What is an IT Service Desk?

Helpdesk IT services are intended as a primary point of engagement between users and an IT organization. According to ITIL, the service center is the only point of contact (SPOC) between the service provider (IT) and users for daily activities. A typical service center handles incidents (service outages) and service requests (ordinary service activities) and manages user communications for things like scheduled outages and service changes. A service center is generally wide-ranging and is designed to provide the user with a place to go for all their IT needs. Consequently, the service center plays a central role in facilitating the integration of business processes with the technological ecosystem and a wider service management infrastructure.

Where do IT services come from?

The IT support function was born in the late 1980s as an ability to help solve IT problems. It was a highly technical feature focused on technology rather than end-users. Early IThelp Desk didn't have the concept of SLA or time-based goals for solving problems. It was only when ITIL entered the scene in the 1990s, capturing best IT service management practices, that the concept of user-centered IT service center began to emerge. The service center was considered an essential part of "IT management as a service".

In the mid-1990s, research by Robert Gordon University's Iain Middleton revealed that the value came not only from a responsive response to user problems but also from the help desk's unique position to communicate daily. with many customers or employees. Information obtained on technical issues, user preferences and what satisfies users can be invaluable for planning and developing IT services.

With the release of ITIL v2 in 2001, the Service Desk function and its role in incident and request management has become one of the essential components of IT service operations in many organizations. Over the decade, globalization and increasing pressures to reduce IT operating costs have led many organizations to centralize the functions of IT support services with much attractive third-party support partners to assist them. The outsourcing of IT service center functions has led to further standardization of processes and growth in the help desk ticketing software market.

Modern technological trends, including cloud services, the widespread use of third-party components in the IT ecosystem and advances in discovery and monitoring capabilities have led to the integration of autonomous ticketing assistance systems into more complete ITSM platforms that act as an operating hub not only for IT support, but for the entire IT function. As companies seek to modernize and pursue their digital transformation initiatives, the IT Service Desk is evolving again to become more focused on business, with greater awareness of business processes and data - in many cases, becoming an integral part of operations Corporate Help Desk companies.