What is a simple explanation of what Business Service Management (BSM) is, does – let’s take the BS out of the speak.  I simply describe it as the ability for IT to communicate service performance (value) aligned with business objectives, while maintaining control over the infrastructure.  Many of my friends in the industry start to mix in the ‘how’ they deliver BSM with tools, processes, automations, configurations, etc. but I prefer to take the how out of the speak as this is just what is frustrating our organizations to seek other technology options from the multitude of service providers that are popping up this year.

I looked over some others definitions and top 10 lists of BSM principles and still see far too much IT, product, technology and processes, even in these days of IT commoditization.  So here is my view of guiding BSM principles:

1. Understand your business objectives
2. Know your market, competition and differentiators
3. Communicate service performance
4. Know your services and their value classification
5. Know your service costs
6. Govern in accordance to business objectives and service value
7. Provide transparency of services – cost and value based discussions
8. Manage services – operate technology
9. Operate efficiently
10. Be a transformer, not an obstacle, apply technology

Now with these glasses on, look at how you monitor, manage, operate, automate your data center, the processes you utilize and deployment strategies.  Service by service based upon the cost and value of the service how will you monitor and measure it?  What is the best option for deployment?  Based upon business value, how much risk can you take?

All services are not created equal, but we manage them the same in most situations because it is easier to just manage it all the same at the highest cost and the business asks and expects it because they are not presented with options.  The challenge is gathering data, turning it into information in a live, integrated view to facilitate these discussions in market time.

What is your view of Business Service Management?

Michele