30.Submit for Approval
11.Associate multiple milestones to project 31.Accept / Reject PO
12.Associate multiple tasks to a milestone 32.Approved POs to vendors
13.Gant View 33.Receive or Partially receive Items
14.Project Overview map 34.Contracts Management
15.IT Asset Management - Hardware and Software 35.Track & Manage Contracts from multiple vendors
Inventory 36.Reports
16.Windows Domain Scan 37.How to customize a report
17.Network Scan 38.Query based reporting
18.Schedule Periodic Audits 39.Scheduling a report
19.Software License Compliance 40.Default reports

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41.Survey: Define survey and satisfaction levels 44.Data Archiving

42.General Settings - Admin and Maintenance with 45.Themes
Integrations 46.Customization settings
43.Configure and schedule Backups 47.Integrations

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Best ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Alternatives for Small Businesses

Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite

Score 9.0 out of 10
Agiloft's Flexible Service Desk Suite includes the elements needed to manage a complex service
desk: Internal Help Desk, External Customer Support, Change Management, Asset Management,
RMA Management, and complete ITIL/ITSM capability. According to the vendor, these fully
integrated applications work together to form a single system of record for all of an organization’s
IT service processes, for 360-degree visibility and control. The vendor says their solution is
designed to adapt and scale to. And Customers are more satisfied with the features
of ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus than the Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite

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NinjaOne
Score 8.8 out of 10
NinjaOne (formerly NinjaRMM) is a security-oriented remote monitoring and
management platform. It allows for manual customization as well as scripting
and automation.
Higher Rated Features
Customers are more satisfied with the features of ManageEngine
ServiceDesk Plus than the NinjaOne

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Atera
Score 8.8 out of 10
Atera is a platform that enables IT professionals to gain access, visibility, and control over all
their networks and devices from anywhere. Users can manage their IT operation from patch
management, IT automations, advanced reporting, alerts, helpdesk, ticketing, and it features
dozens of integrations with familiar tools. Its pay-per-technician model enables IT teams and
MSPs to pay a fixed price and scale operations across unlimited devices, all while reducing
menial tasks so they can focus on…
Higher Rated Features
Customers are more satisfied with the features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus than the Atera

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Autotask PSA
Score 7.8 out of 10
Autotask PSA is designed as a complete IT Business Management
Platform for MSPs, now from Datto (resulting from the Autotask
merger with Datto in 2017).
Higher Rated Features
Customers are more satisfied with the features of ManageEngine
ServiceDesk Plus than the Autotask PSA

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Best ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Alternatives for Medium-sized

Companies

Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite

Score 9.0 out of 10

NinjaOne
Score 8.8 out of 10

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Atera
Score 8.8 out of 10

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Freshservice
Score 8.7 out of 10
Freshservice is a cloud-based service desk and IT service management
(ITSM) solution that currently serves more than 10,000 SMB, mid-market,
and enterprise customers worldwide.
Higher Rated Features

• ITSM collaboration and documentation

• Self-service tools
• Configuration management

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Spiceworks Help Desk

Score 8.7 out of 10
Spiceworks offers a set of free tools for IT network management and help desk support
ticketing. The inventory management system essentially provides comprehensive
device information for asset management. The Spiceworks Network Monitor provides
information on observed IT for problem tracking and server performance monitoring.
And finally, the Spiceworks Help Desk Software lets IT personnel stay on top of issues
across the network with a ticketing system. Help desk roles with role-based…
Higher Rated Features
Customers are more satisfied with the features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk
Plus than the Spiceworks Help Desk

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TOPdesk
Score 8.5 out of 10
TOPdesk is the flagship highly-modular cloud-based or installed ITSM
service desk and asset management solution from the Dutch company
of the same name, for enterprise companies.
Higher Rated Features
• ITSM collaboration and documentation
• Self-service tools
• Configuration management

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Microsoft System Center

Score 8.3 out of 10
Microsoft System Center Suite is a family of IT management software for
network monitoring, updating and patching, endpoint protection with anti-
malware, data protection and backup, ITIL- structured IT service
management, remote administration and more. It is available in two editions:
standard and datacenter. Datacenter provides unlimited virtualization for high
density private clouds, while standard is for lightly or non-virtualized private
cloud workloads.
Higher Rated Features
Customers are more satisfied with the features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk
Plus than the Microsoft System Center

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ServiceNow IT Service Management

Score 8.4 out of 10
ServiceNow is a fast-growing service management provider that went
public in 2012. Built on the ServiceNow Now Platform, the IT Service
Management bundle provides an agent workspace with knowledge
management, and modules supporting issue tracking and problem
resolution, change, release and configuration management, and (on the
higher tier ITSM Professional plan) ITAM and software asset
management.
Higher Rated Features
• ITSM collaboration and documentation
• Self-service tools
• ITSM reports and dashboards

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SysAid
Score 8.4 out of 10
SysAid is the flagship ITSM and IT help desk software from SysAid
Technologies, which offers a rather wide swath of features, supporting asset
management (HAM and SAM), remote control, and rich reporting tools.
Higher Rated Features

• ITSM collaboration and documentation

• Self-service tools
• Configuration management

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Microsoft System Center Service Manager

Score 7.6 out of 10
Microsoft System Center Service Manager is an integrated platform that is
designed for automating and adapting IT Service Management best practices
to an organization’s requirements. The platform includes built-in processes
for incident and problem resolution, change control and asset lifecycle
management.
Higher Rated Features

• ITSM collaboration and documentation

• Configuration management
• Self-service tools

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Best ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Alternatives for Enterprises

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM

Score 8.7 out of 10
Ivanti Neurons for ITSM offers the flexibility to deploy in the cloud, on-premises or a
hybrid combination. It replaces the Ivanti Service Manager, powered by Heat.
Higher Rated Features

• ITSM collaboration and documentation

• Configuration management
• Self-service tools

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Freshservice
Score 8.7 out of 10

TOPdesk
Score 8.5 out of 10

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Microsoft System Center

Score 8.3 out of 10

ServiceNow IT Service Management

Score 8.4 out of 10

SysAid
Score 8.4 out of 10

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Microsoft System Center Service Manager

Score 7.6 out of 10

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Jira Service Management

Score 8.1 out of 10
Jira Service Management (formerly Jira Service Desk, now including features from
the former Mindville Insight, acquired by Atlassian in June 2020) is a service desk
software that is purpose-built for IT, service, and support teams. The software provides
everything IT and support teams need out-of-the-box for service request, incident,
problem and change management. Jira Service Management integrates seamlessly
with Jira Software so that IT and development teams can work better together. Users…
Higher Rated Features

• Incident and problem management

• ITSM collaboration and documentation
• Self-service tools

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SolarWinds Service Desk

Score 8.0 out of 10
SolarWinds Service Desk (formerly Samanage) is a cloud-based, multi-tenant IT service desk
and asset management software for IT and enterprise service management. Samanage is on a
single, always new instance of software. The service desk includes a self-service portal, service
catalog, knowledge base, and SLA management tool. The integrated agent-based asset
management solution collects contracts and licensing data from Windows, Mac, Linux, and Unix
systems.
Higher Rated Features

• ITSM collaboration and documentation

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Micro Focus Service Manager

Score 8.8 out of 10
Micro Focus Service Manager, HPE Service Manager before the 2017 merger,
is an IT service management software platform and option for entities seeking
IT service desk software.
Higher Rated Features
Customers are more satisfied with the features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk
Plus than the Micro Focus Service Manager

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Import requestors from Active Directory/

LDAP and Configuring Pass- through authentication.
Introduction to ServiceDesk Plus
• ServiceDesk Plus Overview
• Benefits of a Service Desk Plus
• Import requestors from Active Directory /LDAP and Configuring Pass- through authentication.
• Changing a user in to a Technician and defining roles for them

Service Catalog
• How to Define a service and service request template
• Defining Workflow
• Adding Resources
• Additional Fields for individual Services.
• User Groups

Incident Management
• Request Tracking
• Automate with Business Rules
• Request Escalation using SLA
• Queues
• Configure Notifications
• Time-Tracking
• Preventive Maintenance
• HelpDesk Cutomizer
• Explaining features related to a Technician in handling a request

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Typical Helpdesk Workflows

• User calling in
• Self-Service Portal
• Email

Problem Management
• Problem Detection & Classification
• Associating an Incident to a problem request
• Problem Analysis
• Solutions, Work Around, and Known error record
• Problem Closure

Change Management
• Defining Change Status, workflow and templates
• Initiate Change Request
• Change Plans and CAB (Change Advisory Board)
• Approval from CAB members
• Implementing a change as a project
• Post Implementation review

Self Service Portal

• Creating a New Request
• Checking Status of previous request
• Searching Solutions
• Updating Contact Details
• Announcements

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Knowledge Management
• Solutions Database
• Public and Private solutions
• Solution Approver

Project Management
• Configure project roles for users and/or technicians
• How to create projects
• Associate multiple milestones to project
• Associate multiple tasks to a milestone
• Gant View
• Project Overview map

Hardware and Software Inventory

• Windows Domain Scan
• Network Scan
• Schedule Periodic Audits
• Software License Compliance
• Manage hardware inventory
• Remote Control tools

CMDB
• Discover Assets
• Detailed Asset Inventory
• Software Library
• Asset Relationships

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Purchase Management & Contract Management

• Purchase cycle Overview
• Create POs
• Submit for Approval
• Accept / Reject PO
• Approved POs to vendors
• Receive or Partially receive Items
• Contracts Management
• Track & Manage Contracts from multiple vendors

Reports
• How to customize a report
• Query based reporting
• Scheduling a report
• Default reports

Survey
Define Survey and satisfaction levels

General Settings
• Configure and schedule Backups
• Data Archiving
• Themes
• Self Service portal settings

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Service Catalog
Introduction
ITIL service catalog management
As the pace of digital transformation increases, more and more organizations have
found IT to be an important enabler in creating greater value and gaining a competitive
advantage. End users rely on the IT department for several indispensable services
related to workstations, internet, email, software, etc.
Such services need to be presented to end users in an organized, easy-to-access
interface with proper documentation. This helps provide clarity on what services are
offered, how, and when they will be delivered. IT teams also benefit from having
defined workflows for providing services, especially consistent information collection.
In the absence of such an interface, end users have no clarity on what services they
are entitled to. This may result in the service desk being flooded with requests that
cannot be serviced, or requests that demand more information on service offerings. IT
technicians have to spend significant time resolving those types of requests, shifting
their focus away from other critical IT functions.

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Coordinating and fulfilling service requests also becomes a challenge, as the service
offerings are not clearly communicated to end users. As customer satisfaction dips
and IT productivity decreases, it is the business that ultimately suffers.
So, what is required to overcome these roadblocks and deliver a fulfilling customer
experience?
Organizations need an interface or process that caters to all stakeholders and simplifies
service delivery end-to-end.
Service catalog management, a key IT practice contained within the Service Design
stage of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL ®) goes a long way in helping organizations
overcome the above issues.

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Service request management and the service catalog

Service request management is one of the foremost functions of an IT department,
along with incident, problem, and change management. ITIL defines service request
management as "a practice to support agreed quality of services by way of handling
user-initiated requests in an efficient and user-friendly manner."
What is a service request?
A service request is a formal request submitted by an end user to the IT service desk
for initiating a service action.
Examples are:
 Request for information (e.g. request for info on cloud storage limits)
 Request for access (e.g. request to access a document or network)
 Request for provision of a resource (e.g. request for a new phone, laptop, or
software)
Service requests are fulfilled based on predefined workflows, which may be simple
or complex. Regardless of complexity, such workflows need to be standardized and
proven to deliver services within agreed service levels.

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The service request management workflow

The service catalog: An enabler for effective service request management
Service request management workflow Role of the service catalog
The service catalog is accessible in the portal for
The end user logs on to their self-service portal. the end user, providing a list of available service
offerings.
The end user browses through the catalog to get
They raise a service request. clarity on the service attributes (description,
costs, SLA, etc.), and fills out a web form.
These processes in the workflow are part of the
technical service view of the service catalog,
The request is routed to the right support team.
which guides technicians in delivering services
efficiently.
The support rep may ask for more info from the
Approval mechanisms kick into action.
requester.

Predefined tasks are executed for service After the request is fulfilled, the ticket is closed
fulfillment. and a survey is sent to the requester to gauge
customer satisfaction.

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What is an ITIL service catalog?

An IT service catalog is the single source of accurate information on all IT services
offered by an organization's IT department.
A service catalog is an important element in the service request life cycle because it:
 Provides transparency to end users about IT service offerings.
 Helps technicians deliver services seamlessly.
 Assists organizations in assessing the demand and supply of services.
ITIL defines a service catalog as a centralized database of accurate information about
active IT service offerings, and a subset of the IT service provider's service portfolio.
In simpler terms, it is the storefront from where end users (internal or external)
request services and products from the IT service desk based on the information
provided in the service catalog.

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What is a service portfolio?

A service portfolio is a record of the complete life cycle of all IT services and products
managed by an organization. It contains information on retired services and products,
ones that are currently offered, and those in the pipeline. A service portfolio is an
internal document that gives the IT department and management an overview of what
has worked for the company and what has not.
Example:
Let's consider an organization where employee workstations are configured with
Windows 10. If the organization previously used Windows XP or Windows 7, the
service portfolio will include information about those previous operating systems, in
addition to services that are related to Windows 10 and any other operating system that
the company is planning to install.
As a subset of the service portfolio, the IT service catalog contains only those services
that are currently offered; it may also contain information on services ready for
deployment.

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ITIL service portfolio

Now that we have distinguished between a service portfolio and a service catalog, let's
take a deeper look into the service catalog and its components.
The two perspectives:
1. An IT service catalog will often have different views depending on who the
audience is. While the service catalog is aimed at providing concise information
to end users, technicians will also use the service catalog for service fulfillment.
That's why a service catalog will generally have a business service view and a
technical service view.
2. The business service view is what end users see when they access the service
catalog to request a service. It contains service-level information, such as
specifications, costs, and SLAs, with less technical jargon.
The technical service view provides comprehensive technical, security, and workflow
information, such as approval workflows, technical manuals, and processes that are
relevant to the service provider in terms of service delivery.

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Components of a service catalog

The service catalog provides end users clarity on the services offered, and typically
includes the following information:
1. Service category
2. Service description
3. Service availability
4. Service-specific SLAs
5. Service owner
6. Service costs (if applicable)
Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list, and an organization may choose to
include more information relevant to its stakeholders.

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So why does an organization need a service catalog in the first place?

Consider the following scenarios.
An IT asset request
A marketing analyst requires a new laptop and an office suite for performing various
marketing operations.
The analyst sends an email to the sysadmin requesting a MacBook Pro and Microsoft
Office 2019. The sysadmin replies that the analyst's job title allows the provision of
only Dell workstations, and also adds that the company has only purchased licenses
for Microsoft Office 2018.
Further confusion arises regarding the workstation models the analyst is entitled to and
the associated turnaround time. Half a dozen emails and loads of frustration later, the
analyst is finally able to place a service request with the IT department, and the request
is sent to his manager for approval. What started as a fairly simple IT request quickly
descended into confusion and bottlenecks due to a lack of clear communication
between the requester and the service desk.

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Let's now take a look at a more complex service request.

An employee onboarding request
A hiring manager raises a service request to provision services for a new joinee who
is scheduled to start in a couple of weeks.
Employee onboarding requests typically involve different departments like HR,
facilities, IT, and payroll. Each department has its own set of distinct functions, such
as:
 Provisioning IT assets
 Setting up a workplace
 Opening a bank account
 Taking the new hire through HR's induction process
The hiring manager needs to deal with multiple technicians and accomplish different
tasks to get the employee onboarded. Without an understanding of the onboarding
services offered by the IT department for various job roles, the hiring manager faces
the same difficulties as the marketing analyst, albeit in greater magnitude.

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As emails fly back and forth between the hiring manager and the IT service desk,
significant delays crop up, which severely impacts the productivity of both the new
joinee and the IT service desk.
In both of these scenarios, the marketing analyst and the hiring manager had to endure
a grueling experience simply due to a lack of clear communication with the service
desk. The service desk technicians also faced difficulties due to the absence of
standardization in service delivery.
This is where an IT service catalog steps in to enable seamless service delivery.

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The benefits of using a service catalog

1. Streamlines communication with end users
A well-designed service catalog acts as the single point of contact for end users to view
the list of available services and their attributes, such as availability, SLAs, costs (if
applicable), and service owners. Relating this to the onboarding request we saw earlier;
an IT service catalog would have helped the hiring manager view all the onboarding
services and their attributes. This would have eliminated the back-and-forth
communication and helped accelerate the onboarding process.
2. A typical service request web form.
In the absence of a service catalog, end users largely remain in the dark. This means
the service desk will be loaded with basic inquiries about services, eating into the
service desk's productivity.
3. Standardizes service delivery across the organization
By providing a curated list of services and defining the associated parameters to deliver
them, a service catalog helps standardize service delivery.
Once again, consider the scenario of employee onboarding:

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A new joinee needs to be provided with several IT resources based on their role, such
as a new workstation, an email account, and perhaps access to certain licensed
software. With a service catalog, all of these services could be bundled together as a
service offering, and the organization can define clear workflows so the service desk
can fulfill multiple employee onboarding requests seamlessly.
With a service catalog in place, the IT team has a substantial advantage from just
having to put incoming requests through preconfigured workflows.
4. Optimizes service delivery costs
By keeping tabs on various service offerings, their demand, and usage, organizations
can use the service catalog as a tool to identify high-value, business-critical offerings,
as well as services that draw an unnecessary number of resources and can be phased
out. This analysis helps IT administrators reallocate resources to services that provide
the greatest value to end users, ultimately having a positive impact on the
organization's business goals.
5. Amplifies self-service capabilities
Organizations primarily use a self-service portal for incident management and sharing
knowledge articles. Integrating a service catalog with this type of portal greatly

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expands the scope of self-service and provides end users with a single gateway for IT-
related requests, whether it is a request for service or an incident ticket.
6. IT self-service portal
An integrated self-service portal. IT departments can also extend their service catalog
classifications to incidents, aligning incident reporting with business-critical services.
This helps IT technicians respond effectively to incidents that have a greater impact
on business functions.
Additionally, services that are frequently requested, such as password resets, can be
offered as self-service, enabling the organization to adopt a shift-left model for L1
tickets and boost IT productivity.
7. Contributes to continual service improvement
Continual service improvement is a vital part of the IT service management (ITSM)
life cycle. A service catalog brings together the definitive list of services and the
underpinning resources and processes, acting as a reference against which IT teams
can generate reports, analyze the demand for services to optimize supply accordingly,
and boost customer satisfaction.

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Here's a seven-step process that will guide you on how to implement a service catalog
that adds value to your business and delivers a satisfactory end-user experience. We
will also see how this procedure works in real life by considering a new employee
onboarding service.
Step 1: Study business objectives and identify your stakeholders
The fundamental step in implementing a service catalog is to understand your
business's objectives and end-user expectations. Start off by answering the following
questions:
What are your business's goals?
Who are the stakeholders (end users, IT technicians, and management), and what are
their service requirements?
Step 2: Define and categorize the service offerings
Next, you need to define and categorize your services. Take stock of all the services
offered by the IT department, the underlying workflows that support these services,
and the turnaround time associated with each one.
Proper categorization makes it easier for end users to find and request the services they
need.

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Step 3: Create service-specific SLAs and workflows

Once the IT department has defined and categorized the list of service offerings, it is
time to create service-specific SLAs and define fulfillment workflows. Setting realistic
fulfillment mandates is key to ensure smooth service delivery.
For an employee onboarding service offering:
 Category User Management
 SLA A 15-day fulfillment time limit
 Approval workflow
 A four-stage approval mechanism:
Stage 1: Reporting manager
Stage 2: Department heads
Stage 3: Site manager
Stage 4: General manager

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Step 4: Organize your service fulfillment strategy

Create support groups for every service defined in the previous step. Designate service
owners for all services; they'll act as the single point of contact. Map the appropriate
workflows for all the service offerings. If a service offering involves approvals, notify
the appropriate approvers.
Step 5: Design your catalog
In its final form, the catalog should be easy for end users to navigate and use to
request services. To that effect, the service offerings should be categorized based on
industry best practices and end-user expectations.
Create a service catalog that is visually appealing to end users. All attributes of the
service offering, such as costs, availability, and expected date of fulfillment, should
be displayed upfront. Avoid long forms when collecting data from the end user.
Instead, you should implement dynamic forms that are driven by condition-based
actions to provide a user-friendly interface.

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Step 6: Publish the service catalog and integrate it with the self-service portal
Once the service catalog and its workflows have been tested extensively, you need to
integrate it with the self-service portal. This portal provides a single gateway for end
users to raise tickets on incidents, service requests, and requests for information.
Keywords should be applied and the most popular services listed on top to minimize
the time end users spend searching for services.
 Integrate service catalog with self-service portal
 Easy accessibility to the catalog is of prime importance. Your service catalog
should be accessible from different platforms and channels, such as mobile apps,
email, and web forms.
 Implement the catalog for one department or service category initially, then
extend it to other departments based on the feedback received from stakeholders.
Step 7: Practice continual service improvement
Now that you have a service catalog in place, it is important to constantly monitor key
performance indicators (KPIs). These metrics help in identifying areas of strength and
weakness; you can then use those insights to improve the effectiveness and efficiency
of your service catalog.

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Service Catalog vs. CMDB

Configuration management database (CMDB): A database of all software and
hardware assets managed by an organization.
A CMDB is at the core of ITSM as a central repository of data about an organization's
entire IT environment. Data stored in the CMDB include hardware and software
attributes, documentation, personnel, and relationships. Each part of an
organization's IT infrastructure, including its dependencies, are stored as CIs in the
CMDB.
Example: Let's consider an employee who needs to be granted access to their
company's Wi-Fi network. The components of the Wi-Fi network (such as routers and
relationships) are stored as CIs in the CMDB. Once access to the Wi-Fi is provisioned,
that access has to be updated in the relationships map of the CMDB.
The service catalog and the CMDB need to be closely tied to each other, as all the
services that are offered to end users are dependent on their underlying IT components,
which are in turn held as CIs in the CMDB. Both the service catalog and the CMDB
need to be updated regularly to ensure control over the IT infrastructure and seamless
IT service delivery. The service catalog and the CMDB are locked together in a

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symbiotic state, where each feeds the other specific data that help each other's
operations.

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IT Problem Management: What it is and is not

“Problem Management aims to manage the lifecycle of all problems. The primary
objectives of this ITIL process are to prevent incidents and minimize the impact of
incidents that cannot be prevented. Proactive problem management analyzes incident
records and uses data collected by other IT service management processes to identify
trends or significant problems.” (ITIL® v4)
Unfortunately, in too many organizations, there’s insufficient clarity about the things
that distinguish problems from incidents. This confusion has been a challenge to IT
managers and support providers since before there was an ITIL. According to the folks
at leading IT training provider Global Knowledge, the distinction remains challenging
today. Here’s how they attempt to sort it out.

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Incident
According to ITIL 4, the latest version of the ITIL best practices guidelines,
an incident “is an unplanned interruption to a service, or reduction in the
quality of service. In layman’s terms, an incident is the representation of an
outage.
Problem
A problem, as defined in ITIL 4, “is a cause, or potential cause, of one or more
incidents. In layman’s terms, a problem represents the cause or potential cause
of one or more outages.”
The goal of management, especially proactive problem management, is not
just to resolve an incident. It is instead to identify and resolve each incident’s
root cause and to learn from the experience to reduce the occurrence and
recurrence of incidents and problems.

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The phases in ITIL 4 incident management

1. Preparation: Effective incident response amounts to sharp preparation.
Developing IR policies based on research and experience, defining
communication channels and guidelines, and recognizing the threat-detection
capability of the organization could be part of the preparation phase of incident
management under ITIL v4 incident management.
2. Detect and report: While it is crucial to recognize your threat-detection
capabilities, the next step will be to develop contingencies to detect a threat.
Continuous monitoring could be a good way to detect threats based on patterns.
Classifying and reporting the threats, and generating alerts is a good starting
point.
3. Prioritizing: The classification of threats will help you develop appropriate
responses based on their impact and urgency. It will also help ready the channel
for the next step.
4. Escalation: As per the requirement, incidents can be escalated to higher levels
for mitigation.

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Proactive problem management: An elusive goal

Every IT estate can benefit from truly proactive management of problems. However,
achieving that goal can be daunting, if not impossible for some IT teams. For many
reasons, you and your team may just be too busy putting out fires to devote efforts and
resources to fireproofing your environment.
Common obstacles can include a shortage or lack of skilled, experienced people,
broken processes, inadequate or improperly implemented technologies, or
combinations of any or all of these.
Ironically, the more difficult proactive management of problems is to achieve and
maintain, the more needed it is likely to be. If your team is consumed by reactively
dealing with incidents and problems, proactive problem management may seem
unattainable.

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What happens when you don't have IT

incident management in place?
Incident management covers every aspect of an incident across its life cycle.
It speeds up the resolution process and makes ticket management transparent.
Without incident management, handling tickets can be a hassle. Some of the
key problems that can arise include:

 Lack of transparency on ticket status and expected timelines for end users
 No proper record of past incidents
 Inability to document solutions for repeat or familiar issues
 Higher risk of business outages, particularly with major incidents
 Stretched resolution times
 Lack of reporting abilities
 Decreased customer satisfaction

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The incident management process can be summarized as follows:

Step 1: Incident logging.
Step 2: Incident categorization.
Step 3: Incident prioritization.
Step 4: Incident assignment.
Step 5: Task creation and management.
Step 6: SLA management and escalation.
Step 7: Incident resolution.
Step 8: Incident closure.

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1. Incident logging
An incident can be logged through phone calls, emails, SMS, web forms published on
the self-service portal or via live chat messages.
2. Incident categorization
Incidents can be categorized and sub-categorized based on the area of IT or business
that the incident causes a disruption in like network, hardware etc.
3. Incident prioritization
The priority of an incident can be determined as a function of its impact and urgency
using a priority matrix. The impact of an incident denotes the degree of damage the
issue will cause to the user or business. The urgency of an incident indicates the time
within which the incident should be resolved. Based on the priority, incidents can be
categorized as:
 Critical
 High
 Medium
 Low

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4. Incident routing and assignment

Once the incident is categorized and prioritized, it gets automatically routed to a
technician with the relevant expertise.
5. Creating and managing tasks
Based on the complexity of the incident, it can be broken down into sub-activities or
tasks. Tasks are typically created when an incident resolution requires the contribution
of multiple technicians from various departments.
6. SLA management and escalation
While the incident is being processed, the technician needs to ensure the SLA isn't
breached. An SLA is the acceptable time within which an incident needs response
(response SLA) or resolution (resolution SLA). SLAs can be assigned to incidents
based on their parameters like category, requester, impact, urgency etc. In cases where
an SLA is about to be breached or has already been breached, the incident can be
escalated functionally or hierarchically to ensure that it is resolved at the earliest.
7. Incident resolution
An incident is considered resolved when the technician has come up with a temporary
workaround or a permanent solution for the issue.

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8. Incident closure
An incident can be closed once the issue is resolved and the user acknowledges the
resolution and is satisfied with it.

Post-incident review
After an incident has been closed, it's good practice to document all the takeaways
from that incident. This helps better prepare teams for future incidents and creates a
more efficient incident management process. The post-incident review process can be
broken down into various aspects, as shown below, and is particularly useful for major
incidents.

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Internal evaluation
Incident identification
 Who detected the incident and how?
 How soon was the incident detected after it occurred?
 Could the incident have been identified earlier?
 Could any tools or technologies have aided in the prompt or pre-emptive detection
of the incident?
Information flow and communication:
 How quickly were the stakeholders informed about the incident?
 What channel was used for relaying notifications?
 Were all the relevant stakeholders promptly updated with the latest information?
 How easy was it to communicate with the end user(s) to gather information and
keep them informed on the status of the ticket?

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Structure
 How was the incident response team initially structured?
 Was this structure adhered to throughout the incident management life cycle? If
not, why? What changes had to be made to the structure?
 Can the incident handling team be organized in a better way? If so, how?
Resource utilization
 What resources were employed to handle the incident?
 Were those resources used to their optimal capacity?
 How quickly were resources mobilized to handle the incident?
 Could resource utilization be improved in the future?
Process
 How closely was the defined incident management process followed?
 Were there any deviations in the incident management workflow and process?
 Were the incident SLAs honored? If not, which SLAs were breached? Why?
 Was there adequate monitoring of the process being followed for handling the
incident?
 Could the process be improved to make it more efficient? If yes, how?

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Reporting
 Were reports generated to analyze how the incident was handled?
 What parameters were included in the reports?
 Which parts of the incident life cycle were analyzed?
 Is there any room for improvement? If so, how can it be achieved?

External evaluation - End User surveys

Apart from the above factors, some end-user facing factors should also be evaluated.
For this purpose, a post-closure survey is conducted to collect feedback from the end
users affected by the incident. This survey should be used to gain insight in some key
areas, like:
 How easy or difficult was it for the end user to report an incident?
 Was the first response from the IT team swift and prompt?
 Was the incident resolved in a timely manner?
 How satisfied is the end user with the resolution?

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End user / user / requester

This is the stakeholder who usually experiences a disruption in service and raises an
incident ticket to initiate the process of incident management.

Tier 1 service desk

This is the first point of contact for the requesters when they want to raise a request or
incident ticket. The Tier 1 service desk usually consists of technicians who have a
working knowledge of the most common issues that might occur in an IT environment,
including password resets and Wi-Fi problems.

Tier 2 service desk

This service desk is made up of technicians with advanced knowledge of incident
management. They usually receive more complex requests from end users; they also
receive requests in the form of escalations from Tier 1.

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Tier 3 (and above) service desk

This level is usually comprised of specialist technicians who have advanced
knowledge of particular domains in the IT infrastructure. For example, technicians for
hardware maintenance and server support specialize in very specific fields.

Incident manager
This stakeholder plays a key role in the process of incident management by monitoring
how effective the process is, recommending improvements, and ensuring the process
is followed, among other responsibilities.

Process owner
This stakeholder owns the process followed for managing incidents. They also
analyze, modify, and improve the process to ensure it best serves the interest of the
organization.

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Each role has unique responsibilities, as shown below.

End user / user / requester:

 Contact the service desk to raise a new incident request.
 Follow up on an existing request.
 Clearly communicate all the required information to technicians.
 Acknowledge the restoration of service and completion of the ticket.
 Respond to follow-up surveys after ticket resolution completing the feedback loop.
Tier 1 help desk:
 Log all incoming incident requests with appropriate parameters like category,
urgency, and priority.
 Assign tickets to technicians.
 Analyze and resolve an incident to restore service.
 Escalate unresolved incidents to the Tier 2 service desk.
 Gather all required information from the requesters and send them regular updates
on the status of their request.
 Act as a point of contact for requesters, and, if needed, coordinate between the Tier
2 support desk and requesters.
 Verify the resolution with the end user and collect feedback.

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Tier 2&3 service desk:

 Carry out incident diagnosis.
 Document the steps followed to resolve the incident and submit knowledge
base articles.
 Identify when an incident is a problem and convert the incident ticket to a problem
ticket.
 If the incident is resolved, confirm the resolution with the end user.
 If the incident is unresolved, escalate it to the Tier 3 service desk.
 If unresolved, escalate the incident to the IT problem management team for
identifying the underlying issue or external vendors as applicable.
 Provide subject matter expertise.
Incident manager:
 Serve as the point of contact for all major incidents.
 Plan and facilitate all the activities involved in the incident management process.
 Ensure that the correct process is followed for all tickets and correct any deviations.
 Coordinate and communicate with the process owner.
 Ensure that SLAs are complied with.
 Identify the incidents that need to be reviewed and carry out the review.

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Process owner:
 Take accountability for the overall process of incident management.
 Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and align them with critical success
factors (CSFs).
 Review KPIs and ensure that they meet business goals and CSFs.
 Design, document, review, and improve processes.
 Establish continuous service improvement (CSI) wherein the procedures, policies,
roles, technology, and other aspects of the incident management process are
reviewed and improved upon.
 Stay informed about industry best practices and incorporate them in to the incident
management process.

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Best practices for successful ITIL incident management

 Offer multiple modes for ticket creation including through an email, phone call, or a
self-service portal.
 Publish business-facing, custom IT incident forms for effective information
gathering.
 Automatically categorize and prioritize IT incidents based on ticket criteria.
 Associate SLAs with IT incidents based on ticket parameters like priority.
 If all technicians, are of the same skill levels, auto-assign tickets to technicians
based on algorithms like load balancing and round robin.
 Associate IT asset data, IT problems, and IT changes with IT incident tickets.
 Ensure that incidents are closed only after providing a proper resolution by
confirming with end user and applying the appropriate closure codes.
 Configure a custom end-user communication process for every step in an IT incident
life cycle
 Create, and maintain a knowledge base with appropriate solutions
 Provide role-based access to end users and technicians based on the complexity of
the solutions.
 Handle major incidents by creating unique workflows.

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