What is an IT Service Desk?

The IT service desk is intended to be a primary point of engagement between users and an IT organization. According to ITIL, the service center is the single point of contact (SPOC) between the service provider (IT) and the users for daily activities. A typical service center handles incidents (service interruptions) and service requests (routine service tasks), as well as handles user communications for things like planned service interruptions and changes. A service center is generally broad in scope and designed to provide the user with a place to go for all of their IT needs. As a result, the service desk plays a central role in facilitating the integration of business processes with the technology ecosystem and a broader service management infrastructure.

Where Did IT Service Desks Come From?

The IT support function was born in the late 1980s as an assistive capacity for solving IT problems. It was a highly technical function focused on technology rather than end users. Early IT support services had no SLA concept or time objectives for problem solving. It wasn't until ITIL came on the scene in the 1990s, capturing best practices in IT service management, that the concept of a user-centric 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 Iain Middleton of Robert Gordon University revealed that the value came not only from a responsive response to user problems, but also from the unique position of the help desk to communicate with daily. with many customers or employees The 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 role and its role in incident and request management became one of the main 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 IT Service Service functions with many attractive external support partners to staff them. Outsourcing of IT service center functions has led to greater standardization of processes and growth in the help desk ticket software market.

Modern technology 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 independent ticket assistance systems into ITSM platforms more Complete that serve as an operations center not only for IT support, but for the entire IT function. As companies seek to modernize and pursue their digital transformation initiatives, Service Desk IT is evolving again to focus more on business, with greater awareness of business data and processes, in many cases becoming an integral part. of commercial operations.

The IT support function was born in the late 1980s as an assistive capacity for solving IT problems. It was a highly technical function focused on technology rather than end users. Early IT support services had no SLA concept or time objectives for problem solving. It wasn't until ITIL came on the scene in the 1990s, capturing best practices in IT service management, that the concept of a user-centric 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 Iain Middleton of Robert Gordon University revealed that the value came not only from a responsive response to user problems, but also from the unique position of the help desk to communicate with daily. with many customers or employees The 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 role and its role in incident and request management became one of the main 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 IT Service Service functions with many attractive external support partners to staff them. Outsourcing of IT service center functions has led to greater standardization of processes and growth in the help desk ticket software market.

Modern technology 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 independent ticket assistance systems into ITSM platforms more Complete that serve as an operations center not only for IT support, but for the entire IT function. As companies seek to modernize and pursue their digital transformation initiatives, Service Desk IT is evolving again to focus more on business, with greater awareness of business data and processes, in many cases becoming an integral part. of commercial operations.