BSM from the CEO Perspective

When you mention Business Service Management to someone, be prepared to hear lots of different versions of what it is.  Everyone seems to have their own definition, usually focused around specific feature sets and terms of technology.  In my opinion, this misses the core concept of what BSM is supposed to deliver – an end to the communication divide between information technology and the business it supports.

In my time, I’ve been a CFO, a COO and a CEO of several large multi-national businesses, and I realized early on that BSM is just as much about that side of the business as it is about Information Technology.  Since computers first entered the office, business leaders have largely seen IT as just another cost center: an essential part of the business, but not directly linked to the success of the business.  Unfortunately, many in IT leadership positions contribute to this perception by discussing technology in the terms of technology, a language the rest of the business simply doesn’t understand.  Additionally, while every other department within the business has their own unique set of metrics to measure success or failure – revenue generation figures, client retention metrics, employee turnover – IT tends to either not be set to any, or have so few as to raise questions as to the value of IT.

Business Service Management, in my opinion, represents the best approach to resolving these issues and making IT a full partner to the success of the business.  That’s because, as I see it, BSM is all about measuring and reporting IT in such a way that a VP of Sales, the CFO and CEO can all easily grasp what IT is doing for them and the business as a whole.  It’s about looking at technology from a completely different perspective that lifts the discussion above the technology and focuses on the end result. 

Now, this certainly leaves room for debate over the best approach to achieving BSM, what metrics are best measured or how to deliver this information to the user.  And while I’m a bit biased, I do think FireScope’s flexible framework offers the best approach by enabling the client to make many of these decisions themselves.  So far, every time we’ve demo’ed FireScope, this has been among the features clients are most impressed with.  You can read more about that in future posts.

I’m passionate when it comes to Business Service Management.  Of the multitudes of emerging technologies I’ve seen in the new millennia, I thoroughly believe that BSM and the best practices and processes surrounding it will have a lasting impact on technology and the perception of users and administrators.  The days of technology for technology’s sake are over, at least as far as the business world is concerned.  It’s time for IT to prove its value and align its focus on the business.

Comments

[42internetworks]

Great post, thanks for the clear and concise vision on what is BSM! I was recently struggling with this concept as I discussed over in my blog at www.42internetworks.com but this "executive summary" really helps. I look forward to more posts in the future!