Deploying an ITSM tool helps manage and reduce IT costs. An illustration with 12 very real use cases of the iTop solution.
Tracking untapped resources
- The iTop ITSM tool has a CMDB (Configuration Management DataBase) that describes all IT assets and their uses. With this inventory feature, the CMDB helps identify untapped assets, whether it’s software, hardware, storage, or cloud instances. Even better: in the case of an IT service production center, the CMDB links IT resources to customer contracts. Equipment that is underutilized or not linked to a contract can be detected; enough to feed a plan to rationalize resources with savings on arrival (including maintenance contracts!).
- The monitoring of resources also gives the possibility to anticipate needs and thus control future expenditure. iTop’s CMDB integrates IT asset lifecycle management. It thus raises the license or maintenance deadlines, the end of the contract… in order to plan the necessary budget as accurately as possible.
- iTop has specific extensions for managing Datacenters: configuration of racks, cabinets, their occupation with front/rear view. These extensions provide different indicators: occupancy rate, power consumption, reserved slots… As many valuable KPIs to optimize infrastructures in Datacenters and improve their profitability with objectives of full capacity utilization, reduction of energy consumption, etc.
Software editions and service at controlled costs
- iTop is available in several editions. The “Community” edition is a functional and free open source solution with unlimited number of users. In addition, the iTop community shares and provides access to additional resources at limited or no cost.
- Combodo, the publisher of iTop, offers more complete editions as an extended product package, with an annual service subscription with specific commitments and a predetermined volume of support hours. The cost is not related to the number of users.The investment is therefore known in advance and controlled. Enough to cap the amount of the invoice devoted to an ITSM solution.
- The use of SaaS is another way to limit expenses. This model avoids the infrastructure and operating costs of deploying software. In the SaaS version, iTop is based on an Open Source iTop, characterized by its spirit of transparency and openness.
Advanced automation to optimize the HelpDesk
- iTop offers various automation possibilities, either intrinsic or connected with other tools. For example, alerts from monitoring tools can automatically generate tickets and document them, before they are taken into account by support teams. This type of automation frees operations teams from non-value-added tasks and reduces the risk of errors.
- In the same way, iTop can prioritize tickets based on support and resolution commitments, without human intervention. In the production center of a digital services company, tickets will be pre-sorted according to the SLAs of customer contracts. An approach also applicable within an IT department, with prioritization according to the criticality of the systems or applications concerned.
- Another possibility: the ITSM tool allows the automatic assignment of tickets to the team or agent responsible, depending on the nature of the incident, the component or the customer concerned. This automation makes it possible to process tickets more efficiently, without human intervention and to optimize the services provided by the HelpDesk.
- Autre possibilité : l’outil ITSM permet l’affectation automatique des tickets à l’équipe ou à l’agent responsable, selon la nature de l’incident, le composant ou le client concerné. Cette automatisation permet de traiter les tickets plus efficacement, sans intervention humaine et d’optimiser le service du Helpdesk.
KPIs for improving IT production and support
- iTop provides a range of useful KPIs to improve the performance of CIOs and IT service desks. Time spent per ticket, response time, user satisfaction surveys… The ticket processing indicators provide tangible information on the effectiveness of the HelpDesk. Their analysis provides avenues for adjusting the resources of support teams, changing the available contact channels (such as deploying a chatbot and a knowledge base, a telephone-computer coupling, a LiveChat). In the case of a service desk, the analysis of indicators compares the resources consumed against the revenues related to customer contracts. Enough to detect certain drifts and improve profitability, by adapting resources… or prices.
- The iTop tool delivers statistical reports analyzing the nature of the incidents handled. The exploitation of these figures highlights the most defective components, chronic defects. This is enough to fuel budget rationalization decisions: equipment changes, preventive maintenance, implementation of targeted and automatic monitoring procedures, etc.
- iTop also generates useful dashboards for project reviews, especially between IT service centers and their customers. In addition to being elements of factual discussions, these dashboards help to calibrate the means deployed under a contract as accurately as possible, or to renegotiate commercial conditions on a firm basis. They aim to achieve the best match between production costs and services rendered and, of course, to control financial margins.
These examples prove it: an ITSM tool like iTop helps reduce IT production costs directly (tool deployment, detection of underutilized materials) or indirectly (operational and commercial efficiency). Open (via APIs or collectors), automatable and customizable (via the ITSM Designer), iTop offers almost limitless potential
for optimizing production and IT support processes (which benefits services operator Tims for example).
A real plus at a time when cost control is a priority within CIOs and IT service centers.