Best IT Service Management Tools
IT service management (ITSM) tools encompass the policies, planning, execution, and management surrounding IT service delivery. ITSM solutions help enable businesses to design and provide more efficient, standardized, and effective IT services. Typically following an ITSM framework, these solutions provide a wealth of features to users, including service desk elements, asset management, incident management, change management, and knowledge bases. They also create consistent, repeatable workflows for different IT activities. On top of helping to increase IT efficiency and standardization, ITSM tools benefit businesses significantly by increasing transparency around IT service delivery. IT interactions can be followed easily from beginning to end, audited with improved clarity, and tracked more manageably.
Teams across the IT organization use ITSM tools as part of their daily workflow, but end users across a business might utilize this software’s user-facing features like ticket submission, user-facing knowledge bases, and self-help troubleshooting tips. ITSM solutions fall into a larger portfolio of IT management software, joined usually by the likes of help desk software to manage external-facing issues, enterprise IT management suites to handle larger infrastructure needs and requirements, and similar solutions.
To qualify for inclusion in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, a product must:
Featured IT Service Management Tools At A Glance
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ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITSM) is a comprehensive cloud-based AI software solution designed to streamline and enhance the delivery of IT services within a business. With ServiceNow ITSM, orga
53,720 Twitter followers
NinjaOne unifies IT to simplify work for 35,000+ customers in 140+ countries. The NinjaOne Unified IT Operations Platform delivers endpoint management, autonomous patching, backup, and remote acces
NinjaOne is a remote monitoring and management tool that offers features such as patch management, remote access, IT documentation, and automation. Users frequently mention the ease of use, the ability to automate tasks across numerous devices, the constant improvements and enhancements, and the responsive customer support as key benefits of NinjaOne. Users mentioned issues such as the lack of a dark mode, occasional UI quirks, limited report customization, high pricing for smaller teams, and a steep learning curve for advanced setup as drawbacks of the product.
3,534 Twitter followers
Jira Service Management is an IT Service Management (ITSM) solution. Built on the Atlassian platform, Jira Service Management enables teams to deliver and manage services for internal and external sta
105,840 Twitter followers
Freshservice is Freshworks’s intelligent, right-sized, cloud-native service management solution. Freshservice does this by taking a fresh approach to building and delivering modern employee experience
19,047 Twitter followers
The first and only Agentic AI platform for IT management, offers a digital workforce of AI agents that proactively and autonomously support your entire IT operation. Atera’s all-in-one IT management
Atera is an all-in-one IT platform that combines automation and AI to manage tasks such as patching, ticketing, remote access, and inventory management. Users like Atera's user-friendly interface, its ability to solve problems before they arise, the customizable dashboard, the licensing structure that counts by tech and not by endpoint, and the impressive product stack. Users mentioned that the mobile app experience needs improvement, the reporting seems to be behind a pay wall, the ticket history can be frustrating, and the initial setup for some scripts isn’t very easy to complete.
1,675 Twitter followers
ClickUp is the world’s first Converged AI Workspace, bringing together all work apps, data, and workflows. ClickUp eliminates all forms of work sprawl to provide 100% context and a single place for hu
ClickUp is a project management tool that combines tasks, documents, and goals into a single interface, offering customization and automation features. Users like ClickUp's flexibility, customization options, and its ability to consolidate multiple tools into one, making it easier to manage tasks and projects. Users experienced issues with ClickUp's steep learning curve, occasional performance slowdowns, and complexity due to its numerous features and customization options.
68,797 Twitter followers
Autotask is the intelligent, unified PSA platform that powers high-performing MSP operations. It connects tickets, time, projects, contracts and billing in one seamless workflow — eliminating manual e
Autotask is a ticket workflow automation system that centralizes tickets, tracks time, manages projects, and simplifies billing processes. Reviewers appreciate Autotask's ability to enhance operational efficiency through its automation features, its seamless integration with other systems, and its user-friendly interface. Users mentioned that Autotask can sometimes be slow or clunky, with some pages loading slowly, and the interface occasionally feels somewhat outdated and certain sections could be more user-friendly.
17,427 Twitter followers
SysAid is a robust IT Service Management (ITSM) platform powered by Agentic AI, automating the repetitive, time-consuming work that keeps teams stuck in reactive mode. Adding a powerful new operationa
9,622 Twitter followers
O Milvus é uma plataforma completa de gestão de atendimento, relacionamento com clientes e ativos de TI, desenvolvida para empresas que buscam centralizar processos, aumentar a eficiência operacional
ONE platform to manage your SD-WAN, UCaaS, CaaS, firewalls, MPLS, network, switches, IP phones, installs, trouble tickets, bills, and network performance across the entire globe Complete control of y
CommandLink is a platform that provides internet services and support for businesses. Users frequently mention the quick response time, proactive issue resolution, and the convenience of having all services accessible in one place. Reviewers mentioned the outdated GUI for their portal, lack of detailed configuration options for daily network operations, and the inability to contact the carrier directly.
ServiceDesk Plus is ITIL-ready help desk software with integrated Asset and Project Management capabilities. With advanced ITSM functionality and easy-to-use capability, ServiceDesk Plus helps IT supp
137,102 Twitter followers
Harmony is an AI-first enterprise service management platform designed to operate autonomously. At its core, Harmony is an intelligent AI help desk agent powered by dozens of out-of-the-box and proact
ConnectWise RMM is a cloud-native remote monitoring and management (RMM) solution designed for IT professionals who need to monitor, manage, and support diverse IT environments. It provides centralize
ConnectWise RMM is a tool that provides device management, remote support, and integration with other ConnectWise tools for IT service management. Users like the ease of use, the ability to manage all clients in one place, the automation features, and the integration with other ConnectWise tools, which allows for increased organization and efficiency. Users reported issues with the interface being clunky and outdated, unreliable tax calculations, issues with the agent, slow redesign process, limited scripting and reporting options, poor automation abilities, and lack of certain integrations.
14,940 Twitter followers
SymphonyAI IT Service Management offers an enterprise-class solution that delivers measurable business outcomes leveraging automation, predictive, and generative AI. Customers have been able to automa
470 Twitter followers
Learn More About IT Service Management Tools
What are IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools?
IT service management, or ITSM, describes the procedures and policies created and followed by organizations to implement IT services design, provision, and maintenance. ITSM aims to bring a more end user-oriented approach to IT. Most commonly, ITSM is thought of in the context of service desks, but the practices and procedures emphasized in ITSM apply more broadly to IT organizations as a whole. It can help provide structure and order in what is typically a constantly evolving organization.
Companies implementing ITSM principles will typically utilize one or more of the following frameworks to provide guidelines to IT actions.
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT)
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
- Business Process Framework (eTOM—telecom-specific)
- Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF)
ITIL tends to be the most commonly referred to or thought of ITSM framework, due to its strong adoption rate amongst services providers. The most recent iteration of ITIL, ITIL 4, is composed of two parts; the service value system (SVS, with 34 individual standards) and the four dimensions model (aligned with the four Ps of ITIL: people, products, partners, processes).
What are the Common Features of IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools?
The following are some core features within ITSM tools:
Standards alignment: ITSM solutions help organizations align their processes and policies with a standards framework. ITSM tools will typically denote which framework(s) they are built to enable. If there is a particular framework an organization is already using, users should select an ITSM tool that aligns with that framework.
Service desk: As the name might suggest, a core element of ITSM solutions is a service desk element. Businesses can organize internal requests through a ticketing system. Internal users can find help on a variety of issues using a service catalog, which outlines different types of issues or requests and helps organize addressing various issues.
Asset management: ITSM tools help businesses track their internal IT assets. Using these tools, IT teams can track company-owned user devices and hardware, as well as any hardware infrastructure, enabling them to keep tabs on when these items were provisioned and when they would need upkeep.
Knowledge base: Knowledge bases are central repositories of information. By providing a knowledge base functionality, businesses can centralize their IT knowledge to a single source that’s accessible by anyone who might need it.
Incident management: Addressing the development side of the house, ITSM tools provide incident management features that help product teams track issues related to product development and functions, namely those related to IT systems. Using these active tracking capabilities, businesses stay on top of development incidents by creating visibility around repeat issues that might point to a larger problem.
Change management: Changing policies, procedures, or structures is a difficult process for businesses. Change management functionalities offered by ITSM tools allow businesses to more thoroughly track changes from the individual to the organizational level, increasing transparency, and assisting in finding pain points in recent changes.
Reporting and dashboards: As with any other solution, transparency is key to the efficient and effective delivery of services. ITSM tools are equipped with reporting and dashboard functions to provide increased visibility into service provisions across the IT organization. These reports may come prebuilt, but most solutions will also offer customization so that businesses get the exact information they need at any point.
Solution integration: Considering the huge array of tools and infrastructure involved in IT service delivery, ITSM tools need to be able to integrate appropriately to be effective. Users must check a tool’s integration capabilities before purchasing to verify it will integrate with the systems already in use.
Automation: Many ITSM vendors are implementing automation functionality as a standard part of the offering. Many tools will offer automation to reduce the amount of time going into repeat tasks and actions, which can save both IT associates and end users significant time.
Configuration management database (CMDB): Some ITSM solutions will include a CMDB feature where businesses can track how different hardware and software systems relate to each other. This provides increased clarity in how a business’s systems work together, and can also offer an excellent starting point when troubleshooting for root causes.
Release management: ITSM tools that dive deep into development features may offer release management capabilities where product teams can track software build releases over time including what stage of production releases are in, any rollbacks that took place, etc.
Other Features of IT Service Management Tools: Performance logging, Policy dictation
What are the Benefits of IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools?
Formalize IT processes and practices: ITSM tools help businesses organize and standardize their IT service processes, thereby improving service efficacy. By accessing a central repository of IT knowledge, users can more quickly address their needs and concerns. With more public knowledge available, IT teams can reduce the number of basic or low-level inquiries coming through to the help desk. This saves IT teams time for more complex or important tasks.
Transparency: Arguably, the greatest benefits of implementing an ITSM tool are transparency and uniformity. The typical bane of IT teams is a lack of transparency and consistency in processes, practices, and actions, especially when there are multiple teams within the IT organization. By making clear and consistent policies and procedures that teams ought to be following, every team within an IT organization can identify exactly where information should live. This also highlights what procedures are being followed in different activities and how to interact with end users properly, leading to a smoother overall IT service delivery.
Who Uses IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools?
Administration: On implementation, IT organizations will typically have an administrator or administrative team for ITSM tools. They control the solution’s configuration, permissions, and provisioning. From there, employees across the IT organization could make use of an ITSM tool as a part of their daily workflow, including incident and ticket tracking, finding knowledge resources, tracking changes, and managing assets, among other functions.
Managed services providers (MSP): MSPs make particularly effective use of ITSM tools. Since some MSPs provide IT services for other businesses, ITSM tools serve as the central portal for IT service provision and interaction between the MSP and their customers. End users can find IT knowledge and submit tickets or inquiries and the MSP can provide IT services while tracking end-user inquiries and issues.
Software Related to IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools
Related solutions that can be used together with ITSM tools include:
Help desk software: Help desk solutions allow companies to manage customer or external end user-facing requests or issues. These act as complements to the more internally oriented ITSM software.
Service desk software: Service desk solutions allow companies to manage internal end user-facing requests or issues as well as track IT assets. These are, in essence, scaled-down versions of ITSM solutions.
IT asset management software: IT asset management solutions help businesses track their hardware and software assets across the company. While not as broad as an ITSM solution, IT asset management software is hugely helpful in tracking the finer points on hardware, such as attrition rates, licenses, contracts, and more.
Enterprise IT management suites: Enterprise IT management suites help businesses take control of all of their IT assets, environments, processes, and practices in one place. These suites have a much more extensive reach than ITSM tools but could complement each other well operationally.
Knowledge management software: Knowledge management solutions help businesses consolidate information in an easily accessible way, which prevents knowledge silos from forming in individual employees or teams. While ITSM tools offer knowledge bases for end users to utilize regarding their tech, knowledge management software offers information serving all aspects of the business.
Challenges with IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools
Software solutions can come with their own set of challenges.
Time to implementation: If a business is starting fresh with ITSM, it may take longer to implement than expected. Implementing an ITSM tool has to be joined by implementing the ITSM mindset, practices, and policies for it to be most effective. It is important to take some extra time to understand what these new policies are and why they matter.
Full system integration: While many ITSM solutions have a vast array of integration capabilities, businesses still may find a few systems that will need custom integrations. The business should be able to handle building that integration capability with the ITSM tool vendor offering guidance on how to proceed. Online communities around ITSM solutions can also be a strong source of help.
How to Buy IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools
Companies looking to implement their first ITSM solution, or switching from an existing solution, can use G2 reviews from authentic software buyers to supplement their search. With that in mind, there are a few important criteria to consider when looking for the right tool.
Features: Different ITSM tools can have different feature sets. One solution might automate a wide variety of standard IT tasks while another may feature more manual interaction. The best fit solution will vary depending on the functionality that an organization finds most valuable. Authentic G2 reviews made by peers from similar companies can shed light on these factors. A prioritized list of the business’s most desired features enables the software selection team to move forward with a clear idea of what to look for.
Security: ITSM is a highly sensitive undertaking that requires constantly up-to-date security and compliance. When searching for an ITSM solution, companies should ensure that the software they’d like to use has a verified history of compliance and high-security standards to protect company data. In some cases, supplementary security solutions are preferred to help ensure security compliance.
IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools Trends
Site reliability engineering (SRE)
SRE may be the next set of principles to join ITSM’s framework ranks. Typically more associated with software engineering, SRE applies DevOps-esque thinking to addressing development, IT service, and IT infrastructure problems and procedures. The goal of SRE is to deliver solutions resiliently, reliably, and at a flexible scale. Though currently more popular within the DevOps world, SRE might see an increase in popularity in the ITSM space as IT and development become more closely integrated.
Automation
Automation is a hot topic across industries and software solutions. Utilizing automation, businesses can improve efficiency on repeated processes and devote employee time to more complex or involved work. ITSM is no exception. Vendors are increasingly building task automation into ITSM tools to reduce time wasted on repetitive tasks and help companies deliver more efficient IT services. AIOps platforms can help pick up the slack where automation isn’t immediately included.
