According to the Gartner, “ITSSM Tools (IT Service Support Management tools) offer tightly integrated processes and functions that correlate with the activities of the broader IT support organization. ITSSM tools can leverage a business view of IT services, enabling the IT support organization to better prioritize and quickly resolve or escalate issues and problems, and improve root cause isolation.”

However, using an ITSSM tool to automate simple workflows is one thing; but assuming their capabilities will replace integrated systems, such as HR Shared Service Solutions, is quite another expectation. These tools are designed to augment specific processes within an overall architecture – not supplant an integrated infrastructure completely. And while service tools providers add certain pieces and parts to automation – they don’t provide a cohesive and comprehensive solution.

Gartner’s December 2015 report, ‘Be Wary If Buying an ITSSM Tool to Use Beyond ITSM 2.0,’summarizes this viewpoint as such, “I&O leaders are bombarded with vendor and industry messaging to use ITSSM tools as a platform for all business activity, much like a mini ERP. Analysis across a broad array of product categories included in “enterprise service management” hype proves that these tools cannot yet support this vision.”

Some of the challenges when using ITSSM tools in place of integrated solutions include application development life cycles, integrated service delivery, and technology obsolescence – particularly in the area of HR service delivery. Gartner concludes that “ITSSM tools are not sufficiently capable of supporting these additional use cases beyond very basic requirements in some limited instances.

“ITSSM tools largely are not disrupting the non-ITOM (IT Operations Management) incumbent vendors in their native markets. The largest ITSSM vendors sometimes surface in client inquiries that are not directly related to ITSSM, but the only market where this happens semi-regularly is in integrated HR service delivery. Gartner observes that some I&O organizations are using these tools for facilities help desk, but our research on integrated workplace management systems has seen negligible impact of ITSSM tools in that market and insufficient client interest to evaluate the suitability of this in enough depth.”

“Sometimes, parts of the business are interested, but we see more cases where the ITSSM tool’s deployment remains within IT. Integrated HR service delivery is one exception to this, where the HR line of business is sometimes involved in the tool strategy. Organizations are treating ESM as an opportunistic tactical approach to consolidate software or get access to simple functions quickly, rather than pursuing an enterprise strategy that requires in-depth analysis of the long-term risks and benefits.”

Analysis of Integrated HR Service Delivery Solutions versus using ITSSM tools for this application by Gartner’s Ron Hanscome reveals, “Integrated HR service delivery tools enable organizations to more effectively manage HR shared-service operations and communications. He goes on to state, “The suitability of ITSSM tools in the HR service delivery use case is scored 2 out of 5, depending on the vendor. This score may move upward as these providers get feedback from HR early adopters and invest in building out their capabilities.”

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