OTRS

How to Achieve 2026 Budget Targets with Data-Driven ITSM

Laura Diral — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:33:32 +0000

How to Achieve 2026 Budget Targets with Data-Driven ITSM

2026-01-08
Laura Diral

IT Budget

As organizations enter 2026, IT leaders face a familiar but increasingly pressing challenge: meeting business expectations, while operating under tighter financial constraints.

Cost sensitivity is rising across industries and IT budgets are under closer scrutiny than ever. At the same time, IT environments continue to grow in complexity, shaped by hybrid work, security requirements and higher service expectations from users.

This makes the beginning of the year a critical moment. Budget decisions made now will define how effectively IT can support the business over the coming months. Achieving budget targets is all about investing wisely and clearly demonstrating value. Data-driven IT service management (ITSM) plays a central role in this shift by turning operational insight into budget-relevant outcomes.

Why IT budgeting matters more than ever

Before budgets can deliver value, there needs to be clarity on what IT budgeting is meant to achieve. A well-structured IT budget is a management framework that supports planning, alignment and accountability across the organization.

At the start of a new budget cycle, IT budgeting serves several critical purposes:

1. Cost management and control

Budgeting provides visibility into IT spending and helps ensure costs remain within agreed limits. This is increasingly important as spending shifts toward subscriptions, cloud services and external providers.

2. Informed decision making

A clear budget enables IT teams to evaluate priorities and make trade-offs based on available funding and expected impact rather than reacting to issues as they arise.

3. Effective resource allocation

Budget planning helps ensure that funding supports core IT operations while focusing effort on areas with the greatest potential business value.

4. Project funding and modernization

Planned budgets enable investment in technology refreshes, addressing technical debt and strengthening cybersecurity instead of deferring critical initiatives.

5. Improved communication and alignment

A defined budget creates transparency between IT, finance and business teams and aligns expectations when planning projects or changes.

6. Risk management

Budget visibility helps identify underfunded areas that may increase operational, security or compliance risks over time.

7. Performance measurement and outcomes

Comparing planned budgets with actual spending allows organizations to evaluate IT performance and improve financial effectiveness year over year.

Without this foundation, even well-intentioned IT initiatives struggle to demonstrate impact or secure ongoing investment.

From budgeting principles to best practices

To move from principles to execution, IT leaders need a practical framework. Defining a clear IT budget that aligns with business objectives requires more than estimating costs or negotiating line items. It calls for proven best practices that connect financial planning with service delivery, operational efficiency and long-term value.

The following sections outline how organizations can structure their budgeting approach, evaluate investments realistically and use ITSM to translate strategic goals into measurable, budget-relevant outcomes.

Best Practice #1: Start budgeting with total cost of ownership in mind

One of the most common pitfalls in IT budgeting is focusing too narrowly on upfront costs. For ITSM in particular, license prices alone rarely reflect the true financial impact of a solution.

A best-practice approach starts with total cost of ownership (TCO). TCO includes acquisition costs as well as implementation effort, time to go live, required internal resources, integration complexity, scalability and ongoing operational overhead.

Solutions that appear affordable at first can become expensive if they require long deployment phases, heavy customization or continued reliance on external support. By contrast, ITSM platforms that enable fast go-live, efficient workflows and gradual optimization often deliver significantly lower costs over their lifecycle.

Platforms like OTRS are designed with total cost of ownership in mind, combining fast deployment, low operational overhead, and a licensing model that avoids linear cost increases as service demand grows.

Introducing TCO early in the budgeting process shifts discussions away from short-term savings toward sustainable value and provides a more realistic basis for evaluating ITSM investments.

Best Practice #2: Connect budgeting with service management

Modern IT budgeting increasingly focuses on outcomes rather than line items. This shift makes structured service management essential. Without visibility, consistency and measurable results, budgets remain theoretical and difficult to defend.

ITSM provides the processes and data needed to connect daily IT operations with financial outcomes. It allows IT teams to move beyond explaining what they spend money on and start demonstrating what the organization gains in return.

By embedding budgeting considerations into ITSM practices, organizations can better align service performance with financial planning and business priorities. This connection is easier to establish when ITSM platforms provide built-in reporting, transparent cost drivers, and processes that are easy to adapt to business needs, as seen in solutions like OTRS.

Best Practice #3: Use data-driven ITSM to change the budget conversation

Traditional IT reporting often centers on activity metrics such as ticket volumes or response times. While operationally useful, these figures rarely resonate with budget holders.

Data-driven ITSM enables a more meaningful conversation by linking service data to budget-relevant questions:

Where are time and resources being consumed inefficiently?
Which recurring issues generate the highest costs?
How does IT performance influence employee productivity?

When IT teams can answer these questions with reliable data, they can demonstrate how service improvements directly support financial goals rather than simply requesting additional budget.

OTRS supports this shift by making service data accessible and actionable, enabling IT teams to translate operational metrics into insights that resonate with financial and business stakeholders.

Best Practice #4: Improve agent productivity before adding headcount

One of the most effective ways to protect IT budgets is to maximize the productivity of existing teams. Skills shortages and hiring challenges make headcount increases costly and uncertain.

Data-driven ITSM supports productivity by centralizing service requests, assets, workflows and knowledge. Automation, clear prioritization and standardized processes reduce manual effort and enable agents to resolve issues faster and more consistently.

From a budgeting perspective, this has a direct impact. Higher productivity reduces backlog, overtime and escalation rates while limiting the need for temporary or external staff. In many cases, improving productivity delivers a stronger return than expanding teams.

Best Practice #5: Reduce dependency on expensive external resources

External services often represent a hidden drain on IT budgets. Consultants, outsourced support or ad hoc assistance are frequently used to compensate for limited visibility or inefficient processes.

Data-driven ITSM helps organizations regain control by making recurring problems and inefficiencies visible. Reporting and analysis functions highlight patterns that allow IT teams to address root causes rather than repeatedly paying for external fixes.

Over time, this leads to more predictable costs, stronger internal capabilities and improved budget stability.

Best Practice #6: Base budget decisions on clear, simple overviews

Reliable budgeting depends on reliable data. Yet many organizations still rely on fragmented tools or spreadsheets when planning IT investments.

ITSM platforms provide clear overviews of service performance, workload distribution and asset usage. These insights do not need to be complex to be effective. Even straightforward dashboards can reveal trends that support better financial decisions.

Understanding which services generate the most demand, where assets are underused, or which processes consume the most effort helps align spending with actual needs rather than assumptions.

Best Practice #7: Apply AI selectively to strengthen ROI

AI is increasingly part of IT budget discussions, but its value depends on practical application. A best-practice approach focuses on use cases that deliver immediate, measurable benefits.

Within data-driven ITSM, AI can support tasks such as ticket classification, trend analysis, or knowledge assistance. These capabilities reduce manual effort and improve consistency without requiring large-scale transformation projects.

OTRS supports a pragmatic approach to AI by enabling flexible integration of AI services where they deliver clear value, without forcing organizations into rigid or one-size-fits-all models.

When AI is integrated flexibly and aligned with existing ITSM processes, it strengthens the ROI case instead of adding complexity or uncertainty.

Best Practice #8: Align ITSM with long-term budget goals

Data-driven ITSM is not a one-time initiative. It is a continuous framework that supports better budgeting year after year. By linking service performance with financial outcomes, IT teams become active contributors to business planning rather than perceived cost centers.

This alignment enables organizations to respond more confidently to budget pressure, adjust priorities as conditions change, and demonstrate value in a language business stakeholders understand.

Conclusion: Turning budget pressure into opportunity

Meeting 2026 budget targets does not require cutting services or delaying modernization. It requires clarity, discipline and the ability to connect investment with outcomes.

By applying IT budgeting best practices and using data-driven ITSM to improve productivity, reduce unnecessary costs, and support informed decisions, organizations can turn budget pressure into an opportunity. In a cost-sensitive environment, this approach is not optional: it is essential.

Laura Diral

IT Budget

Outlook: How SMBs Will Succeed with IT in 2026

Tobias Kortas — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:11:47 +0000

Outlook: How SMBs Will Succeed with IT in 2026

2025-12-18
Tobias Kortas

Digital Transformation

The focus is fixed on the year 2026 and its challenges, but also on its opportunities. Especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), it is crucial to position themselves wisely and deal sensibly with trends—without excessive euphoria or panic, with purpose and aligned to their own capabilities.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved beyond the experimentation phase: now, many companies must implement it in order to remain competitive. At the same time, smart approaches are required in other areas as well. Many SMBs can hardly afford missteps and must therefore convert their resources into measurable results as efficiently as possible.

This article reveals what SMBs can expect from IT in 2026 and what proven solution strategies look like.

Status quo

Many SMBs have a clear backlog when it comes to IT. Somewhat paradoxically, most of them are well aware of their shortcomings, such as outdated approaches, technological legacy systems, a lack of integrations, and the failure to implement modern software solutions. In practice, however, progress is slow due to various constraints such as budget limitations, time capacity, or insufficient internal know-how.

Real progress requires budget and expertise

In our in-house study “The State of SMB IT for 2026,” 29% of the surveyed IT specialists and executives cite budget constraints as the main reason why they do not use advanced ITSM, ITAM, and device management tools. Seventeen percent name a lack of qualified personnel, and 16% cite integration difficulties. However, only 9% see an unclear ROI as the main reason, and just 5% cite no perceived need. This clearly shows that the willingness and understanding of the benefits of advanced tools are present, but that the practical means for implementation are lacking.

Integration as a pain point

ITSM and ITAM processes are also often poorly integrated. To link the two, two thirds (67%) of respondents still rely on manual processes and Excel spreadsheets. Monitoring tools also frequently remain isolated: only 39% of SMBs have fully integrated them with their ITSM systems.

AI – as expected – a top priority

Meanwhile, AI is considered a top priority in the minds of decision-makers: 71% of respondents view it as “important” or “very important,” but in practice they face obstacles such as cost concerns, security issues, insufficient expertise, or integration difficulties. So far, AI is primarily used for IT asset tracking and reporting, task automation, trend analysis, process optimization, and the prediction and prevention of IT incidents.

Overall, many SMBs bring good prerequisites to act progressively, modernly, and with a future-oriented IT strategy. However, they encounter practical obstacles in many areas that are not easy to overcome.

Challenges

A sluggish economy, experiences from multiple crises, cost-cutting pressures: even at the level of IT budgets, overarching challenges are manifold. On the other hand, a shortage of skilled workers, insufficient internal know-how, and small teams face numerous technical hurdles and practical needs.

Another challenge is the presence of tools that are outdated, poorly integrated, or barely aligned with one another. Many IT departments must first resolve their internal issues before they are able to tackle new challenges. This creates a latency period during which many SMBs lose technological ground. This underscores how important it is to continuously maintain and update internal IT processes and to keep an eye on the organization’s ITSM maturity level.

For IT service delivery, in addition to staff shortages and budget constraints as the leading challenges (each cited by 40%), security and compliance (37%), slow response times (35%), and insufficient tool integration (32%) are also considered major challenges.

Opportunities

There are also several areas in which small and medium-sized businesses can turn circumstances to their advantage and develop new capabilities. One key aspect lies in targeted efficiency gains, enabling organizations to achieve as much as possible with limited resources. This first requires an excellent overview of the IT market and the company’s own capabilities.

Important prerequisites include market analyses, maturity assessments, and a focused examination of existing tools and competencies. If companies then deploy AI applications, automation, or process and workflow optimizations precisely where they make sense, previously untapped potential can be unlocked in some cases.

In line with this, many SMBs seize opportunities less through radical IT overhauls and more through targeted modernizations with measurable benefits. Progress is gradual but steady. This is also reflected in the top priorities for 2026:

41% of surveyed SMB representatives primarily want to improve security.
31% are focused on automating IT workflows.
30% are considering introducing AI services or tools.
29% want to invest in increasing employee productivity.
30% identify employee training as a top priority.

It is precisely in these areas that the most valuable opportunities are hidden:

Those who maintain a high level of security protect themselves against numerous threats.
Those who introduce automation and AI operate more efficiently, reduce errors, and gain flexibility.
Those who focus primarily on their employees look inward and recognize what truly matters: people who drive the company forward—especially creatively, strategically, and in value creation.

A derived formula for success could look like this:

SMBs should combine the strengths of artificial intelligence and automation with human creative power in a secure environment. This provides fertile ground for fully developing their potential.

Perspectives for 2026

When we sharpen our focus on the year 2026, several key areas emerge that are decisive for SMBs in terms of their IT strategies.

The rise of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is receiving a great deal of attention—too much, according to some observers, who instead emphasize distinctly human values and strengths. However, there is no contradiction here: for successful, modern, and future-oriented IT, AI plays a key role that only takes on clear form and becomes a game changer when combined with human strengths such as creativity, unconventional thinking, and strategic oversight.

One of the findings of our study “The State of SMB IT for 2026” was that 17% of respondents consider a lack of knowledge or expertise, and 15% integration difficulties, to be the biggest obstacles to using AI. Both are among the most frequently cited answers and can be addressed internally, as they are internal factors, by investing in training and education and by revising the existing tool landscape.

External factors such as costs (19%) or concerns regarding hallucinations and data accuracy (8%), on the other hand, can be addressed through intelligent budgeting and optimized prompting.

For SMBs, the path forward now lies in gradual AI implementation. The relevant applications must be used sensibly for specific tasks and with a clearly identifiable and measurable benefit.

The topic of security

Security remains a top topic for IT. “Safety first” is not just a phrase here, but a clear directive that IT leaders are following. After all, other factors such as the broad implementation of AI and automation or the introduction of new modern tools depend on IT security and compliance.

Security requires continuous attention, particularly in hybrid and remote-oriented work environments. The highest priority is ensuring that regular IT operations run smoothly, without issues, outages, or delays. To avoid and mitigate risks, SMBs should invest not only in relevant technologies but also in process optimization and regular employee training.

To move boldly and confidently into the future, SMBs must not allow security challenges to hold them back.

Enterprise Service Management (ESM)

Take what is successful and promising and apply it as broadly as possible: this is a well-known formula for success. Instead of constantly trying new things, proven practices are applied to new areas. According to this principle, IT Service Management (ITSM) can be expanded into Enterprise Service Management (ESM), allowing as many departments as possible to benefit from useful ITSM practices.

According to our study, typical areas in which SMBs use ITSM-based tools and workflows include customer service (49%), human resources (43%), finance (42%), and office management (41%). However, less typical areas such as facility management or marketing are also suitable for ITSM practices.

In 2026, efficiency and measurable results are required instead of experimentation and exploration. Against this backdrop, SMBs must use the resources available to them wisely and profitably.

Meaningful investments

The question of how much budget is allocated to IT—just as in other areas—can be boiled down to the fundamental question: “Invest or save?” Meaningful investments are the logical answer, but where and how investments will be successful often cannot be clearly determined in advance.

In 2026, SMBs are required to conduct strategic analyses and deploy their IT budgets with precision. Simply saving money means missing out on important developments and trends, while misguided investments can lead to financial imbalance and, as a consequence, almost certainly to technological lag.

Empowering employees

Letting the gaze drift solely toward technology does not even complete half of the puzzle of successful SMB IT. Accordingly, more than half of the surveyed SMBs state that training and continuing education are crucial for achieving an adequate level of ITSM maturity.

This requires not only intuitive tools, but also the appropriate know-how to use them effectively and purposefully. This is a key factor in successfully positioning IT as a strategic driver in support of business objectives in 2026 and beyond.

Background: Employees are increasingly called upon to manage initiatives, make relevant decisions, and achieve problem solutions.

Conclusion

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are currently in a state of tension when it comes to IT. On the one hand, they feel pressure to invest, keep pace with trends and developments, and introduce efficient processes. On the other hand, practical constraints such as technological legacy systems, small teams, and budget limitations stand in the way.

This vicious circle can sometimes weigh heavily, but it can be at least partially broken through intelligent decisions. Companies must have a clear understanding of themselves, their requirements, and their ITSM maturity level in order to make real progress with software, implement task-based AI, and provide appropriate training and education for their employees.

In 2026, the goal is no longer merely to experiment with numerous technological innovations, but to achieve measurable results. This requires, among other things, software that promises a rapid ROI and simplifies day-to-day operations. SMBs must evaluate trends based on their own status quo and adapt them selectively—where it makes operational and strategic sense.

Tobias Kortas

Digital Transformation

Change Management Software: Solutions, Comparison, Interdependencies

Tobias Kortas — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 07:05:44 +0000

Change Management Software: Solutions, Comparison, Interdependencies

2025-12-17
Tobias Kortas

Digital Transformation, ITSM

Change management processes are among the most critical undertakings that organizations have to face. Transformation and change are associated with many uncertainties, ranging from internal resistance to unstructured implementation.

The right software, tools, and methods are required to successfully manage this comprehensive, mission-critical process. This article explains which specific solutions and approaches come into question— including the ten best change management software solutions for 2026.

Software for Change Management

There is much that can be reported about change management and the most suitable approaches for it. Many of these are theoretically sound and can also be adapted in practice (in part), but they lack the decisive element: tools and software that ultimately make change processes successful.

One example: The ADKAR model is very well suited to analyzing change processes in phases. It proves to be a good foundation but, on its own, does not yet create added value, as it does not provide support for the concrete implementation of changes.

What is often missing, therefore, is the topic of software support, which is what makes large change processes possible in the first place. This is the focus of this article.

The Different Types of Change Management Software

In principle, a distinction must be made between software that is developed specifically for change management and solutions that—alongside other functionalities—also support change management. What is always important is the structure that the respective software solution provides and the most intuitive possible usability.

Below are the most important software categories that benefit change processes:

Specific Change Management Software

Yes, it exists—specific software developed exclusively for change management processes. It can be used to plan, implement, and monitor changes. This type of software primarily makes sense for long, extensive processes that can sometimes even span years.

IT Service Management Software

Software designed for IT Service Management (ITSM) offers a frequently used approach, as change management—alongside problem management and incident management—is one of the core ITSM processes. Advantages lie above all in an excellent overview of all change activities, automations, and controlled work on IT services and IT infrastructure.

Business Process Management Software

A Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) supports organizations in designing, modeling, automating, executing, and improving business processes. This makes it also highly suitable for changes to business processes.

Collaboration Software

Collaboration software has found its established place, particularly in hybrid or remote-based work. Often, it is simply about smooth communication. For change projects, it is also of interest for planning, organizing, and managing resources. For “simple” project collaboration, some form of collaboration software is almost always used.

Document Management Software

Document management is broadly defined; in the working world, a well-organized document repository proves to be decisive in many areas. Especially in (critical) change processes, countless documents are generated that must be centrally and clearly available. This also includes audit security and compliance.

The 10 Best Software Solutions for Change Management 2026

In general, the following applies: choosing the most suitable software for change management is an individual matter. Every organization, every industry, and every project comes with specific requirements.

Creating a fixed selection is therefore actually impossible. Thus, the overview of the ten best change management software solutions for 2026 is primarily intended to sharpen the view for the solutions on the market that appear to be the most useful and best suited for change management.

#1 OTRS

OTRS is a software solution developed for ITSM, but it also demonstrates its strengths across departments for Enterprise Service Management (ESM). A key point lies in automated, ITIL-compliant processes that can be excellently adapted to individual requirements.

For change management, OTRS covers and consolidates all requirements. Change processes are, for example, traceable and audit-proof at all times. Responsible parties and dependencies can also be automatically integrated into communication, with the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) providing classifications and documentation for all configuration items (CIs). Reminders, due dates, and priorities support the scheduling.

In short: responsible parties always have the status quo in view, while business processes safely guide through the change process. Automations and AI services accelerate workflows and create valuable capacity.

#2 EasyVista Service Manager

EasyVista Service Manager is an integrated solution that is suitable for the structured control of IT changes. The solution offers clear workflows, automated approvals, and complete transparency across all changes. Risks, impacts, and dependencies can be centrally assessed, while dashboards and reports provide information on process status at any time.

Through flexible customization options, defined roles, and SLAs, EasyVista supports controlled, compliant, and efficient change management.

#3 Freshservice

Through integration with other solutions from the California-based manufacturer Freshworks, the AI-powered Freshservice proves to be well suited for integrated automations in ITSM. Advantages include a user-friendly interface, a structured platform, and a centralized system for all change requests including documentation. With the tool, IT professionals, decision-makers, and stakeholders can collaborate on change processes.

#4 Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management is a holistic ITSM solution with which change requests can be comprehensively covered. Users can carry out risk assessments, access dependencies, and view the potential impact of changes. Those who focus primarily on risks may find Jira Service Management interesting.

#5 ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

This is also a complete ITSM solution with which IT changes can be visualized using a workflow designer. Changes can likewise be logged and tracked based on incidents and problems, and input and approvals can be obtained—for example from members of a Change Advisory Board (CAB). Users can also configure automated workflows and notifications.

#6 Whatfix

Whatfix is a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) that supports organizations in making processes such as change management, user onboarding, and the use of enterprise software more efficient. For change management, the software reduces training effort, aims to support employee adoption, and helps prevent errors when using complex systems.

#7 SolarWinds Service Desk

This is a cloud-based, AI-powered ITSM solution that aims to increase productivity, improve the user experience, and enhance IT operations. For change management, the provider promises structured processes to minimize risks and increase stability. Users are expected to be able to plan, implement, and communicate changes seamlessly.

#8 SysAid

The ITSM provider SysAid offers change management modules that support organizations in planning, tracking, and controlling changes. Promised benefits include seamless collaboration between teams, reduced downtime, and a structured approach to implementing changes.

#9 Ivanti Service Manager

Ivanti Service Manager, as a modular ITSM platform, maps various IT processes in a modular way, including change management in accordance with ITIL standards. Ivanti supports the entire lifecycle of changes in IT environments. Ivanti’s change management environment is intended to enable controlled, transparent, and low-risk implementation of changes.

#10 Monday Service

Monday Service is an Enterprise Service Management (ESM) platform that provides IT and service teams with central tools to uniformly manage workflows, tickets, projects, and change processes. It is intended to support transparent and automated change management in order to maintain service stability and simplify collaboration between different departments.

Important Interdependencies

Software that can be effectively used for change management is connected with many other areas. Below is a quick overview of some important relationships and interdependencies.

Project and Task Management

Project management, for example, often plays an important role, as significant changes logically always lead to projects or were part of a specific project from the outset. For example, kick-off meetings mark the beginning of the implementation phase of projects, which in many cases involve changes.
Task management follows seamlessly, focusing—whether on a project or process basis—on the tasks to be completed along with their status. Especially in important change projects, it is crucial to organize the countless associated tasks excellently and to let them run within a structured framework.

Incident Management and Problem Management

Change management is also closely linked to incident management and problem management. Incidents such as IT disruptions or overarching problems are often what lead to change processes.

A typical example: a long-used IT system repeatedly experiences outages and frustrates users, and even software updates cannot deliver the desired effect. Eventually, a completely new system is required as a change, since existing data protection regulations can no longer be complied with using the current system.

In addition, change projects themselves—as part of the transition and the disruption of familiar procedures—can in some cases lead to problems and disruptions, even though this should be avoided as much as possible. Thus, changes are also linked in this way to the resolution of incidents and problems.

Configuration Management

In the practical implementation of IT changes, configuration management also plays an important role, as having an overview of all affected IT assets and their connections or dependencies is essential. A Configuration Management Database (CMDB) therefore proves to be extremely valuable for change management.

This makes it clear which parts of the IT infrastructure will be affected by the respective changes, enabling measures to be controlled with regard to all IT assets so that outages, interruptions, and disruptions do not occur.

In the context of these interdependencies, it becomes clear that for change management—at least for changes to the IT infrastructure—an ITSM solution that satisfactorily covers all areas is extremely beneficial.

FAQ

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to change management software.

#1 What is change management software important for?

Change management software helps ensure that change processes—whether to IT infrastructure or in other areas—take place within a controlled framework and are carried out efficiently, securely, and without unintended negative consequences.

The respective software solutions provide a good overview, create a platform for goal-oriented collaboration, facilitate communication among professionals, decision-makers, and stakeholders, and ensure documentation, traceability, and transparency.

#2 Which change management software is best suited for mid-sized companies?

This question certainly cannot be answered in general terms, as much depends on individual, internal organizational requirements. However, mid-sized companies are often price-sensitive and can focus less on highly specialized areas than large enterprises and corporations.

Therefore, comprehensive solutions with fair pricing packages prove to be sensible. Consequently, the focus is less on specialized change management solutions and more on ITSM solutions that cover change management as a core area. This includes, among other things, a conscious approach to the IT budget as well as a smart approach such as determining the individual ITSM maturity level, on the basis of which the requirements for the “right” software solution can be perfectly identified.

Tip: In our report “The State of SMB IT for 2026,” you can learn—based on original survey data—how small and mid-sized businesses position themselves with regard to ITSM maturity, tools, AI, and automations.

#3 Where can change management software be tested for free?

Testing change management software for free is readily possible, as providers generally offer a free demo. Interested parties thus get in contact with an expert, can state their requirements, goals, and wishes, and do not incur any obligations.

#4 Where can change management software with GDPR-compliant data processing be purchased?

When selecting software, compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) plays an outstanding role alongside other compliance and security aspects. Anyone wishing to host or license software with a view to GDPR should value European hosting options or EU data centers. To also clarify security specifics, native-language support in the customer’s own language is important.

With US data centers or US companies, on the other hand, the CLOUD Act (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act), which allows US authorities access to stored data, could become a problem.

From the list of providers, one should select those that meet the criteria mentioned here.

#5 How do cloud-based and on-premises solutions for change management software differ?

Cloud and on-premises solutions differ due to hosting: “On premises” means that the customer hosts the software locally (on premises) in their own data center, while with cloud options the provider takes over hosting.

Manufacturers often offer both options, with the cloud increasingly becoming the standard. However, particularly when it comes to special, individual security standards, customers prefer on-premises solutions, while others prefer to entrust the effort for updates and security patches to the provider through a cloud option.

Conclusion

Change management tools and software: they do not necessarily belong to an organization’s standard repertoire, but they are immensely important for successfully implementing larger change projects in particular. They find their place in the context of ITSM, process and project management, as well as collaboration and document management.

For organizations, the challenge lies in selecting the exactly right software and tools. For very large change projects, specific change management software is suitable. However, typical ITSM solutions are more commonly used for change management, especially for changes that primarily affect IT infrastructure.

Since areas such as incident management, problem management, configuration management, as well as project and task management are connected to change management, many logically interrelated disciplines can thus be combined at once.

A software solution that enables change management as part of a comprehensive package of functionalities and features proves to be efficient and cost-optimized. As a rule, a return on investment (ROI) is achieved particularly quickly, especially with many integrations as well as well-designed automations and intelligent use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Finally, two brief tips:

If it concerns IT change management, it is advisable to conduct an ITSM maturity assessment before selecting software.
For important decisions regarding change management—including the selection of the software solution—it makes sense to rely on a Change Advisory Board (CAB) consisting of IT professionals, decision-makers, consultants, and stakeholders.

Tobias Kortas

Digital Transformation, ITSM

Service Level Management: Benefits and Application in the Ticketing System

Tobias Kortas — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:52:33 +0000

Service Level Management: Benefits and Application in the Ticketing System

2025-12-11
Tobias Kortas

ITSM

Expectations and reality often differ. With intelligent Service Level Management (SLM) – also called service quality management – a different picture emerges: this way, service providers and their customers know exactly which services must be delivered and to what extent.

In IT Service Management (ITSM), support from a ticketing system is necessary to fully meet customer expectations. This article shows what the right software features can accomplish so that both customers and service providers feel clarity and complete satisfaction.

Definition: Service Level Management (SLM)

Service Level Management defines, negotiates, and optimizes the delivery of IT services. It also monitors the service provider’s ability to meet the promised service levels and generates reports about them.

The overarching purpose of this ITIL® discipline is to continuously adapt IT services to customer expectations.

Benefits that Service Level Management (SLM) provides

Here is a brief outline of how advanced Service Level Management benefits service providers and their customers.

Benefit #1: Ensuring customer satisfaction

Customers generate revenue for companies that want to ensure their satisfaction. This is achieved precisely and effectively with Service Level Agreements (SLAs):

Customers define clear requirements and expectations.
Companies define their services and the criteria for fulfilling them precisely.

The major advantage: the services and their costs are absolutely objectively traceable, leaving no inconsistencies or room for debate.

Tip: The exact timeframe in which customers can expect a response and a solution should be clearly established. Differentiating by communication channel makes sense, as customers expect faster responses in chat than by email.

Benefit #2: Minimizing risks

Because IT services and the related tasks are clearly defined, providers run little risk of overlooking anything. This prevents potential downtime for customers and potential sanctions or penalties for service providers.

Regular reporting and KPIs act as an early warning system for detecting and correcting deviations early.
Effort can be realistically assessed and responsibility clearly assigned.
By continuously monitoring service quality, potential weaknesses can be identified at any time.

“The best customer service is when customers don’t need to call you, don’t need to speak to you. It just works.”

Jeff Bezos

Founder of Amazon

Benefit #3: Controlling costs

Once Service Level Agreements are concluded with customers, they can serve as the basis for current and future needs. This makes clear which costs – both technical and personnel-related – can be expected.

This allows service providers to plan precisely and keep costs within the right scope: IT services are neither underutilized nor insufficiently equipped (i.e., overloaded).

Tip: Despite internal cost optimization, one should never lose sight of the customer’s costs. For example, if a premium customer suffers downtime or delayed problem resolution due to cost savings, it is extremely counterproductive.

Benefit #4: Continuous improvement

Clarity is the mother of improvement. With clear agreements and shared value creation, service providers and customers can use their resources efficiently. Over time, this leads to high efficiency for all parties involved.

Tip: With well-developed SLAs, all parties can communicate with transparency. This enhances the communication culture and acts as a useful tool to encourage improvements. It is paradoxical, but precisely because SLAs are binding—and therefore central—they serve beautifully as a starting point for relevant optimizations.

Service Level Management in the Ticketing System

With the right ticketing system, Service Level Management can fully demonstrate its value. Without appropriate software support, this process cannot be built in a sound and purposeful way.

The right software supports SLM in two ways:

It provides views that give insight into Service Level Agreements.
Many features indirectly support Service Level Management.

Service-Level-Management Views

Specific views make it immediately clear what the current status of Service Level Management is, which actions are necessary, and how different elements relate to each other.

Information about a service level agreement is displayed.
It provides insight into timeframes related to a Service Level Agreement.
It lists services that may require action—indicated by statuses such as warning or incident.
It displays the services linked to the respective Service Level Agreement.

Features that support Service Level Management

There are several features and functionalities in ticketing systems that are beneficial to Service Level Management. These form the foundation for building a dedicated SLM.

Through a clear IT Asset Management (ITAM) system and the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), all IT assets and their relationships are visible. This provides an excellent overview during issues, helping reduce resolution times, meeting promised service times, and preventing incidents and problems.
Automatic time tracking in Time and Quota Management helps you meet agreed-upon time commitments in a reliable and verifiable way.
With comprehensive escalation management, even complex cases can be resolved quickly enough to meet Service Level Agreements, as they are rapidly escalated to the appropriate contacts.
An IT service catalog is similar to a restaurant menu. Services can be assigned SLAs, including automatic SLA selection based on agreements.
Traceability is the only way to clearly prove the adherence (or non-adherence) to Service Level Agreements. Audit and compliance functions provide a complete history of relevant events and seamless documentation.

How OTRS supports Service Level Management

OTRS offers flexibly definable services and SLAs with clear response, update, and resolution times. A precise escalation system displays deadlines and automatically sends warnings in case of (impending) violations.

Workflows—such as forwarding or escalations—can be automated via the Generic Agent. SLA information is visible directly in the ticket, while reports and dashboards provide a quick overview of SLA fulfillment. The service catalog and CMDB also give a clear view of services and their dependencies.

Conclusion

Service Level Management (SLM) often seem somewhat complicated, but only to a certain extent: Service Level Agreements specify what type of service the provider must deliver by when and how the service recipient compensates for it. SLM defines, optimizes, and monitors this process.

In ITSM, with a multitude of interwoven services, the standard approach leads through dedicated software support. Various features and functionalities assist in this process, either developed directly for Service Level Management or indirectly supporting it.

Tobias Kortas

ITSM

The Future of Service Management: Automation, AI and Beyond IT

Laura Diral — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:31:49 +0000

The Future of Service Management: Automation, AI and Beyond IT

2025-12-04
Laura Diral

Customer Service

As organizations prepare their strategies for 2026, service management stands at an important turning point. The coming year will bring rapid technological shifts, rising expectations and the need for operating models that can adapt with greater speed and reliability. Many teams are now evaluating how to position themselves for what lies ahead, how to simplify growing complexity and how to make service delivery more strategic across the entire business.

Several trends are already shaping this outlook. Automation is evolving into a fundamental capability for efficiency. AI is becoming part of everyday operations. Integration is emerging as the base for transparent and connected workflows. Security is more intertwined with service quality than ever before. And service management continues to expand beyond IT into enterprise-wide practices. Understanding these developments helps organizations refine their plans for the next year and build service ecosystems that support long term resilience and business value.

This growing clarity also highlights how central service management has become. IT is now expected to provide consistent service, adapt to new demands and maintain control over increasingly complex environments. The upcoming year will amplify these expectations. Businesses want faster delivery, stronger self-service options, better visibility and more predictable operations.

Meeting these expectations requires a departure from reactive work. It demands structured processes, connected platforms and a clear approach to how technology supports the organization. The future of ITSM will be shaped by the ability to reduce complexity and deliver clear, reliable service at every touchpoint.

#1 Automation as a foundation for consistent services

Automation has progressed from exploratory use to a structural requirement. Rising ticket volumes, resource constraints and distributed work environments have made manual processes impractical. Organizations now look for automation to increase consistency, while strengthening service quality.

In 2026, automation will influence far more than simple tasks. It will support lifecycle operations, accelerate approvals and help unify actions across different systems. It will also free teams to focus on improvements that have long been delayed by daily operational pressure.

The evolution is easy to see. Organizations that invest in automation gain the resilience needed to maintain high performance, even during periods of change.

Automation becomes the backbone of stability, enabling IT to deliver predictable and scalable service experiences.

#2 AI shapes the future of service management

AI is poised to play a much greater role in daily operations in 2026. Rather than serving as a distant innovation topic, AI is increasingly embedded into the practical work of service management. It supports classification, identifies trends, enriches communication and provides insights at a speed that human teams alone cannot match.

Findings from the new report by EasyVista and OTRS – The State of SMB IT for 2026 – reflect this shift. Most organizations consider AI in ITSM as important for successes and are already using it to enhance asset tracking, automate tasks and support user interactions through chatbots.

AI generated analysis also helps teams anticipate demands and detect patterns that would otherwise remain hidden. Building on this momentum, AI will continue to evolve into a dependable part of the service ecosystem, helping organizations respond faster, interpret data more effectively and maintain service quality in complex environments.

#3 Integration becomes the foundation of modern ITSM

As service environments grow, integration emerges as one of the most critical trends shaping the year ahead. Many organizations still operate with separate solutions for ticketing, asset management, monitoring and remote access. This creates unnecessary complexity, slows collaboration, makes data difficult to trust.

In 2026, the ability to integrate systems will determine how efficiently IT teams can work. Integrated platforms eliminate blind spots, cut unnecessary work and create a clear path for every request from start to finish. When the entire service landscape is unified in one ecosystem, information becomes clearer and service delivery gains both speed and context.

Integration also improves decision making. With unified data, IT teams can understand dependencies, identify recurring issues and act with more confidence. It strengthens governance and supports risk management by ensuring that changes, incidents and assets are always connected to reliable information.

Ultimately, integration transforms service management from a series of isolated tasks into a coordinated and transparent operating model. It becomes the underlying structure that supports automation, AI and every strategic improvement that follows.

#4 Security rises as a strategic IT imperative

Security has become inseparable from service management, and this trend will intensify in 2026. Hybrid environments, mobile devices and cloud applications have increased the attack surface, making security a continuous practice rather than a periodic initiative.

The EasyVista and OTRS report, The State of SMB IT for 2026, highlights this reality. Many organizations struggle to secure devices, manage endpoint risks and maintain reliable asset visibility. Cybersecurity disruptions remain one of the most significant impacts of IT incidents, demonstrating how deeply security and service continuity are connected.

As organizations prepare for the next year, security will influence ITSM strategies in several ways. Accurate asset inventories will be prioritized. Remote access will require stronger controls. Patch and update processes will become more automated. And monitoring will need to be integrated into service workflows to ensure rapid response.

Security now stands as a core requirement for stable service operations and must be woven into processes, tools and culture.

#5 Enterprise Service Management extends beyond IT

The future of service management will reach far outside the IT department. Many organizations are already adopting structured workflows for HR, Finance, Customer Service, Facilities. This approach allows teams to manage requests, tasks and documentation with greater transparency and accountability.

In 2026, this evolution will gain speed. As organizations push for efficiency and consistency, service management will serve as the common framework for how work is requested and delivered across the business. The outcome is smoother employee experience and a more coordinated flow of information between departments.

Enterprise Service Management (ESM) also supports decision making. With common workflows and shared data, leaders gain clearer insights into bottlenecks, resource needs and service quality across all functions.

#6 Skills and culture remain the drivers of continuous growth

Technology continues to evolve quickly, but the success of ITSM still depends on people. Modernizing processes, adopting AI or integrating platforms require teams who understand how to operate them and how to adapt them to business goals.

Training, change enablement and clear governance will therefore remain essential in 2026. Teams need the confidence to manage new capabilities and the clarity to align their work with strategic objectives. Without these foundations, even the best platforms will not deliver their full value.

Organizations that prioritize skills development will progress faster, maintain higher quality and experience fewer disruptions when adopting new technology.

Conclusion: shaping the next phase of service management

The outlook for 2026 reflects a service environment that is evolving quickly and becoming more interconnected. Automation, AI, integration, security and enterprise-wide workflows will guide how organizations strengthen their operations and support future growth.

Service management is moving beyond its traditional boundaries: it is becoming a strategic capability that influences business resilience, employee experience and long-term innovation. The organizations that succeed will be those that plan with clarity, invest in sustainable improvements and build service ecosystems that are transparent, integrated and ready for the demands ahead.

Laura Diral

Customer Service

Self-Service Portal: ROI and Benefits

Tobias Kortas — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:44:24 +0000

Self-Service Portal: ROI and Benefits

2025-11-28
Tobias Kortas

Customer Service, IT Budget

Self-service is commonly regarded as a lifesaver for IT departments and their service desks that are under pressure from both time and budget constraints. As part of a strategy to improve resolution times, reduce costs, or enhance the end-user experience and customer satisfaction, this makes complete sense.

These three points are among the frequently cited, overarching benefits of self-service. In this article, we take a closer look at the broader spectrum of self-service benefits, the associated return on investment (ROI), and how to best achieve it.

The Benefits of Self-Service

Self-service portals offer a wide range of benefits, including:

#1 Cost Savings and Increased Efficiency

IT reduces costs and speeds up request resolution by enabling end users through self-help automations or “shift-left” to take on tasks that were previously handled by the service desk.

#2 Improved Customer- and Employee-Oriented Experience

Today’s customers and employees have certain expectations regarding the accessibility of communication channels. Self-service offerings complement this spectrum and lead to low-barrier support experiences.

For IT departments, this means users now expect self-service options in the workplace, including ticket creation, IT service catalogs, and knowledge bases, as well as anytime, location-independent access from any device.

#3 Greater Support Availability

Self-service can be used to provide 24/7 support, at least for all cases that users can realistically resolve on their own. For more complex matters, self-service can at least provide an important starting point.

The potential of self-service becomes particularly striking when it is offered in multiple languages and time zones: this generates significantly lower costs than hiring native-speaking support staff to cover these cases.

#4 Relief for Overburdened Service Desks

A self-service portal diverts calls away from the phone channel, which can greatly reduce the workload of the IT service desk. Support staff can process self-service tickets during less intensive periods provided that priorities and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) permit this. This also contributes to cost savings because staffing needs become more balanced, meaning peaks and fluctuations in ticket volume decrease.

All these benefits positively influence the IT service desk, end users, and the organization as a whole. However, it’s important to understand that these advantages only materialize if self-service usage is high enough to make a meaningful difference in daily operations.

#5 Additional Support Through AI

Many applications leverage the advantages of artificial intelligence (AI), thereby increasing the value and thus the ROI of a self-service portal. Typically, AI chatbots answer questions, refer users to helpful resources, and provide guidance.

Moreover, AI-supported knowledge bases make accessing information even easier, with modern features such as AI translations facilitating multilingual use.

Realizing the ROI of Self-Service

In the past, achieving the desired ROI from self-service was difficult, mainly because it was often implemented insufficiently. In short: many users were not properly aware of the offerings or were unable to use them effectively.

Today, however, the situation looks different: there are now many initiatives to raise awareness of these offerings, as well as advanced ways to implement self-service. This creates new opportunities to unlock the full potential of a self-service portal.

Key ROI drivers, self-service components with particularly high value, include:

Detailed knowledge bases with Knowledge Base Articles (KBA) and thorough instructions
Clear, centrally accessible answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Low-barrier AI chatbots that answer questions instantly

Conclusion: Once an organization sufficiently explores self-service portals, their capabilities, and the user perspective, ROI can typically be achieved quickly.

Calculating the ROI of Self-Service

What matters most: The success of self-service is absolutely achievable, and companies are increasingly investing in this success. There is no doubt that self-service plays a major role in the present and future of IT support. But how can your company justify the initial or additional investment?

While all the benefits mentioned above are important, most business cases focus on measurable, quantitative advantages – especially financial savings.

Two aspects are particularly important:

What are the realistic average costs per ticket?
How much can these costs be reduced through a self-service portal?

“Cost per Ticket”

A commonly used ITSM KPI is the so-called Cost per Ticket (CPT). This refers to the average cost an organization incurs for processing a single ticket.

All operational expenses are considered, including personnel, license costs, infrastructure, etc. This total is then divided by the number of tickets resolved in the corresponding period.

Cost per Ticket: Total service desk costs / total number of resolved tickets

Note: Costs per ticket can vary significantly depending on the ticket type. Incidents (e.g., simple desktop support) are typically cheaper than complex service requests or problem resolutions.

Calculating Savings / Saving Potential Through Self-Service

The simplest way to determine the (potential) ROI of a self-service portal is to calculate the monthly gross savings: multiply the expected number of tickets that will be deflected by self-service by the average savings per ticket.

This is not an exact science, but it provides at least an indication of the monthly saving potential. These savings can then be compared against the one-time and ongoing costs of the self-service solution to calculate the ROI. If necessary, a payback period analysis can also be performed.

Information You Will Need

To do this, you need:

The total number of tickets your service desk handles per month
A realistic estimate of what percentage can be deflected by self-service
Ticket costs per unit (or use the industry averages listed below)
Known one-time and ongoing self-service costs
(Note: Since self-service capabilities are often already included in modern ITSM platforms, some costs may instead reflect optimizing your ITSM investment.)

Average Costs

According to MetricNet, the following average costs apply:

Self-help (Level 0) – 2 USD
Service Desk (Level 1) – 22 USD
Desktop Support – 69 USD
IT Support (Level 2) – 104 USD

Since these values date back to 2017, they should be used with caution. However, they still provide a reasonable impression of how costs increase significantly with each service level.

Above all, they clearly illustrate the savings potential of a well-designed self-service portal. In this example, each request resolved through self-help instead of the service desk saves 20 USD, typically the case for a password reset.

Conclusion: High Savings Potential

Clients who still require support staff after using self-help are generally better prepared and therefore also incur lower costs.

Note: In general, cost per ticket fluctuates significantly and can vary greatly by case. Particularly extreme outliers – fairly high costs for individual tickets – highlight how valuable a self-service portal truly is.

The more tickets (and related support effort) are shifted to self-service, the cheaper they are to resolve. An important goal of self-service is therefore to relieve service and support staff, especially in simple and recurring cases. This saves time, reduces stress, and lowers costs, meaning a positive ROI is within reach.

Conclusion

Self-service clearly offers significant financial advantages for organizations. However, this requires implementing a suitable portal effectively and ensuring that clients, both customers and employees, become thoroughly familiar with it.

In addition to the obvious financial benefits, self-service also provides productivity and end-user satisfaction advantages that should not be underestimated. A happy, productive workforce is vital for any company and self-service plays a crucial role in this.

Equally important is a satisfied customer base, which pays off in the medium and long term not only through “hard” metrics such as customer retention rate (CRR), upselling, or acquiring new customers based on referrals.

Tobias Kortas

Customer Service, IT Budget

IT Budget: Status Quo for Companies and Outlook

Tobias Kortas — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:39:44 +0000

IT Budget: Status Quo for Companies and Outlook

2025-11-26
Tobias Kortas

IT Budget

What truly determines success in IT is the way companies use the budget available to them. Certainly: Many organizations are currently feeling increasing budget pressure due to the tense situation in the global market.

For IT leaders, this often means working with a smaller budget. Their task is now to use it as intelligently and purposefully as possible.

This does not necessarily mean a radical cost-cutting course, but with foresight can also include sensible investments when an adequate return on investment (ROI) is in sight. It is a small paradox: the benefit factor ultimately saves much more than the savings that would have been achieved, for example, by forgoing the right software solution.

This article examines the financial situation in which especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) find themselves (and will find themselves), and how they can best deal with it.

IT Budget: The Current Framework

Organizations often face the challenge of achieving as much as possible with a limited IT budget. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), resources are often insufficient to invest on a large scale. This gives rise to the need to act skillfully and use the available budget in the right places.

Task: Achieving Improvements with Limited Budget

Increasing the resilience and performance of IT with little budget may seem like squaring the circle, but it is precisely the task IT leaders face. Advancing possibilities to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and automation into processes help with this challenge, but at the same time demand new investments.

One thing is clear: Organizations can hardly avoid new IT expenditures if they want to maintain or even increase their competitiveness. In this situation, hardly any misstep seems permissible. Achieving an adequate ROI becomes a mandatory task.

Companies Act Cautiously

It is therefore unsurprising that many companies act hesitantly and shy away from investments. In our survey “The State of SMB IT for 2026”, 29 percent of IT professionals and leaders cite budget constraints as the main reason they do not use advanced ITSM, ITAM, and device management solutions — by far the most frequently named factor.

Likewise, budget constraints, at 40 percent, are tied with the lack of qualified staff as the biggest challenge in IT service delivery.

Outdated IT Infrastructures Lead to Investment Pressure

This means that outdated IT infrastructures and existing isolated systems are blocking progress. Instead of gradually moving into the technological fast lane, many small and medium-sized enterprises find themselves at a dead end. They are often all too aware that they need to modernize their IT infrastructure.

But internally, investment gaps and technological legacy issues prevent rapid advancement. As a result, they often remain reactive instead of being able to take a proactive role in shaping technological change.

This leads to the understandable realization that allowing oneself to fall behind technologically is possible, but by no means recommended: Many companies feel the investment pressure and want to generate higher strategic value with their IT.

Outlook

The question rightly arises as to how companies can achieve exactly that in 2026 and beyond and thereby contribute to overarching business goals. The path is clear: targeted modernization with measurable benefit must be pursued.

A radical overhaul, on the other hand, would exceed the scope, would not achieve the required changes in the short to medium term, and would not strengthen current practices. Thus, many companies now proceed iteratively and orient themselves toward the status quo. Continuous improvement is the logical path to take.

IT Security Is the Top Priority

The most important priority for most is improving IT security: 41 percent of surveyed SME representatives assign it the highest importance for 2026, followed by workflow automation (31 percent), the introduction of AI tools (30 percent), and increased employee productivity (29 percent).

This points to the manifold challenges of hybrid environments and data protection on the one hand, but also clearly to a performance orientation on the other. When companies invest, they expect clear improvements.

Companies Want to Invest More in Employees

It is noteworthy that not only tools, software solutions, and features are in focus, but also people: 27 percent of respondents consider employee training an important priority. This makes sense and shows foresight. After all, even the best software solutions have only limited impact if the employees responsible for them do not know them well enough or do not know how to unlock their full potential.

Fittingly, 62 percent of respondents see training and education as an important factor in improving their ITSM practices. This suggests that many employees are overwhelmed by tools and software or at least unable to fully exploit their potential.

Cost-Benefit Ratio: Efficiency Counts

A full 56 percent see easy-to-use AI and automation functions as the key to optimizing their ITSM practices. Additionally, 48 percent cite access to affordable software.

In summary, advanced, user-friendly solutions and features at manageable costs are required for employees to use them effectively. This is precisely the focus for 2026: a coherent cost-benefit ratio that moves companies forward. Ideally, tools are inexpensive, ruthlessly effective, and used by knowledgeable, well-trained employees who handle them skillfully.

Thus, efficiency becomes the decisive maxim: it consists of various components that, working together, can truly make a difference. Companies that want to make a decisive impact with their IT in 2026 must look at the big picture. Holistically and iteratively, IT can move forward even with a limited budget (more on this below).

Best Practices: The Path to Return on Investment (ROI)

Implementing a good, affordable software solution, introducing advanced AI and automation functions, and training employees effectively – in practice, though this is often not easy. Even if the direction is clear, decision-makers still face the question of how to use their often limited IT budget in 2026 as effectively as possible to achieve their goals.

The following are several helpful practices that support making the most effective use of the IT budget.

#1: Work with Your Own Maturity Level

When the IT budget is limited, good, granular approaches matter even more. For example, targeted and highly value-oriented ITSM can be best initiated when the IT team knows exactly where it stands and which steps it needs to take.

These insights are provided by a maturity assessment, which can be carried out quite easily. Based on various dimensions – such as processes, governance and strategy, or technology and tools – the next logical steps become clear to align ITSM with the achievement of relevant overarching business goals.

Once the decision to invest in a new software solution has been made on this basis, the path to a positive ROI becomes significantly easier.

#2: View IT Costs Holistically

Costs are not just costs. There are different cost factors and value drivers that together should result not in pure expenses but in investments with generous returns. When acquiring a software solution, many companies focus solely on the price. However, this is only part of the picture. Holistic concepts such as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) are more suitable for providing clarity on all costs throughout the entire lifecycle. This is also the task of focused IT asset management.

Decision-makers should also examine the existing IT infrastructure with a cost- and value-oriented mindset and retire tools and applications that primarily cause costs and provide little value. For example, many companies unnecessarily pay for licenses that almost no one uses. On the other hand, fair models such as “Concurrent Agents” already provide significant cost advantages. In this model, companies pay only for as many agents as are working in the system at any given time.

#3: Implement AI Gradually and Based on Needs

Many companies are eager to keep pace with the AI revolution – a correct mindset. After all, our survey data also shows that AI functions matter more in 2026. However, with budget intelligence in mind, it is important not to launch a large-scale AI revolution within the company. Used indiscriminately, AI quickly becomes a pure cost factor that does not bring the expected efficiency gains.

Instead, the focus must be on where AI can make the biggest difference in IT operations. Primarily in these areas, corresponding applications can be used gradually and experimentally. For example, AI-based summaries in ticket systems can deliver enormous advantages, especially for extensive histories and conversations.

Flexible offerings such as booking individual AI services are an easy way to implement this incremental approach.

#4: Support Employees

Training as well as continuing education for employees are among the key factors currently prioritized by small and medium-sized enterprises. However, this area is highly individual: employees often need to apply knowledge in very specific ways and have very different needs regarding training initiatives.

Therefore, companies must accompany and support employees individually. This works when leaders determine together with employees which courses and training sessions are suitable and effective – for example through feedback, assessments, regular exchanges, or simply daily work life. Standard training for everyone only makes sense in broadly applied transitions.

#5: Automate Recurring Tasks as Much as Possible

Automation is also a prominent focus according to our “The State of SMB IT for 2026” report. Standard tasks that recur continuously consume a lot of time — often unnecessarily so. The major advantage: a few simple automations already provide significant time savings and productivity gains, which in turn improve the return on the IT budget used.

Automating individual workflows and setting up standard notifications are good first steps. Additionally, a targeted knowledge base with instructions, descriptions, and how-to articles can be built as an important resource for support cases. Furthermore, companies can strengthen self-service through measures such as integrating AI chatbots, user forums, or updated FAQ pages.

The central goal is always to relieve service and support staff so they can focus more on value-creating tasks with tangible benefits.

Conclusion: Investing Pays Off — Even With a Tight IT Budget

There is clearly budget pressure in IT. Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular must be thrifty. Instead of radical cost-cutting, carefully chosen investments are usually the better choice. When possible, companies should invest strategically, as this is the only way to remain competitive and cost-efficient in the medium and long term.

The calculation is simple: through smart selection – for example of software solutions and advanced features – a clearly positive return on investment (ROI) becomes apparent after a short time. Key indicators include employee productivity, performance improvements, customer satisfaction, or the degree of automation achieved. This allows teams to accomplish a lot even with relatively small manpower and gain substantial time savings, especially in IT support.

Learn how you can get more out of your IT budget with OTRS software solutions.

Tobias Kortas

IT Budget

How to Improve Support Productivity

Tobias Kortas — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 08:20:37 +0000

How to Improve Support Productivity

2025-11-19
Tobias Kortas

Customer Service

Immediate, competent support – that’s an important expectation customers have of companies. Customer service not only shapes public perception but is also an important factor for revenue. In other words: even with excellent products and services, outstanding service and support are indispensable.

In this article, you’ll learn what specific steps you can take to have a productive service team and happy customers. You can do this with a balanced mix of proven methods, useful software features, and clear, practical tips.

Intelligent Request Management

Handling inquiries skillfully lies at the heart of the criteria for a well-positioned customer service team. Inquiries must be centrally recorded and traceable – with clear responsibilities, centralized communication, and ideally, service level agreements.

In a few words: intelligent request management exists when agents have immediate access to all the important information and the right tools to handle customer concerns competently and quickly.

On the one hand, this requires an excellent internal structure and organization, achieved for example through comprehensive onboarding and training of employees, but also through clear analysis of needs and performance outcomes. On the other hand, it requires dedicated software support.

These tools help support employees handle inquiries more effectively:

A central knowledge base allows relevant information to be quickly accessed.
A ticketing system must provide an detailed overview of communication histories.

Tip: Context is the most important tool in support. Valuable references include ticket histories and customer data that are centrally captured in software. Equipped with such information, inquiries can be handled quickly and efficiently, which has a positive correlation on customer satisfaction.

Making Smart Use of Self-Service

Self-service portals are firmly established in modern interactions between companies and customers. Where employees once had to be involved even in simple processes, customers now handle these steps themselves in many cases. This applies not only to bookings or managing their own data but also to guides and simple problem-solving. If that doesn’t work, employees are still available as points of contact.

With functional self-service, support now has more time and can focus on complex problem-solving. This means less tedious, time-consuming work on the same recurring cases and more meaningful work, which increases motivation. This creates a double positive effect: employees can use their time more productively and profitably while also being more motivated which further increases productivity.

Tip: It’s worth investing a lot of time proactively in a self-service portal. In the end, the benefit of helpful guides and knowledge bases is so great that both companies and users benefit from it in the long term. For example, employees can write “guides for guides” resources that enable them to share their knowledge easily and effectively.

Process and Workflow Management

Efficient work requires the right processes and workflows. In other words: even if support makes great efforts, it must be done the right way with functional structure and order.

Accordingly, a well-thought-out process and workflow management are required so that agents achieve measurable results. The path usually involves process optimization and automation, once processes are mature.

Optimizing Processes

Borrowed from Japanese culture, the principle of continuous improvement has become firmly established, especially in IT Service Management (ITSM). New processes have the potential to improve efficiency and effectiveness but are often characterized by low maturity. Instead of constantly introducing new processes, it’s better to continuously improve existing ones, even to the point of perfection.

A perfect support process might look like this: tasks, including escalations, are clearly defined and properly assigned, and all potentially useful resources are available. With such a process, employees can act with maximum productivity and fully develop their potential, while customers enjoy a positive service experience and satisfactory problem resolution.

Tip: Don’t overdo process optimization. Often, “semi-good” processes are already enough to support employees to work productively. Instead of endlessly optimizing already mature processes, focus on identifying which current processes have weaknesses and fix them step by step.

Managing Workflows Professionally

A workflow is a sequence of work steps. In customer service, this might mean that a specific problem requires a series of steps to solve. Workflow management organizes and structures these steps systematically so that processes lead to expected results faster and with fewer errors.

In support, such workflows are especially needed for complex issues where one step – often depending on the result of the previous one – leads to the next. A good workflow shows agents exactly how to handle a specific issue – for example, a local system outage – to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Tip: Does the term “workflow management” sound complicated? Thinking of it as setting up a logical sequence of work steps sounds simpler. Don’t be intimidated by seemingly difficult tasks – software providers typically offer excellent consulting support.

Introducing Meaningful Automations

It’s entirely possible and reasonable to automate some steps in customer support. For example, software can automatically assign tickets correctly, provide standard responses, or generate solution suggestions. Partial workflow automation is also feasible.

In support, automations are typically most effective for standard responses and recurring tasks, saving a lot of time without risking errors or inconsistencies.

Tip: As mentioned earlier in this article, processes should be optimized before they’re automated; otherwise, errors or suboptimal workflows will just be repeated. To evaluate where your organization stands, an ITSM maturity assessment can be useful.

AI Integration

Where automation exists, artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t far away. And indeed, AI can help support teams in many ways. However, it should be used consciously and with clear goals in mind. For example, instead of deploying it broadly right away, it’s better to use it strategically for specific, value-oriented processes.

When implemented correctly, AI in customer service can ease the workload for employees and enable efficient operations – for example, by detecting issues early and potentially preventing escalations. AI can also allow for personalized customer engagement, such as through data analysis or individualized reminders.

Tip: To be successful with AI integration in support, take an incremental (iterative) approach. This way, support gradually gains experience and customers slowly become accustomed to AI functionalities. Organizations can take a flexible approach, beginning with individual AI services.

The Factor of a Productive Working Atmosphere

Many factors that are highly beneficial for professional ITSM or Enterprise Service Management (ESM) have already been discussed. These are extremely valuable, but they can only unfold their full potential under the right conditions.

A positive, productive work climate is the basic prerequisite for support to reach its full performance. This includes setting clear expectations for employees. Instead of defining many vague goals, a few clear objectives should always be front and center. In most organizations, these include minimizing time to first response, achieving a high first contact resolution (FCR), and maintaining a strong customer satisfaction score.

Organizations should also ensure that their support employees feel comfortable. This includes providing comprehensive onboarding and training, facilitating (cross-team) collaboration – for example, through good information flow and joint work on tickets – and celebrating achievements appropriately. The work climate should be based on strong mutual support and minimal pressure, avoiding unrealistic targets whenever possible.

Social Proof: How OTRS Customers Achieve Higher Productivity

The best way to learn how support can become more productive, faster, and more successful is from organizations that have already achieved it. Following this principle, several of our customer stories provide a clear picture of how support can operate more productively.

Example 1: Structured Request Management for the State Office

The State Office for Schools and Education (LaSuB) Saxony (Germany) faced the challenge that its request management had become too inefficient, unclear, and complex due to the large number of teachers it served. With OTRS, the State Office now saves enormous amounts of time thanks to centralized, transparent information, well-organized request management, and a user-friendly system.

Example 2: Effective Support Processes for an IT System House

SIEVERS-GROUP, an IT system house headquartered in Osnabrück (Germany), follows the principle of continuous improvement to make its support more efficient. With OTRS, it has implemented standardized processes for ticket processing, including automated ticket creation for monitoring events. As a result, it now successfully models and implements efficient service and support processes.

Example 3: More Speed for Lifesavers

The DLRG (German Live Saving Association) needs fast IT services for various hardware across its nationwide teams. Thanks to OTRS, its IT services are now excellently organized, and requests and issues can be processed quickly. Processes are intuitive and traceable, and users immediately receive all the information they need.

Conclusion: The Many Ways to Achieve High Support Productivity

There are many ways to increase productivity in support. Professional IT Service Management or Enterprise Service Management, for example, involves establishing intelligent request management, creating self-service options, and introducing promising processes – as well as continuously improving them. AI applications and automations can also be valuable additions for certain workflows.

Alongside proven methods, the right software support is crucial to achieve the highest possible productivity and deliver excellent support. The case studies of several OTRS customers show how this can be achieved.

There are many paths to optimizing service and support operations. The approaches, recommendations, and tips shown here are meant to provide inspiration for organizations.

Tobias Kortas

Customer Service

Enterprise Service Management: Definition and Solutions

Author OTRS — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:00:19 +0000

Enterprise Service Management: Definition and Solutions

2025-11-06
Author OTRS

Enterprise Service Management (ESM) extends IT Service Management (ITSM) across the entire company, improving efficiency, collaboration, and user experience.

Enterprise Service Management is transforming the way organizations deliver their services, both internal and external. By applying IT Service Management principles beyond the IT department, ESM helps all business functions. This includes human resources, finance, marketing, production, legal, and procurement. It allows these areas to work more efficiently, collaborate better, and provide a better user experience.

This article explains what ESM is and why it is important for businesses today. It shows how ESM helps streamline processes, cut costs, and create value over time.

What is ESM?

Enterprise service management supports companies in their transition from function-oriented to service-oriented organizations. It is the natural evolution of IT service management: while ITSM focuses on the management and improvement of IT services in practice, ESM applies these concepts to all areas of the company.

ESM uses ITSM frameworks, tools, and best practices for all business processes. This leads to standardization of service delivery, workflow automation, and improved collaboration.

At a higher level, ESM creates a common company-wide language for service delivery and request management. This eliminates isolated work in individual departments and creates a uniform system in which every service follows a clear and transparent process – from IT requests and orders to HR communication.

Why ESM is Important

Organizations are complex. Employees rely on digital tools and interconnected processes to perform even the most routine activities. However, without a centralized system for managing services and requests, fragmented communication and inconsistent service quality will lead to increased inefficiencies.

ESM creates a unified digital ecosystem that promotes collaboration, visibility, and proper distribution of responsibilities, acting on three key dimensions:

Higher efficiency: by automating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows, ESM reduces manual work, errors, and delays.
User experience: through self-service portals, intuitive interfaces, and transparent communications, employees and customers can access services autonomously, more quickly.
Strategic alignment: ESM connects service management with broader business objectives, helping leadership measure results and make data-driven decisions.

The Impact of ESM Solutions on Business Performance

Companies that have adopted ESM report significant improvements in productivity, user satisfaction, and overall service quality.

For example, companies that use ESM frameworks for services usually respond faster. They also reduce process delays and have more transparency. Collaboration between departments improves and employees benefit from simpler and more intuitive experiences every time they request or provide services.

The role of IT in organizations is changing. IT departments, once seen as cost centers, are now becoming strategic partners. They can drive digital innovation in all business units.

How ESM Software Solutions Create New Horizons

ESM software is more flexible and easier to use than traditional ITSM tools. It works well for all departments, not just technical ones. These are cloud-based solutions, designed to be modular, configurable, and therefore flexible enough to adapt to business needs.

Key features of ESM solutions

A dedicated enterprise service management solution offers a range of useful features that make everyday life easier for users, optimize processes, speed up work, and lead to better results.

Below are a few selected key features:

Service catalogs: These contain comprehensive lists of available services (here is an example of an IT service catalog) that users can use to easily submit, track, and manage requests.
Self-service portals: These are intuitive, centralized points of contact where employees can find information or solve problems on their own.
Automated workflows: Rule-based processes enable efficient handling of approvals, notifications, and task management.
Analytics and reports: Dashboards provide real-time insights into performance metrics, highlight trends, and support optimization.
Cross-departmental collaboration: Integrated communication tools connect teams and promote shared responsibility.

By using automation, analytical tools, and easy-to-use interfaces, ESM tools create new opportunities. They allow for faster processes and better transparency in one place for managing all kinds of services and workflows.

The Future of ESM: AI and Intelligent Automation

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and predictive analytics already enable smarter, faster, and more personalized service delivery. AI-based ESM platforms are capable of automatically classifying requests, prioritizing incidents, and even suggesting solutions before problems escalate.

Machine learning and predictive analytics

AI Chatbots and virtual assistants offer immediate and continuous support, while machine learning helps identify patterns and optimize processes based on historical data. Predictive analytics goes further by predicting needs and suggesting actions. For example, it can schedule maintenance before failures happen. It can also find workflow problems before they affect productivity.

Ecosystem and integrations

The ISG Provider Lens® 2025 report says that ESM is becoming an “AI-native operating system.” It can bring together people, processes, and technology in a smart ecosystem. Businesses are adopting predictive automation and advanced analytics to reduce tickets, improve productivity, and deliver smoother user experiences.

Integrating with systems like CRM and ERP using connectors and low-code tools increases ESM’s potential. This expands automation to new business areas and strengthens its role.

Best Practices for ESM Implementation

The correct and effective implementation of ESM platforms depends as much on technology as on people and corporate culture. Rather than a radical one-time installation, it’s better to opt for a gradual, multi-phase transformation.

Carry out a thorough assessment of the ITSM maturity. This will help find areas that could improve with ESM tools. Align the use of ESM with business objectives, such as improving efficiency, reducing costs, or improving employee experience.
Develop a clear roadmap that outlines the scope, key milestones, and responsibilities. Identify which departments to involve first and establish measurable KPIs to monitor progress.
Implement the ESM platform focusing on usability and engagement. Ensure that all stakeholders receive adequate training so they can fully leverage the system’s capabilities.
Communication at all levels is fundamental. Clearly explain what ESM is for and show positive results early. Get the heads of each department involved in the process.
Once the implementation has proven effective, gradually expand to other functions. Use data analytics and user feedback to refine processes and continuously improve service delivery.

Even with a good plan, ESM implementation can face problems. These problems include resistance to change, poor teamwork between departments, and integration issues. Proactive management and effective communication are essential to overcome them.

Examples: How Companies Have Improved Their Performance Thanks to ESM

Enterprise Service Management has helped organizations across all sectors transform the way they operate, breaking down silos and improving efficiency, collaboration, and service quality.

#1: Increased productivity

Through process automation, companies eliminate repetitive manual tasks and accelerate response times. Employees spend less time managing routine activities and more time on strategic and higher-value activities.

#2: Improved service delivery

When departments use a shared platform, they can manage requests better. They can also track progress and share communications.

#3: More consistent and clear services

Users know who to contact for help. Standard workflows and self-service portals help them solve problems faster.

#4: IT becomes a strategic partner

Rather than focusing exclusively on troubleshooting and infrastructure, IT gains visibility on company-wide performance and becomes a driver of continuous improvement.

#5: Better collaboration between departments

Teams that used to work alone now share data and work together on common goals. These goals include employee onboarding and managing resources and facilities.

OTRS as an ESM solution for your organization

Choosing the right Enterprise Service Management solution ultimately means identifying the platform that aligns with your organization’s objectives, culture, and growth strategy.

OTRS uses its strong experience in IT service management to support different business functions in any organization.

Flexibility and customization: OTRS provides customizable software with ready-to-use solutions for all service management needs. It adapts to specific workflows instead of forcing strict processes.
Collaboration and resource optimization: OTRS has special modules for many areas. These include IT service management, human resources, and office management. It also helps with quick incident response, finance, customer service, and more.
Workflow automation and resource optimization: OTRS solutions automate routine tasks so teams can focus on critical and strategic activities.
Usability and adoption: OTRS has easy-to-use interfaces that help all teams, not just IT. This speeds up use across the company.
Quick implementation and easy growth: OTRS has a strong ability to scale. This is why its solutions are great for companies of all sizes.
High ROI and impact: A platform equipped with ESM capabilities must lead to measurable improvements. OTRS enables workflows that increase ROI throughout the company.

OTRS meets each of these benchmarks (flexibility, multi-department scope, automation, usability, scalability, and ROI). In this way, it helps organizations transform fragmented processes into streamlined and transparent workflows.

Author OTRS

IT Operations Management (ITOM): The Silent Backbone

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 07:05:00 +0000

IT Operations Management (ITOM): The Silent Backbone

2025-11-04
Tobias Kortas

ITSM

Organizations today depend on regular, stable IT operations. Failures, disruptions, and irregularities reveal that IT Operations Management (ITOM) — often unnoticed — forms a valuable cornerstone.

There are countless services, processes, and applications that organizations rely on every day. These must operate securely and reliably so that employees can work as usual.

This article explains the key functions of IT Operations Management, its benefits, and how it connects to IT Service Management (ITSM).

Tasks

ITOM teams ensure the daily operation of IT infrastructure and applications within an organization. In short, IT must be reliable, available, and efficient at all times.

ITOM represents the technical and invisible backbone that sustains the entire IT ecosystem.

Generally, the following tasks fall under IT Operations Management:

Monitoring and Event Management:
ITOM teams monitor the IT infrastructure — applications, servers, networks, and cloud services. They identify and categorize events, correlate them, and detect issues early to enable quick resolution.
IT Infrastructure Management:
Ensuring stable infrastructure operations is at the core of ITOM. Teams develop strategies and policies, negotiate vendor contracts, and supervise upgrades and installations.
Configuration Management:
A Configuration Management Database (CMDB) contains detailed information about IT assets (Configuration Items, or CIs), systems, and their relationships. The ITOM team maintains this data, ensuring transparency and supporting well-informed decisions.
Backup and Recovery Management:
ITOM teams create and manage data backups and restore systems and data after outages or cyberattacks.
Performance and Capacity Management:
ITOM also involves monitoring and analyzing resource usage and planning for future capacity needs to avoid bottlenecks.
Automation and Orchestration:
This area is becoming increasingly important, promising more efficiency, fewer errors, and faster response times. Repetitive tasks such as patching or parts of monitoring can be automated, while workflows can be orchestrated across multiple systems.

Many tasks — such as problem, incident, and change management — overlap with those of ITSM. As mentioned, there is a natural intersection between both areas.

Distinction from ITAM

ITOM is closely related to IT Asset Management (ITAM, though their goals, focuses, and perspectives differ.

ITOM is operationally oriented and asks: How is our IT running? Is it functioning as planned, and what will it look like in the future?

ITAM is administratively oriented and asks: What do we own, and are we using it effectively and in compliance?

Benefits

You could go so far as to call IT Operations Management the backbone of a modern IT organization, as it ensures IT is reliable, performance-oriented, and cost-efficient.

Here’s what that means in detail:

1. Better Service Availability and Stability

With ITOM, disruptions can be detected early, allowing organizations to proactively counteract outages and business-critical incidents. This improves service quality in line with SLAs and increases stability.

2. Problem Prediction

The monitoring performed by ITOM serves as an early warning system. Based on data, it enables accurate forecasts so that issues can be prevented or resolved before they become critical. In the best case, users never experience negative effects such as downtime — or notice them only minimally.

3. Workflow Automation and Standardization

ITOM can standardize and automate repetitive tasks such as system updates, patching, or backups, eliminating many time-consuming and error-prone activities. IT teams benefit from reduced workload and faster response times.

4. Greater Cost Control

IT budgets are often tight — and unnecessary expenses are best avoided. By revealing how resources such as servers, storage, or cloud services are actually used, ITOM helps identify potential savings. With demand-based adjustments, companies only pay for what they truly need.

5. Informed Decision-Making Through Transparency

ITOM documents all IT components, their relationships, and any changes — a process typically carried out in a CMDB. Just as details bring a painting to life, ITOM paints a full picture of the IT landscape. This transparency serves as a foundation for sound decision-making on changes, updates, or migrations.

ITOM vs. ITSM

There is no universally accepted definition of IT Operations Management, so its exact interpretation may vary between organizations. While there is overlap with ITSM, the distinction is clear:

ITSM governs the relationship with the user and the delivery of services.
ITOM ensures the stability and continuity of IT operations.

In ITSM, the organization reacts to user requests — for instance, when a change is required, the Change Management process is triggered. ITOM, in contrast, adds an operational component through monitoring, management, and measurement systems — enhanced by experience and data.

The advantage is clear: in many cases, ITOM enables action before users even notice a problem or open a ticket. This transforms the customer experience — instead of frustration over an outage, users are proactively informed about the incident and, ideally, its resolution.

Currently, the key term is integration — ITSM and ITOM are no longer viewed as alternatives but as complementary systems that must communicate effectively to create value.

Three Examples of Effective Integration

Optimized Incident Management
When an ITOM team detects a disruption or anomaly, the system automatically creates a ticket in the ITSM platform. The ticket is then categorized and assigned to the appropriate Incident Management team.
Automated Request Management
Recurring user requests — such as password resets — can be proactively handled through self-service portals supported by ITOM processes. This relieves first-level support through automated workflows.
Enhanced Change Management
TOM tools can validate the state of the IT infrastructure before critical changes are implemented. They simulate potential impacts and update both the CMDB and ITSM systems in real time, increasing transparency and security across all levels.

ITOM Software

Software solutions for ITOM vary significantly, as their features depend on each tool’s specific design and purpose.

Common functionalities include:

Intelligent Alert and Event Management: Quickly identifies critical or potentially threatening developments.
Automation and Orchestration Functions: Analyzes recurring standard processes and improves coordination across IT operations components.
Performance Analysis: Monitors current IT performance to identify optimization opportunities.
Device Management: Keeps track of all company-owned devices, ensuring quick updates or device blocking in case of loss.
Discoveries: Detects, inventories, and maps IT resources and their interdependencies — typically stored in a CMDB or similar repository.
Capacity Management (Forecasting): Predicts capacity usage and demand so ITOM teams can prepare in advance, avoiding bottlenecks or excess capacity.

Current Development – AIOps

With increasing automation and broader adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), ITOM is evolving toward AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations).

Because ITOM deals with measurable parameters, AI can quickly analyze fluctuations and peaks in data, deriving actionable insights for improvement.

Thanks to powerful AI capabilities and extensive analytical capacity, IT teams can act even more proactively and data-driven — opening the door to a wider range of opportunities.

In short, AI enables IT infrastructures to be secured more comprehensively and effectively. Key to this are the early warning signals AI can detect long before threats arise.

AIOps leverages machine learning, big data, and automation to make IT operations faster, smarter, and more proactive.

Current Capabilities of AIOps

Today, AIOps can already:

Analyze complex data in real time
Automatically detect anomalies
Identify root causes of issues
Resolve known problems independently

Potential of AIOps

In the future, it’s conceivable that AIOps will integrate with generative AI, such as Copilot-style assistants that explain analyses in natural language. Predictive Governance — proactively managing risks and compliance — also seems likely.

Moreover, AIOps could be linked with SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response), RPA (Robotic Process Automation), and ITSM platforms — paving the way for hyperautomation.

Conclusion: ITOM – The Metaphorical Silent Hero

IT Operations Management (ITOM) not only keeps a company’s IT running but also ensures it operates as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Though often unnoticed, it remains a vital part of any modern organization.

ITOM ensures service availability, prevents problems, optimizes workflows, controls costs, and supports data-driven decision-making. In doing so, it strengthens business performance in essential ways.

The rise of AIOps, powered by rapid advancements in AI, further amplifies this dynamic: what ITOM already achieves through automation now happens even faster and more extensively.

Metaphorically, ITOM is the silent hero that safeguards operations behind the scenes and protects businesses from negative IT dynamics. Closely integrated with ITSM, it has a profound impact — especially during critical situations like incidents.

Tobias Kortas

ITSM

CMDB Software & Tools: Definition, Functions, Examples

Bernd Maus — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 08:20:05 +0000

CMDB Software & Tools: Definition, Functions, Examples

2025-10-30
Bernd Maus

ITAM

Today’s IT landscapes are more dynamic than ever: hybrid cloud environments, containerized workloads, “as-code” infrastructures, and an ever-growing number of SaaS services. Without solid contextual data, IT operations can quickly turn into an IT blind flight: incidents have far-reaching consequences, changes are risky, security findings are difficult to prioritize, and audits cost both time and nerves.

This is exactly where CMDB software (Configuration Management Database) comes in. It consolidates data from discovery tools, cloud APIs, ITAM, APM/monitoring, and DevOps pipelines, normalizes it, and—most importantly—makes one thing visible: the relationships and dependencies between IT resources, from business services to technical components.

What Is a CMDB?

A CMDB forms the data foundation of IT Service Management (ITSM) according to ITIL. It stores not only “What do we have?” but also “How is it connected?” The focus is on service topologies: from business services through applications and middleware to hosts, containers, networks, and cloud resources—including dependencies, versions, and changes.

For IT teams, a CMDB is therefore not just “inventory+” but the source of context for ITSM, SRE/operations, and SecOps. It enables impact analyses before changes, accelerates root-cause analysis in incident management, provides evidence for compliance frameworks (e.g., ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA), and lays the groundwork for automation and policy-driven operations.

What matters is not just the amount of data stored, but its quality, governance, and scope—ideally starting pragmatically and expanding iteratively.

Key Objectives of a CMDB

Transparency across the entire IT infrastructure and service chains through a centralized repository
Risk assessment for changes (impact and blast radius analyses)
Faster incident resolution (root-cause identification)
Compliance and auditability (traceability of configuration changes)

What Are Configuration Items (CIs)?

Configuration Items (CIs) are the managed entities within the CMDB.

Examples of CIs include:

Technical level: Servers/VMs, containers/pods, images, databases, queues, storage, network devices, cloud resources (EC2/VM, VPC/VNet, functions, datastores), Kubernetes objects.
Application level: Microservices, deployments, APIs, software versions, pipelines, secrets/certificates, feature flags, web services.
Service/business level: Business services, SLAs/OLAs, locations, contracts, suppliers.
Security/compliance level: Vulnerability findings, patches, hardening states, policy compliance.

Each CI has attributes (e.g., OS version, owner, environment, lifecycle status) and relationships (e.g., “runs on,” “uses,” “replicates to”). These relationships are key to impact and root-cause analyses and support maintenance, optimization, and compliance.

What Is CMDB Software?

CMDB software is a platform that centrally collects, normalizes, versions, and manages configuration data and CI relationships as a single point of truth. It provides data models, interfaces, automation, and governance mechanisms to ensure data quality and consistency throughout the IT lifecycle.

Typical components of a CMDB solution:

Data model & class hierarchy (CIs, attributes, relationships)
Discovery & import connectors (agent/agentless, cloud APIs, SCCM/Intune, vCenter, CM tools, IaC)
Reconciliation/normalization (duplicate detection, vendor/product normalization)
Change/versioning (history, audit, baselines, snapshots)
Query & visualization (graphs, service maps, impact analyses)
APIs & integrations (ITSM, ITAM, APM, SecOps, FinOps)
Governance & data quality (KPIs, policies, roles/permissions)

With the ITSM solution from OTRS, you maintain complete control over your IT—centrally, transparently, and reliably.

Core Functions of CMDB Software

From automatic discovery to governance, CMDB software consolidates discovery, data normalization, service topologies, change tracking, security/compliance, observability, and reporting.

The result: reliable, up-to-date configuration data with relationships that form the foundation for impact analyses, audits, and low-risk operations.

Automatic Discovery & Federation

Discovery automatically detects assets—via agent/agentless methods, network scans, or API calls (e.g., AWS, Azure, M365). The original source (e.g., cloud account, APM tool) remains the single source of truth; the CMDB references and aggregates the data. Event-based discovery keeps the CMDB current and reduces maintenance effort.

Example: A new EC2 instance is created in AWS. An EventBridge trigger imports it into the CMDB, which adds the EC2 CI and links it to the relevant VPC, subnet, and load balancer. Attributes stay synchronized via the AWS API.

Data Consolidation & Maintenance

Data consolidation merges and cleans data from multiple sources using:

Reconciliation (matching identical CIs via rules)
Normalization (standardizing vendor/product names and versions)
Deduplication (removing duplicates)
Creation of a “golden record” for each CI

This prevents contradictory information (e.g., three OS versions for one server). A golden record ensures reliable data for change and incident processes.

Example: A server appears in vCenter, SCCM, and monitoring. Match rules (serial number, hostname, CMDB ID) link all three to a single CI. The OS version is sourced from SCCM, while CPU/RAM data come from vCenter.

Service Modeling & Topologies

Service modeling defines relationships between CIs across all layers (business → application → infrastructure → cloud) and visualizes them as service maps. Only through these relationships can you understand impact (which services are affected?) and root cause (what caused it?)—and take action.

Example: The “Checkout” business service consists of a webshop, payment API, and database. When the database cluster fails, dependent applications are marked in red, and the “Checkout” service shows reduced availability.

Change Integration (ITIL/DevOps)

Change integration links changes/releases with affected CIs, sets baselines, detects drift (unplanned changes), and supports CAB approval.

Since changes often cause incidents, CI relationships help assess risk and blast radius before implementation and define mitigation measures.

Example: Before a database patch, the change form automatically performs an impact analysis on all dependent microservices. A policy-as-code rule blocks deployment if no current backup baseline exists.

Security & Compliance

Security and compliance functions link CIs with policies/benchmarks (e.g., CIS), assess exposure to vulnerabilities (CVEs), and generate audit evidence (SOX, ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA).

Security and compliance require context—only CI relationships reveal which vulnerabilities truly affect critical services.

Example: An OpenSSL CVE is reported. The CMDB queries all CIs with the vulnerable version, displays affected business services, and prioritizes patches based on criticality or SLA.

Observability Integration

When APM data, logs, and metrics are enriched with CI context, the system automatically knows which CIs and services an incident affects. Monitoring and tracing alerts update these relationships.

CI context drastically reduces MTTR (Mean Time to Repair):
Support teams can immediately contact the responsible owner and access all dependencies and recent changes.

Example: An alert “Response time increasing” for the payment API is linked to its database instance and yesterday’s schema change. The on-call process starts, and responsible owners are notified.

Reporting & Governance

Dashboards showing data quality (completeness, freshness, duplicates), ownership models (who maintains each CI), and roles/permissions (RBAC/ABAC) provide essential oversight. Without proper governance, data ages and loses trust. KPIs are vital for keeping a CMDB operational and audit-ready.

Example: A “CMDB Health” dashboard shows: mandatory attributes ≥ 95%, stale rate < 5%, duplicate rate < 2%. If thresholds are breached, the CMDB automatically creates a ticket for the responsible CI owner.

Purpose and Benefits of CMDB Software

A CMDB software delivers major benefits for effective IT management—from operations to security and compliance:

Faster incident resolution (MTTR):
Correlation of incidents with affected CIs/services and targeted escalation.
Improved change management:
Impact analysis before deployment, controlled releases, fewer outages.
Transparency & architectural control:
Identify shadow IT, drifts, and dependencies.
Compliance & auditability:
Complete history and regulatory evidence.
Cost & capacity optimization:
Detect duplicates, identify underused resources, promote reuse.
Security:
Rapid identification of affected services during CVEs; prioritize patches by business impact.
Foundation for automation:
“Source of context” for runbooks, self-healing, and policy-as-code.

Discover the benefits of our ITSM solution—more visibility, less effort, maximum control.

Success Factors for Effective CMDB Usage

Define a clear scope and gradually expand the data model, starting with key services instead of a “big-bang” rollout.
Use few, reliable data sources (Cloud APIs, APM, CM tools) at first, then expand over time.
Assign data ownership by class/attribute for quality, security, and access control.
Define quality KPIs with thresholds to enable proactive issue resolution.
Automation is key to maintaining consistent data quality and reducing manual work.
Governance and training form the foundation for secure CMDB management—covering ownership, modeling guidelines, naming conventions, and definition-of-ready/done (DoR/DoD) principles.

CMDB Software vs. CMDB Tools

A CMDB software is the central platform (system of record) for configuration data and relationships.
CMDB tools, on the other hand, are specialized utilities that feed, enrich, validate, or visualize CMDB data.

Aspect	CMDB Software	CMDB Tools
Purpose	Persistence, data model/classes, relationships, versioning, roles/rights, audit	Specific tasks like discovery (agent/agentless, cloud APIs), normalization, deduplication, license/vendor mapping, service modeling, visualization, data quality, ETL/connectors, IaC federation, drift detection
Outcome	Unified “source of context” for ITSM/SecOps/DevOps	Higher data quality, up-to-date topologies, faster maintenance
Properties	Scalable DB/graph, API, governance, lifecycle, reconciliation engine	Often modular/interchangeable; can run in-suite or standalone
Responsibility	Operations/architecture, clear data ownership per CI class	Varies by function (network/cloud/app teams or data stewards)

In practice:
Without CMDB software, there is no consistent data foundation or governance.
Without tools, the CMDB remains empty, outdated, or inconsistent.

Selection guide:
Choose your platform based on data model, API openness, governance, and scalability.
Select tools based on source coverage (cloud/SaaS/on-prem), accuracy, match rules, automation, and cost.

CMDB vs. IT Asset Management (ITAM)

A CMDB “knows” what is connected and why. ITAM “knows” what, where, who, and how much. In modern environments, they complement each other, often with bidirectional synchronization.

Interested in learning more about the integrated CMDB in our ITSM solution?

Conclusion

A modern CMDB software is more than just an inventory—it provides context across dependencies and services. This context is the foundation for stable changes, rapid incident resolution, effective security response, and reliable compliance evidence.

In combination with ITAM, it provides a complete picture: value + context. Success depends not on the amount of data, but on clear scope, data quality, automation, and governance.

Bernd Maus

ITAM

The “Right” Ticketing System: How to Choose It

Tobias Kortas — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:54:54 +0000

The “Right” Ticketing System: How to Choose It

2025-10-27
Tobias Kortas

Customer Service

Ticketing systems streamline workflows, improve transparency, and enhance team collaboration. The resulting time savings, greater efficiency, and well-organized, centralized information help businesses make better use of their budgets, empower employees with clarity, and provide customers with faster, higher-quality support.

While basic ticketing system functions – such as the self-service portal and knowledge base – remain essential, automation and AI-driven features are gaining massive importance. They not only save time and effort but also help reduce errors, increase productivity, and deliver a faster, more responsive customer experience.

These are all good indicators of the “right” ticketing system. However, organizations should not underestimate factors like security, compliance, reporting, and analytics.

This article first highlights the core requirements of a ticket system and then proceeds to specific requirements and tips to provide readers with a well-founded overview.

Core Requirements for a Ticketing System

Many vendors highlight extensive automation and AI capabilities. Yet, potential buyers should first focus on other critical factors. While AI – used wisely – offers major productivity and efficiency gains, the most important elements are those features users rely on daily and that simplify their work. In many cases, a modern, intuitive user interface has a greater impact than an infrequently used workflow automation.

That said, AI features and automations are still highly valuable when they offer real, practical support.

Below are some of the most important core requirements for a ticketing system:

#1 Ticket Management

The primary function of a ticketing system is to automatically generate tickets via email, web form, chat, or API. Essential components include a unique ticket ID, categorization, and prioritization by urgency and importance—often supported by Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

#2 Structured Multi-Channel Communication

The ability to communicate effectively across multiple channels—such as dashboards, chats, and notes—improves internal collaboration and delivers better service experiences for customers. Fast, low-friction notifications ensure a smooth information flow, making processes more pleasant for everyone involved.

This also includes direct replies within tickets and multi-channel integration for email, phone, and chat.

#3 Process Management

Process management focuses on designing, optimizing, and, where possible, automating workflows. This reduces workload, saves time, and leads to faster, more accurate results.

The foundation for this lies in the Process Engine of a ticketing system. Additional features like intelligent resource planning, advanced escalations, or dynamic fields are also highly valuable.

#4 Information Management

With dedicated information management, all necessary data—such as customer information, requests, device data, contracts, or FAQs—can be organized and interconnected. Dashboards, widgets, and tickets then provide users with quick overviews, helping them resolve issues faster.

#5 Self-Service and Knowledge Management

A well-maintained self-service portal is the simplest and most effective way to resolve recurring questions quickly, save time, and make better use of existing knowledge. The foundation of a self-service portal is a knowledge base containing articles, guides, FAQs, manuals, and checklists.

#6 Integrations

Constantly switching between systems and applications is not only frustrating but also time-consuming and leads to fragmented information—poor foundations for both decision-making and customer experience.

Seamless integrations, on the other hand, enable organizations to make the most of their IT ecosystem—boosting efficiency while avoiding duplicate data. Having all essential information centrally accessible is invaluable.

#7 Reporting and Analytics

In the hectic day-to-day business of ticket management, reports and statistics quickly fade into the background. Yet, reports and statistics are vital for identifying underlying issues, improving processes, and monitoring outcomes. In many organizations, regular reporting is even a formal requirement.

#8 Security

Security concerns aren’t limited to large-scale data breaches. Within a ticketing system, much depends on who has access to which data and communication threads. Data protection is not only a regulatory requirement but also prevents mishaps and breaches of trust.

Specific Requirements

Once the core requirements are met, a company is already on the right path. The next step is to consider additional features that can deliver extra value and greater efficiency.

#1 Workflow Automations

When workflows are repetitive and well-defined, automating them is a smart move. It saves time and effort, sharpens focus on other tasks, and ensures consistent, high-quality results.

A ticketing system that supports easy-to-implement workflow automations increases productivity and enhances overall value creation.

#2 Practical AI Applications

AI offers numerous benefits—especially for ticketing systems. These include increased efficiency, significant time savings, higher accuracy, predictive insights, and scalability.

However, organizations should carefully evaluate which AI capabilities deliver real, measurable value rather than simply following trends. The choice should be driven by specific internal needs and goals. For instance, in environments with long ticket threads, AI-powered summaries can give support agents quick, clear overviews.

#3 Advanced Translation Management

For multilingual, international organizations, translation capabilities are becoming increasingly important in service management. Fast, accurate translations help users understand content better, prevent misunderstandings, and enhance the overall experience.

Having built-in translation management greatly improves communication between people who speak different native languages—even when all parties have decent English skills but require precise detail in their own language.

#4 Kanban View

While working with Kanban boards is not new, having a Kanban view within a ticketing system brings significant advantages. It visually represents workflows, progress, and potential bottlenecks, making it easier to manage tasks and processes effectively.

#5 CMDB / Asset Management

A Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is a centralized database that stores all information about IT assets (configuration items) such as devices, services, servers, applications, and contracts.

When a ticketing system is linked with a CMDB, data about current IT incidents is directly connected to affected assets—allowing for quick, targeted responses.

Tips for Selecting the Right Ticketing System

Sometimes, other requirements play the deciding role. For example, features like multi-tenancy, time tracking, or customization options may take priority for some organizations. Ultimately, the key factors are always highly individual.

Below are several useful points decision-makers should consider when choosing the right ticketing system.

Tip 1: Pay Attention to the User Interface

The user interface often gets underestimated. Many decision-makers focus on advanced features, overlooking that a clear, visually appealing, and informative interface is the foundation for true productivity and proper use of key functions.

Tip 2: Prioritize Ease of Use

Even the most advanced features are useless if users cannot operate the system effectively. Sometimes, the way developers envision usage differs from how users actually work. Intuitive usability is not a buzzword – it’s essential to ensure users achieve success rather than frustration.

Tip 3: Consider Cost-Benefit Holistically

“More expensive means better” rarely applies to ticketing systems. A more balanced approach is to assess the price-performance ratio carefully. Yet even that can be misleading. Organizations should evaluate their needs, preferred features, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – a holistic view of IT investment.

In some cases, conducting a detailed ROI analysis can serve as a helpful benchmark, but it shouldn’t be the sole basis for decision-making. Often, qualitative factors – which are not easily measurable – determine the real value.

Tip 4: Factor in Implementation Time

A ticketing system is often deemed “right” when it provides clear value and meets specific needs. However, new systems are often required to fill existing gaps quickly. The longer the implementation takes, the more potential losses the organization may face. Therefore, fast deployment is key for a system to truly earn its “right” status.

Tip 5: Use AI Based on Actual Needs

AI is no longer a future concept – it’s already reshaping ITSM. The real question is how organizations apply it. Instead of implementing it broadly without clear benefits, it’s better to start small and focus on high-impact areas.

Models like AI Credits allow organizations to test individual AI services without paying for a full suite of AI features upfront.

Final Tip: Conduct an Assessment

Organizations differ greatly, and so do their needs. This variation often comes down to their ITSM maturity level, which can be determined through a simple assessment. This helps define the exact requirements a ticketing system should meet.

Conclusion: Core Requirements Are What Truly Matter

There is no single “right” ticketing system suitable for every organization and use case – and that’s not the goal of this article. Instead, it aims to give decision-makers the tools and criteria to make a well-founded, individual choice.

In some cases – especially where ticket volumes are low and inquiries are straightforward – a solid basic system that covers the core requirements is entirely sufficient.

Ultimately, the core requirements should always serve as the foundation for further considerations. In other words, a ticketing system shouldn’t be chosen solely based on the latest AI or automation features, though these can still play an important role. The key is to take a holistic, realistic view of the situation.

In most cases, it’s user experience, request management, structured communication, and security and compliance needs that determine whether a ticketing system is truly the right fit for an organization.

Tobias Kortas

Customer Service

Change Advisory Board (CAB): Definition, Benefits, and Best Practices

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:08:23 +0000

Change Advisory Board (CAB): Definition, Benefits, and Best Practices

2025-10-14
Tobias Kortas

ITSM

Whenever change happens, a lot is at stake. Businesses can achieve significant progress — or face substantial setbacks. Resistance to change is often the first sensitive pressure point, and from a technical perspective, numerous challenges can emerge as well.

In IT Service Management (ITSM), change management — alongside incident and problem management — is a core discipline. Given the constant pace of technological advancement, it receives particular attention in the IT context. For larger or business-critical changes, implementing a Change Advisory Board (CAB) is highly recommended. This board reviews proposed changes to IT environments and provides recommendations.

This article explores the concept of a CAB, outlining its definition, roles, responsibilities, benefits, and best practices — including a practical checklist for using it effectively.

What Is a Change Advisory Board?

This section explains what a CAB is and what roles and responsibilities are typically involved.

Definition

A Change Advisory Board (CAB) is a panel of experts within IT Service Management, defined by ITIL® (Information Technology Infrastructure Library). Its purpose is to assess proposed changes to IT systems and provide recommendations. The main goal is to minimize risks, understand potential impacts, and ensure that IT services remain reliable — even during change processes.

According to the ITIL® framework, a CAB helps ensure that changes to the IT infrastructure are implemented in a controlled, safe, and business-aligned manner.

You might also encounter the term Emergency Change Advisory Board (ECAB). This functions similarly to a regular CAB but operates under faster timelines. In urgent cases, an ECAB helps the responsible Change Manager make rapid yet informed decisions.

Tip 1: Organizations are not required to establish a CAB. Whether to do so depends on internal discretion — particularly the business context, scope, and risk level of the proposed change.

Tip 2: The composition of a CAB is also flexible. However, a balanced mix of technical experts and decision-makers is generally most effective. Depending on the nature of the change, additional specialists may be invited.

Roles and Responsibilities

As a decision-support body, the CAB’s effectiveness depends heavily on its composition. While flexible by design, there are several key roles commonly involved — both in leadership and participation.

Who Leads a CAB?

The Change Manager typically leads the CAB, ensuring that change-related decisions are made in a structured, transparent, and risk-aware manner.

Their responsibilities include not only organizing and moderating CAB meetings, but also overseeing the entire process, which covers:

Preparing the agenda and necessary documentation
Leading discussions
Considering all relevant perspectives
Recording meeting outcomes
Overseeing implementation of the agreed recommendations (while final approval rests with the Change Manager or a higher authority)

Who Participates in a CAB?

A CAB usually consists of a mix of technical experts and business decision-makers. The exact composition depends on the organization and the type or criticality of the change — there is considerable flexibility.

For example, an Emergency CAB (ECAB) typically includes a small, decision-capable group focused on swift action. Lengthy technical discussions have no place here, whereas they might be appropriate in a standard CAB meeting.

Common roles represented in a CAB include:

Change Manager: Leads the CAB and oversees the change process.
Release Manager: Evaluates how proposed changes affect releases and deployment plans.
Service Owner: Represents the services impacted by the change and ensures business interests are reflected.
Technical Lead / IT Operations: Provides technical expertise, assesses risks, and identifies dependencies.
Security Manager / Information Security Officer: Focuses on security and compliance considerations.
Application Owner / Developer: Evaluates the effect of proposed changes on applications and integrations.
Business Relationship Manager or Business Representative: Brings the end-user or business perspective to the table.
Problem or Incident Manager: Determines whether the proposed change will resolve known issues or potentially create new ones.

Benefits of a Change Advisory Board

A well-functioning CAB can be an invaluable asset and a key success factor within IT Service Management. It reviews and prioritizes planned changes to help avoid service disruptions and maintain IT service stability and quality.

By incorporating expertise from multiple domains, CAB decisions build trust and transparency in change processes. Additionally, involving key stakeholders and leadership helps align operational activities with strategic business goals, ensuring both technical and business value are considered.

In summary, the key benefits of a CAB include:

Efficient, low-risk implementation of changes
Smooth transitions between service states
Protection against unplanned outages
Alignment of changes with business objectives
Improved stability and availability of IT services

Key Responsibilities of a CAB

A Change Advisory Board evaluates proposed or upcoming changes from multiple perspectives to create a comprehensive understanding of potential risks and implications.

It’s important to note that a CAB does not implement changes or make binding decisions. Its primary role is advisory — offering recommendations that benefit from diverse viewpoints.

Typical responsibilities of a CAB include:

Supporting the Change Manager
Reviewing change requests and proposals
Providing implementation recommendations
Encouraging iterative and continuous improvement
Assessing potential consequences
Managing risks
Facilitating communication across departments
Documenting meeting outcomes and recommendations

Context and Practical Application

Much like a supervisory board, a CAB plays an advisory role — but it has no formal authority over the Change Manager, who leads the change implementation. The Change Manager makes the final decisions while taking CAB recommendations into careful consideration.

CAB roles and involvement can vary significantly depending on the organization and type of change. For emergencies, a CAB may take a more active role to ensure timely action. In other cases, it might function more as a stakeholder meeting, focusing primarily on information sharing and high-level recommendations.

From an IT leadership perspective, CABs are sometimes seen as “showstoppers” that slow down change unnecessarily. This perception usually stems from poorly organized meetings that add little value. However, when a CAB fulfills its true purpose — providing actionable, multi-perspective insights — the benefits clearly outweigh the effort.

Best Practices

CAB meetings are only effective when they serve a clear purpose. Holding them out of routine — simply because they’re scheduled — rarely adds value.

The following best practices will help ensure your CAB operates as efficiently and productively as possible.

1. Ask the Question: Do We Really Need This Meeting?

Every meeting should have a defined purpose — CAB meetings are no exception. The goal is to advance your change management strategy and identify the right actions for upcoming IT infrastructure changes.

Sometimes, however, CAB input may not be necessary — for instance, if no relevant change is pending, if the change is at the wrong stage, or if the board cannot contribute meaningful input.

Rule of thumb: Hold CAB meetings only when needed, not on a fixed schedule.

2. Set Clear Objectives

If a CAB meeting is justified, it must be focused and goal-oriented. A good approach is to structure the agenda around questions, such as:

What risks — to service delivery, security, or existing integrations — are associated with the proposed change, and how can we mitigate them?
How does this change align with business objectives?
How can we ensure end users perceive the change positively?

If these questions are addressed during the meeting, you can be confident that it has achieved meaningful results.

3. Choose Participants Wisely — and Get Their Buy-In

Not every usual participant may have relevant input for every CAB session, and that’s okay. Attendance should be flexible, with some roles participating only when needed.

Conversely, inviting unconventional participants who are not typically part of the CAB may bring fresh insights — depending on the nature of the change.

Also, don’t underestimate the importance of buy-in: the Change Manager should communicate the meeting’s purpose clearly and explain how it relates to each participant’s area of responsibility.

4. Get the Timing Right

A CAB can only provide meaningful input when it meets at the right time — typically before major deployments, release cycles, or urgent ECAB meetings. CAB sessions can also take place after key changes to review outcomes or optimize future processes.

If the CAB meets too early, there might not be enough information to make informed recommendations. If it meets too late, changes may already be too far along to influence effectively.

5. Create a Follow-Up

Follow-ups are among the most important — yet often neglected — aspects of meetings. They ensure that outcomes, particularly recommendations, are documented and translated into actionable steps.

In addition to formal minutes, the change management team can develop an action plan based on the most critical CAB recommendations and decisions.

Conclusion: The Change Advisory Board — A Vital Instrument

Change management is one of the most crucial processes in ITSM — often necessary, success-defining, and sometimes emotionally charged. Especially for fundamental changes to IT infrastructure, it is indispensable.

That’s why understanding the purpose and function of a Change Advisory Board is so important. The key word is “advisory” — the CAB provides expert recommendations, not binding decisions.

While organizations are free to design their CABs as they see fit, following some best practices and guidelines can make all the difference. With thoughtful planning and implementation, a CAB becomes a powerful tool for managing change successfully and driving long-term IT and business stability.

Tobias Kortas

ITSM

Translation Management: Benefits, Use in OTRS, and Context

Tobias Kortas — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:54:50 +0000

Translation Management: Benefits, Use in OTRS, and Context

2025-10-09
Tobias Kortas

Using OTRS

Different languages have always posed challenges — in customer service and ITSM just as much as in many other fields. As companies and their customer bases become increasingly international, people from a wide variety of linguistic backgrounds and with different levels of language proficiency must communicate and collaborate.

In the worst case, language barriers can make communication nearly impossible. But even before reaching that point, serious issues can arise. Misunderstandings may occur when one or more people in a conversation are not communicating in their native language — especially when the topic involves complex details or requires deep understanding.

In short: some problems can only be solved through intelligent, system-driven translations. Beyond that, a professional translation management system saves both time and effort.

This article highlights the advantages of a well-designed translation management feature within a ticketing system and explains how OTRS makes handling multiple translations simple and efficient.

Context: Why Effective Translation Management Matters

For international companies, managing language diversity can be a real challenge. They need to ensure multilingual communication and a high level of understanding among employees and customers — while maintaining consistency, which automation can help guarantee.

Speed is also a decisive factor in support environments. Agents must be able to manage requests efficiently and respond correctly right away. When this happens, employees save time and customers enjoy a smoother, more satisfying experience.

Clear, accurate, and well-structured translations provide tangible value on both sides: for employees and for customers. They also help prevent misinterpretations and misunderstandings that can otherwise lead to embarrassing or costly errors.

Even smaller benefits, such as shorter processing and resolution times, translate into lower opportunity costs for companies and better service for customers.

Here are some key takeaways:

Effective translation management is a key element — alongside AI features and automation — of a modern, advanced service management solution.
Translation management is a major advantage of modern OTRS features over the ((OTRS)) Community Edition.
A well-developed translation system provides benefits similar to AI-based summaries: both improve clarity, understanding, and efficiency.

The Advantages of Advanced Translation Management

Fast and accurate translations deliver significant value. When organizations can easily view and manage information in multiple languages, they can communicate clearly and respond to issues quickly and effectively.

This also helps avoid opportunity costs by preventing misunderstandings and dissatisfaction. Poor, incomplete, or missing translations can quickly lead to frustration — both for customers and staff.

Below are the most important advantages of fast, high-quality, and comprehensive translations:

1. Major Time Savings

Being able to create multiple translations quickly and easily greatly reduces time and effort. This is especially valuable for multilingual companies aiming to boost productivity and efficiency. The benefits go beyond time savings — translation quality also remains consistently high.

2. Consistency

Texts and conversations often vary in tone or nuance across languages, especially when translations are not based on a unified foundation. When a system displays multiple languages side by side, the translations stay aligned and consistent. This helps prevent confusion, increases clarity, and saves additional time.

3. Less Repetitive Work

A key feature here is batch creation — generating multiple translations at once. Administrators can create translations for several languages in a single step, eliminating repetitive manual processes and speeding up multilingual content creation.

4. Scalability

Businesses shouldn’t be limited to local markets. To expand into new regions, language barriers must not become obstacles. With the ability to easily add and manage new language versions, companies can scale freely and efficiently.

5. Better User Experience

When translations are easy to create and manage, users benefit the most: they enjoy consistency, clarity, and a clear overview across languages. Any change made in one language is immediately applied to all others, keeping all translations synchronized and up to date — ensuring timely and accurate content across every supported language.

Translation Management in OTRS

In OTRS, administrators can extend their admin interface with the translation management feature, allowing them to create translations easily — without switching between individual language views.

Within the admin area, predefined terms for translations are available. Users can simply select and fill in these terms, or alternatively, define their own manually.

Translations can be generated dynamically via templates or through import functions to provide content in multiple languages. OTRS offers predefined text modules for elements such as brand names, dynamic fields, explanatory notes, or process descriptions. These system terms — meaning the terminology used throughout OTRS — can now be translated consistently and efficiently.

Translations can also include industry-specific terminology. Known system terms can even be customized.

In short, customers can now fully adapt their systems to their preferred professional vocabulary.

Technically, translations are possible for all languages, with around 60 currently available out of the box. Additionally, any user can propose translations through our public portal.

As a result, workflow management for multilingual content becomes significantly easier. Key characteristics include a unified interface for a clear overview, consistent terminology, and the ability to generate multiple translations simultaneously.

Looking Ahead: AI-Based Translations

In the future, OTRS will include AI-powered translation capabilities. This will specifically extend to communication content (such as ticket conversations), allowing for automatic, real-time translation.

This upcoming AI-driven translation service — with all the benefits mentioned above — will bridge language barriers by instantly translating both incoming and outgoing ticket messages into the target language. This ensures smooth, immediate communication across different languages.

Agents will work more efficiently and save time, while customers enjoy consistent, high-quality service in their native language.

Translation Management will streamline workflows without requiring special permissions or technical knowledge. At the same time, the AI service will make communication effortless: all users will be able to read important messages in their own or preferred language.

The service will be available via our AI Credit System.

In addition, OTRS users can take advantage of other powerful AI-based features such as intelligent ticket classification and AI-assisted response generation.

Conclusion: Good Translations Optimize Service

A well-thought-out translation management system is essential for delivering consistent, balanced, and responsive service — or simply for effective communication within international organizations. It’s about more than overcoming language barriers: it’s about ensuring clarity, precision, and true mutual understanding.

Within a ticketing system like OTRS, clear and easy-to-create translations across many languages offer major advantages — from time savings and faster request handling to greater overall clarity that leads to customer satisfaction, and ultimately, stronger loyalty.

Tobias Kortas

Using OTRS

How to Achieve a Positive ROI in ITSM/ESM

Tobias Kortas — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:57:10 +0000

How to Achieve a Positive ROI in ITSM/ESM

2025-09-26
Tobias Kortas

IT Budget

Companies are under cost pressure: this is especially true today, but it has always been the case. Smart business management means ensuring that expenses pay off and deliver a positive return on investment (ROI) within a foreseeable time frame.

The same applies to IT budgets: organizations should benefit more from software solutions than they spend on them. Factors such as significant efficiency gains, quality improvements, or higher customer satisfaction are among the clearest indicators of a positive ROI. Even small time savings, more clarity for employees, or slightly better structures can already make a big difference.

This article explains how to reliably achieve ROI in IT Service Management (ITSM) and Enterprise Service Management (ESM).

Payback in Software Investments

Saving money leaves reserves. But those who don’t invest also miss out on profit opportunities. Many organizations with limited IT budgets therefore face tough decisions: Should they accept investment costs or save money and thereby miss out on potential gains such as productivity increases, higher efficiency, or improved customer satisfaction?

It’s easy to choose the former when the benefits are clear. The real challenge, however, is that many prospective buyers don’t know how to use software to its full potential – and often apply it only in very limited ways. Those who know how to use it effectively, on the other hand, can expect relatively fast payback.

The basic prerequisite for achieving a positive ROI is therefore to carefully explore the possibilities a software solution offers.

Why ROI Is Such a Key Metric

Return on Investment (ROI) measures the profitability of investments – data-driven and value-oriented. In IT or software decisions, it helps compare different options, make informed choices, and allocate available resources in a targeted way.

While qualitative benefits are important, most business cases require measurable, quantitative outcomes with a focus on financial returns. For example, a modern, intuitive user interface can only serve as a valid element of decision-making once its (financial) benefits can be quantified.

Sample ROI Calculation: Implementing a Ticketing System

A ticketing system offers organizations a range of advantages such as centralized information flow, automation, and service optimization. These are all valuable benefits, but they only become truly meaningful once translated into financial terms.

In practice, multiple factors come into play here – for instance, the financial equivalent of a 10% increase in customer satisfaction.

To illustrate, let’s stick to a simple example:

Costs: License + Implementation + Training = €50,000 in the first year
Benefits: Through automation, support employees save 200 hours per month. At an average hourly rate of €35 (including full costs), that amounts to €84,000 per year.

ROI = (84,000 – 50,000) / 50,000 = 68%

In this case, the investment would clearly pay off, with amortization within the first year.

Tips for More Accurate ROI Calculations in ITSM/ESM

While the above example is simplified, it already provides a useful ROI estimate. For more precision, organizations should consider:

1. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

A more accurate approach involves concepts like TCO, which includes indirect costs, operating costs, and end-of-life expenses to provide a holistic view.

2. Maturity Level

The profitability of software also depends on the maturity of existing processes. A maturity assessment reveals where optimizations and professionalization will pay off most. Running such an assessment before calculating ROI can be highly beneficial.

3. Direct and Indirect Savings

Software benefits are not only direct – such as labor-hour savings or reduced ticket volume – but also indirect, like opportunity creation, better customer experience, or higher employee satisfaction.

Software can also indirectly influence hard metrics, such as customer churn rates, by enabling faster and better ITSM services.

4. Multiple Benefit Factors

To achieve accurate ROI calculations, include:

A realistic cost base such as TCO
Full employee costs (including social contributions, infrastructure, etc.)
Differentiated benefits:
1. Hard savings: labor hours, errors, downtime
2. Soft savings: customer satisfaction, response times, compliance

5. Additional Recommendations

Run different scenarios – conservative, realistic, and optimistic. Decision-makers may also define a time horizon; three years is usually long enough yet still manageable.

As an additional ROI indicator, a payback period can be helpful. It shows how long it will take for the investment to pay for itself. This figure – e.g., “payback after 16 months” – is often more tangible than ROI alone.

Self-Service Portals: A Key ROI Factor

There are many ways to financially benefit from well-implemented ITSM and ESM – including the extension of ESM to non-IT departments.

One of the most direct ROI examples is the introduction of a self-service portal. Such a portal reduces the workload of customer support by lowering the number of tickets and requests to process.

In short: by enabling end users to handle tasks previously managed by the service desk, organizations reduce costs while also delivering faster problem resolution. This improves satisfaction, which in turn has indirect financial benefits.

Calculating ROI for Self-Service Portals

To calculate ROI for a self-service portal, you need:

The total number of monthly service desk tickets

A realistic estimate of how many tickets can be deflected via self-service

The average handling cost per ticket

The initial and ongoing costs for self-service

Note: Since self-service functionality is often included in modern ITSM platforms, some costs may count as optimization of existing investments.

This type of calculation provides quick insights, but also reduces complexity. A holistic view – including indirect and qualitative factors – is always recommended.

AI as an ROI Driver

There are many factors that drive a high ROI. Even small productivity gains of just a few percentage points can have a major impact.

However, beyond self-service portals, AI applications and automation exert the strongest and most direct influence, as they eliminate many manual steps. With the right AI support, employees also gain rapid, well-founded insights, leading to better outcomes.

Key AI applications that serve as ROI drivers include:

Ticket summarization

Ticket classification and service descriptions

Automated response generation

Real-time translations

Sentiment analysis

Conclusion: ROI – One (Important) Part of the Truth

Investments must pay off – this principle applies to IT Service Management (ITSM) and Enterprise Service Management (ESM) just as it does in general business. Especially with limited budgets and the need to invest wisely, ROI serves as a key metric that provides valuable guidance.

Decision-makers, however, should keep in mind that ROI represents only part of the picture. Additional indicators such as the payback period, results from a maturity assessment (easy and quick to conduct), or qualitative, non-quantifiable factors also contribute to the full evaluation.

Tobias Kortas

IT Budget

Assessment: How mature is your ITSM?

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Assessment: How mature is your ITSM?

2025-09-23
Tobias Kortas

ITSM

Every serious improvement starts with a reality check. To get closer to their goals step by step, companies must reliably identify where they stand and where they want to go.

In fact, many companies overestimate their ITSM maturity level. Most are still in a relatively early stage. In other words, there’s still huge potential for growth. Big leaps can be made with just a few activities.

So where do you really stand with ITSM (or ESM; Enterprise Service Management)? By using the following ITSM assessment, you will quickly and easily find out.

Background

Determining ITSM maturity may sound technical, but in practice it’s quite simple. Maturity essentially reflects the extent to which organizations have developed their ITSM. It shows how effective and goal-oriented their service management capabilities are. It also indicates areas for improvement.

What does ITSM maturity mean?

ITSM maturity describes an organization’s ability to use ITSM in line with industry standards. It helps identify areas on which to focus in order to provide a better customer experience.
A maturity matrix (as shown below) provides valuable guidance. Using a scale, organizations can evaluate and compare their ITSM maturity.

The five key maturity levels are:

Level #1: Ad hoc
Level #2: Repeatable
Level #3: Defined
Level #4: Managed
Level #5: Optimized

Why is ITSM maturity important?

It is essential to know your level of ITSM maturity. This is an essential prerequisite for continuous process improvement, achieving business objectives, and leveraging IT as a strategic resource.

In short: those who know their level of ITSM maturity have a solid foundation to optimize practices, achieve success, and turn ITSM into measurable results.

Study: The State of SMB IT for 2026

Our study is called The State of SMB IT for 2026. It provides exclusive data on the ITSM maturity of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It is based on an online survey conducted between March 14 and April 4, 2025, commissioned by EasyVista and OTRS AG.

A total of 1,051 executives and IT professionals were surveyed. They work in companies ranging from 51 to 1,000 employees. The companies are located in Brazil, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Portugal, Malaysia, Mexico, and the US.

ITSM maturity: The status quo

Most SMBs are still in relatively early ITSM maturity stages, relying on fragmented tools and reactive approaches. Only 12% describe their ITSM approach as fully mature and proactive.

Forty-nine percent report well-structured processes. Twenty-six percent have partially structured processes, and 12% still operate with ad hoc, reactive procedures. In contrast, 56% view ITSM as a strategic driver of business success.

This highlights a significant gap between reality (early development stages) and ambition (using ITSM for strategic goals and efficiency). Many SMBs find themselves at a dead end. They are aware of the need for modernization but are hindered by low investment and legacy technologies.

Outlook

ITSM is increasingly becoming a strategic driver for business success. This makes achieving a higher maturity level a necessity.

The outlook for SMBs is mixed. New opportunities, such as AI integrations and automation, could help them achieve more efficient service delivery. On the other hand, challenges like fragmented tools, limited budgets, and lack of staff continue to hold them back.

The path forward does not necessarily depend on high IT budgets. Rather, it’s about taking targeted action: improving workflows, equipping teams with the right tools, and enhancing security.

In other words: achieving the highest possible level of ITSM maturity is crucial. It can unlock success without massive investment.

The formula for success: Improve existing processes purposefully instead of starting over repeatedly.

The 5 Dimensions of Service Management ITSM Maturity

ITSM maturity is multi-layered though not overly complex. It is derived from the ITIL maturity model. It is a multidimensional model that covers the following:

Process maturity: Are there clearly defined, consistent processes? Is automation in place? Are KPIs being measured? Are processes reviewed and optimized regularly?
Governance & strategy: Does ITSM measurably support business goals? Is there a service catalog and SLAs? Are responsibilities clearly defined (e.g., service owners, process owners)? Are compliance and risk management integrated?
Organization & culture: Do employees have the necessary ITIL, automation, and security skills? Does IT work in silos or cross-functionally with other departments? Are employees included in change management? Are self-service portals being used?
Technology & tools: Are advanced features such as a CMDB, automation, and AI capabilities in use? Are portals user- and mobile-friendly? Are simple requests already automated?
Measurement & outcomes: Are metrics in use, such as First Contact Resolution, MTTR, SLA compliance, or change success rate? Does IT deliver concrete business value? How is customer satisfaction measured (feedback, NPS, CSAT)? How proactive is IT (e.g., preventive root cause analysis)?

Examples of ITSM maturity in practice

#1: Extreme example of low maturity

With very low ITSM maturity, processes are ad hoc, chaotic, reactive, undocumented, and highly person-dependent. There’s no clear strategy or accountability, silos dominate, and collaboration is limited. Tools are used in isolation, and issues are only addressed reactively.

The first step here would be to document and standardize processes.

#2: Positive example of very high maturity

Here, processes are optimized and highly automated. Processes are innovative and value-driven.

Additionally, ITSM is closely aligned with business goals and measurable results, with excellent service as the guiding principle. AI-powered methods and advanced integrations are in use. Business value is delivered reliably and cost-effectively.

ITSM maturity matrix

Evaluating your own ITSM maturity may seem quite complex. It can be done relatively easily by using a schematic approach.

To do this, assign the following five dimensions to each of the five maturity levels (stages) – ad hoc, repeatable, defined, managed, and optimized.

A maturity model can be used in practice by rating each dimension—processes, governance, organization, technology, results—on a scale of 1 to 5. This clearly shows where the respective strengths and weaknesses lie.

Calculation examples

On this basis, ITSM maturity can be quantified and compared with concrete numbers. Scores range from 5 to 25. If each dimension scores 1 (5 * 1), the lowest maturity level of 5 is reached. With all top scores of 5, the ideal maturity of 25 is achieved.

However, scores are not necessarily consistent across dimensions. For example:

4 + 2 + 3 + 5 + 2 = 16 (medium maturity)

This example is realistic but not a benchmark. Maturity is highly individual and should mainly help define the next logical ITSM steps.

It is not unusual to see mature processes paired with a weak ITSM strategy. Another example is advanced technology combined with an underdeveloped organization.

Tip: If certain areas matter more than others, you can apply weighting to dimensions. For example, processes often carry greater importance, which can be reflected by a higher weighting factor.

Perspective

It’s best not to treat ITSM maturity too concretely. Instead, the matrix should serve as a practical tool for several key purposes:

Gain a valid, quantified evaluation of ITSM’s status quo.
Have sufficient data to enable comparisons with peers and competitors.
Most importantly: identify the next logical steps and align them with business goals.
Refer to the matrix for continuous improvement efforts.

Conclusion: ITSM maturity reveals opportunities

In a perfect world, no one would need an ITSM maturity model. Everything would already be optimized and automated. But perfection only exists in theory. In reality, most organizations are still in early development stages.

The goal of maturity assessment is clear: to provide insights into the meaningful next steps and goals. Unlike a simple benchmarking tool, it’s a powerful instrument for driving continuous improvement. Conversely, it can also show where no optimization is needed.

Often, however, there’s significant room for improvement. A lower maturity level should be seen as an opportunity. It offers evidence of untapped potential to make ITSM processes more efficient and more valuable to the business.

Learn how OTRS can help you optimize your ITSM.

Tobias Kortas

ITSM

Service Desk Automation: Best Practices for Greater Efficiency

Author OTRS — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 07:26:22 +0000

Service Desk Automation: Best Practices for Greater Efficiency

2025-09-18
Author OTRS

Best Practices, Customer Service

In recent years, IT has undoubtedly made impressive progress – including in service desks. Yet, service desk employees confirm that this work is still plagued by numerous inefficiencies.

The solution lies in service desk automation. If implemented smoothly, automation for service desks can deliver highly valuable improvements. Teams see higher productivity, increasesd cost savings and greater value creation.

The best practices presented here show how this can be achieved.

The Problem with an Inefficient Service Desk

Traditionally, when an end user encountered an IT issue, they contacted the service desk. The agent handling the request would first put the caller on hold. They would create the necessary documentation to officially open the ticket.

Only then could the problem be resolved or escalated. And only once the process was completed would the end user receive feedback. Depending on the severity of the problem, this could take minutes, hours, or even days.

This outdated approach frustrated both customers and employees alike. It is also extremely inefficient.

Automations and AI integrations provide a far better solution. They guide the service desk reliably into the modern age while saving valuable time, effort, and opportunity costs.

"Automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. Automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency."

Bill Gates

10 Best Practices for Service Desk Automation

The following best practices show how organizations can work more efficiently. Service desk automation makes the best use of team resources.

1. Leverage Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is a central element of service desk automation. It allows both routine activities and complex processes to be handled in a more structured, organized, and standardized way.

To enhance service, use tools that make knowledge more engaging and interactive.

Example: The common HR question “What is parental leave?” can be broken down into a simple workflow. A tool that creates decision trees with automated workflows makes complex issues more dynamic. This is because it can account for multiple variables. Examples of variables are who needs help or what device requires support.

2. Reset Passwords and Unlock Accounts

Nowadays, almost everything requires a password. Therefore, a common issue is that people forget them regularly.

Automated, knowledge-based workflows should help. They can be made accessible through service portals. End users can follow the required steps to reset their passwords without contacting the service desk.

This significantly reduces first-level tickets and increases satisfaction, since users can solve problems on their own. Password managers provide further relief by storing all employee passwords in a central system. This requires a single master password.

3. Provide Automatic Answers and Solutions

Once again, knowledge management plays a key role here. Imagine an employee wants to install a new system on their laptop. There may already be a process in the IT service catalog.

If, instead, they contact the service desk, the assigned agent has to spend time handling it. While such a request may not seem critical, frequent interruptions of this kind have a clearly negative effect. They divert focus from truly important incoming tickets.

The right self-service automation tools give employees a way to ask questions and receive answers without requiring human intervention. Knowledge workflows can be integrated into portals, applications, community platforms, and AI chatbots.

4. Use AI

The use of artificial intelligence in the service desk offers companies clear benefits. By automating processes and preventing unnecessary tickets, operating costs decrease while sources of error are reduced.

At the same time, AI eases operational workloads. It handles routine tasks and gives employees valuable time for strategic and value-adding activities.

Customer satisfaction also rises. Users benefit from faster response times, more accurate solutions, and personalized support available around the clock. This strengthens trust and loyalty.

In addition, machine learning ensures that with each ticket creation, the AI-driven system becomes more efficient. This advances service delivery desk over time.

5. Route Tickets to the Right People

Too often, tickets end up with the wrong IT staff; teams spend too much time each day sorting new tickets. This is inefficient and negatively impacts the customer experience.

Sorting tickets can be automated. Teams can use an ITSM platform that automatically routes tickets to the correct departments from the start. Personalized dashboards and rules define the entire ticket flow.

When teams automate ticket routing, customers get the support they need more quickly. Agents spend less time dealing with administrative hassles.

6. Provide Timely and Regular Status Updates

One of the greatest frustrations for end users is not knowing the status of their issue. They want to know how much longer it will take to resolve. Automated ticketing systems can define rules to send updates to customers on time. This greatly reduces follow-up inquiries to the service desk.

Plus, if a ticket resolution falls outside the service level agreement (SLA), automated notifications can trigger escalation. This ensures the issue is not forgotten and still receives appropriate attention.

7. Escalate Critical Incidents

Some organizations have support teams available around the clock – but most do not. In the evenings or on weekends, systems or tickets are often not actively monitored. In these cases, it is crucial to have an automated system that immediately escalates critical issues in real time. This way they do not wait until regular business hours.

8. Measure Productivity

Data collection can also be automated to provide a comprehensive view of team performance.

This includes common service management measures and metrics such as:

MTTR (Mean Time to Recover)
First Contact Resolution rate
Number of tickets recorded monthly/weekly
Number of service requests recorded monthly/weekly
Percentage of escalations
SLA compliance rate
Business hours lost due to outages

The right ITSM tools display this data in dashboards – individually visualized for team members, managers, or executives.

9. Close Tickets Automatically

Some requests take longer than others but should not remain open too long. With service desk software, rules can be defined to automatically close tickets when necessary. An example of this would be when the customer does not respond within a certain timeframe. This reduces manual effort for agents who have many cases to keep up with.

10. Collect Customer Feedback

There are many ways to measure the performance of a service desk. However, even the most positive metrics have limited value if service quality is lacking.

A good solution is to regularly conduct surveys and send them to customers. The best way to ensure continuous feedback is to automate the process. There are tools that automatically capture, collect, and prepare feedback for evaluation.

How OTRS Drives Service Desk Automation

Thanks to automated workflows in the service desk, OTRS ensures that no steps are ever overlooked. Team members can easily manage requests based on flexible templates and communicate directly with customers via the system.

Automatic notifications and intelligent ticket assignments significantly shorten otherwise time-consuming decision-making processes. In addition, custom ticket fields, clearly defined process management, and reusable process templates enable more efficiency, transparency, and better results.

Conclusion: Service Desk Automation Delivers High Value

Companies benefit extensively from service desk automation. It increases efficiency, enhances customer satisfaction, and reduces redundant tasks.

But such automation offers even more potential: it improves service quality for employees, enables tailored customer experiences, and creates transparency about achieved performance.

In short: with the right technologies and ITSM tools, the work of a service desk can be significantly improved. This is critical – not only for employees and customers but also for overall organizational growth.

Author OTRS

Best Practices, Customer Service

(Lack of) Security of the ((OTRS)) Community Edition

Tobias Kortas — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 07:13:10 +0000

(Lack of) Security of the ((OTRS)) Community Edition

2025-09-12
Tobias Kortas

OTRS Community Edition

The OTRS Group stopped supporting the ((OTRS)) Community Edition (CE) at the end of 2020. Since then, it has not received security updates or patches to fix vulnerabilities.

The free version of the ticket system is still being developed by unauthorized gray market providers. These developments are not authorized by OTRS Group. They are based on an old system that has not had professional security updates for many years.

Many users continue to rely on the ((OTRS)) Community Edition, while ignoring—whether consciously or unconsciously—the dangers behind it. For some, missing updates may sound like a risk they can comfortably accept, but this way of thinking is far removed from reality.

In fact, simply using the ((OTRS)) Community Edition is likely a violation of data protection regulations. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) says software must meet the latest security standards. This is clearly not true for CE. It’s more than five years out of date.

The Relevance of Security

In general, there is currently an urgent need to implement cybersecurity standards and guidelines. Recent surveys show that only a small number of cybersecurity professionals think their company is ready for security incidents. This is concerning as the number of incidents keeps increasing.

In other words: companies are facing more and more threats, yet remain unprepared for much of what is coming.

Good protection starts with security awareness. It should always be a focus to stop outside threats and protect sensitive data.

Why the Security Situation Is So Concerning

This is the problem with using the OTRS Community Edition: it lacks common protection features. In some cases, there are severe ((OTRS)) Community Edition security vulnerabilities. This leaves a large attack surface. As a result, the ((OTRS)) Community Edition cannot meet security and compliance requirements.

Despite the advantages of open source software, using it is strongly discouraged in this case. The reasons are clear: technological obsolescence, insufficient data protection, and a lack of coordinated, reliable security updates.

Deficits Caused by Using the ((OTRS)) Community Edition

There are several security deficits that arise from using the ((OTRS)) Community Edition. Here are the most important and critical ones:

Unpatched security vulnerabilities: Gaps and weaknesses have not been professionally or reliably fixed for a long time. Even when they are known, that doesn’t mean anyone is actually closing them. In this situation, attackers—who are becoming increasingly sophisticated—have an easier time.
Attack surface for cybercrime: Hackers can compromise the ((OTRS)) Community Edition. The data stored there is not secure and can be spied on or manipulated. In some cases, hackers could even fully take over the system.
GDPR risks: Things get particularly critical when users process personal data with the ((OTRS)) Community Edition. The software and its security measures do not meet current standards.
Using it still breaks the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
This not only risks unauthorized access and data loss but also harms a company’s reputation. It can lead to legal issues, like fines.

In short, companies still using the old ((OTRS)) Community Edition are taking a massive risk.

Neither GDPR-compliant operation nor the protection of sensitive data can be guaranteed. Alongside technical issues, there are also legal uncertainties.

Why Forks Do Not Provide Sufficient Security

Since the OTRS Group left, several independent forks have appeared. These are the gray market providers mentioned earlier. Their work is based on the source code of the ((OTRS)) Community Edition. These projects offer further developments as well as their own security fixes.

Nevertheless, they cannot guarantee the security of the original ((OTRS)) Community Edition, as the following points show:

Individual forks must discover and fix vulnerabilities in OTRS CE on their own. There is no centrally coordinated, reliable security process.
Security updates often appear late.
Different forks develop in different directions (there is no centrally coordinated approach), meaning companies are dependent on finding a sustainable and trustworthy community.

The Key Security Advantages of Modern OTRS

Modern OTRS continuously provides new features, improvements, and advancements, keeping the software solution at a high technological level. In addition, bug fixes and security advisories follow a consistent process.

Customers also benefit from comprehensive service and professional consulting, which address security and compliance along with other important topics.

Users gain access to specialists and experts who leverage years of experience to keep OTRS secure, compliant, and reliable. For this reason, companies with strict security and compliance requirements especially trust OTRS.

In short: organizations should urgently begin the transition to OTRS to avoid security incidents and legal consequences.

Conclusion: Security Deficits Necessitate Change

Security should become a focus before incidents occur. Ignoring it risks severe damage to the business.

With the ((OTRS)) Community Edition, there is no guarantee of adequate security. It exposes its users to high risks—particularly regarding data protection. No official security updates have been implemented for a long time. This makes OTRS CE very vulnerable to serious threats.

The ((OTRS)) Community Edition was once quite popular. Today, however, it must be viewed as highly problematic in terms of security. Technological progress has been significant, making the basis of the Community Edition—OTRS 6—long outdated.

In addition to the new OTRS features and appealing interfaces of the modern OTRS, security aspects are a compelling reason to switch to OTRS immediately. Fair pricing models, simple migration, and comprehensive customer service make the path to significantly improved security straightforward.

Tobias Kortas

OTRS Community Edition

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Reducing IT Costs in a Sustainable Way

Author OTRS — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 08:20:53 +0000

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Reducing IT Costs in a Sustainable Way

2025-09-04
Author OTRS

ESM, IT Budget

Achieving more with fewer resources is the mandate. Yet, IT leaders in every organization must successfully and competitively manage the company’s technological infrastructure.

Cloud migrations are becoming more important. Companies are also digitalizing many departments. The demands and costs are high. They seek different software tools, solutions, and other IT components.

At first, it might seem enough to look only at direct expenses. These include software licenses and hardware costs. However, true cost efficiency comes from a more complex idea: the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

This article explains the idea of TCO. It shows how to consider it effectively. It also demonstrates how Enterprise Service Management (ESM) can help lower IT costs. This approach can provide a good return on investment (ROI).

What is TCO?

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a financial calculation. It looks at both the direct and indirect costs of a product or service.In IT, this includes the purchase price of software, hardware, or services. It also covers costs for implementation, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning.

It is the result of a cost of ownership analysis. To calculate TCO in the IT environment consider:

Acquisition and implementation costs: the initial purchase price, licenses, hardware purchase, configuration, and installations
Operating costs: personnel costs, training, updates, support, security, energy consumption
Indirect costs: downtime, inefficiencies, vendor lock-in, scalability limits
End-of-life costs: migration, disposal, data decommissioning

TCO provides a holistic view on the lifecycle of an IT investment—far beyond the initial costs.

This perspective is crucial, especially in complex environments where services affect multiple departments and platforms.

Why is TCO important?

Understanding the concept of Total Cost of Ownership proves extremely beneficial for companies for several reasons.

Here are the key advantages at a glance:

It enables clear purchasing decisions.
Companies avoid hidden costs.
The IT budget can be used and built up sustainably. Planning reliability emerges.
Based on TCO, it becomes possible to realistically compare vendor offerings.

A solution that seems cheap at first can become expensive later. This can happen because of high maintenance needs or poor integration options.

On the other hand, companies that invest in Enterprise Service Management (ESM) platforms can save money over time. They do this by improving or automating processes and combining old and new tools.

Best Practices: Saving IT Costs with TCO

Identifying and managing TCO requires a proactive, strategic approach. With the following best practices, this becomes possible.

#1: Develop a holistic view of IT investments

TCO is not just a matter for the finance department or IT. CIOs, IT managers, service owners, vendors, and procurement officers must jointly evaluate the long-term impact of each investment.

The central questions—beyond acquisition and implementation costs—are as follows:

What training and support effort does the tool require?
How much manual maintenance is necessary?
Can the tool be integrated into existing platforms?
What are the potential costs of scaling?

#2: Always align with business objectives

Technology expenses should always be linked to business outcomes and key metrics. For example, if a new platform cuts ticket processing time by 50%, it shows a clear productivity gain. This is an important part of the TCO-ROI comparison.

Conversely, if metrics such as productivity or the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) only rise moderately, this has a positive impact. This is true even if the TCO is moderately high. This is because improvements in key business data represent enormous financial value.

#3: Break down silos and centralize services with ESM

Enterprise Service Management (ESM) takes the ideas of IT Service Management (ITSM) and applies them to the whole organization. This includes areas like HR, finance, infrastructure, and legal.

This enables the following:

Companies save money on duplicate service tools.
Workflows, automations, and reports are centralized.
Duplicate work between departments is avoided.
By applying best practices in different departments, their positive effects are amplified. Services are holistically improved.

A unified ESM platform significantly lowers operating costs and long-term expenses, thus reducing the company’s overall TCO.

#4: Use automation and self-service

Too many manual processes—for repetitive and non-value-adding tasks—are costly, error-prone, and slow.

Those who want to work more efficiently can reduce this effort through the following factors:

ESM platforms that support these functionalities not only increase user satisfaction but also lower personnel costs. This is an an important component of TCO.

#5: Continuously monitor and optimize

Tools for monitoring performance, SLAs, and usage metrics help allocate resources optimally and avoid overcapacity. ESM platforms offer robust analytics and reporting capabilities that enable data-driven decisions for cost reduction.

Proof of Concept: Technology decisions impact TCO and ROI

Let’s look at two scenarios in service management: classic ITSM solutions versus an ESM platform with automation and self-service.

1. Isolated, fragmented ITSM solutions

Using individual ITSM tools may initially appear attractive due to lower license costs. But when you add implementation, ongoing maintenance, support contracts, specialized staff, and integrations, total costs quickly rise. Operational effort also increases. More resources are needed to maintain workflows and handle support requests.

2. ESM platform with automation and self-service

An ESM platform needs more money at first. However, this cost is quickly balanced by automations, easy self-service features, and built-in integrations.These save manual effort, ensure efficient workflows, and reduce staffing needs. This drastically lowers costs in the long run—the financial benefits multiply.

Meanwhile, support and maintenance are usually simple and included in the pricing package. For this reason, the cost-benefit equation is extremely positive in the long term.

Result: ESM creates sustainable savings and tremendous added value. In the long run, ESM ensures a lower TCO, fewer external dependencies, reduced complexity, and the elimination of isolated tools.

Organizations benefit from efficiency, faster solutions, and higher satisfaction through self-service and automation.

The TCO calculation often shows a paradox. Tools that seem cheap can actually be very costly. Alternatives with higher initial costs can turn out to be a financial blessing.

TCO as a strategic lever

In a complex digital world with tight budgets, TCO helps assess technologies. It looks at all real and long-term costs, not just the purchase price.

This makes hidden operating costs, maintenance obligations, and inefficiencies visible. It provides a more complete picture for investment decisions.

By looking at TCO from the start and during the whole life cycle, we can make better decisions and meet budget goals. The goal is not just to reduce costs, but to make intelligent, sustainable investments with measurable added value.

Why is OTRS worthwhile from a TCO perspective

OTRS has a Concurrent Agents model. Customers only pay for the number of agents logged in at the same time.

For example, a company has 30 agents. However, only ten agents are logged in during a shift. The license costs only apply to those ten agents.

OTRS customers enjoy wide service coverage. They also get complete maintenance and improvements, like bug fixes and updates. Plus, they benefit from high security.

In a managed environment like the cloud, customers get full service. They do not have to pay for servers or updates.

Without unnecessary and hidden costs, the financial added value is accordingly high. Customers already benefit extensively from OTRS with the first hints of productivity gains and these tend to increase over time.

The Saxony State Office for Schools and Education (LaSuB) gets support that is two-thirds faster for 32,000 teachers. They have significantly increased efficiency.

Conclusion: From intelligent cost control to real growth

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is an important idea. It changes the focus from short-term savings to long-term cost savings. This is an intelligent, sustainable, and future-oriented concept. It should always play a role in decisions regarding IT and service investments.

Those who only look at upfront costs risk fragmented tools, inefficiencies, and unexpected expenses. Focusing on the lowest possible TCO helps cut costs. This leads to real efficiency and lasting value.

Enterprise Service Management (ESM) is important because it turns TCO insights into real actions. It does this by using structure, standardization, and automation.

Ultimately, TCO fosters a culture of planning, transparency, and continuous improvement. It provides a framework for fairly comparing options, setting priorities based on holistic impact, and realistically forecasting future requirements.

Thus, cost control becomes a growth path—with potential that goes far beyond initial expectations.

Author OTRS

ESM, IT Budget

AI in SMB IT: Status Quo and Solution Strategies

Tobias Kortas — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 06:05:17 +0000

AI in SMB IT: Status Quo and Solution Strategies

2025-08-28
Tobias Kortas

AI & Automation

Artificial intelligence has promised to change customer behavior and revolutionize IT operations. In fact, it is already steadily doing so today. The hype is massive and its relevance is enormous. Many companies and individuals fear they may not be able to keep up. They worry about falling behind.

Naturally, corporations and large enterprises are better equipped with resources. They easily adapt to technological innovations such as the current AI wave. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), however, the challenge is greater. Between expectations, outside perceptions, and the practical reality, a significant barrier arises for SMBs.

This article, based on recent survey data, examines what is realistic for SMBs when it comes to AI adoption. It also considers what remains wishful thinking. And, it offers recommendations for appropriate IT strategies. In contrast to AI euphoria, this article creates a realistic picture of the current status quo.

Background: Pressure Is Increasing

Developments in the digital world often move at tremendous speed.The digital transformation was a major challenge, especially for SMBs. Now, the perceived need to roll out AI on a large scale brings even greater hurdles.

The budget issue is particularly striking. SMBs must operate with limitations. They make tough choices and face pressure to keep pace with major developments and trends.

Understanding where they can actually deploy AI and where they cannot, provides IT decision-makers with much-needed clarity. This cuts through exaggerated AI market claims.

Study “The State of SMB ITSM for 2026”: Pragmatism Prevails

Our study “The State of SMB ITSM for 2026” shows that SMBs primarily look for concrete and low-risk ways to improve IT productivity.

56% say they need user-friendly AI and automation to enhance their ITSM practices. The solutions should be intuitive to use, quick to implement, and deliver results quickly.

This makes one thing clear. SMBs are not incorporating AI into their IT strategies as a disruptive force. For example, they are not replacing human agents with AI-powered virtual agents. Instead, SMBs are using AI to supplement or optimize existing workflows.

The most important use cases to optimize ITSM and ITAM (IT Asset Management) processes are as follows:

Asset tracking and reporting (35% of respondents)
Automation of repetitive tasks (34%)
Trend analysis for decision-making (33%)
Continuous process improvement (32%)
Predicting and preventing IT incidents (30%)

More Evolution Than Revolution

This reflects their pragmatic view. SMBs mainly use AI to save time, gain better insights, and reduce errors. It’s about optimizing existing workflows—more of an evolution than a full-blown AI revolution in IT.

Large international corporations, on the other hand, demonstrate more radical scenarios. In some cases, first-level support is almost entirely taken over by GenAI features. AI agents handle troubleshooting processes.

SMBs don’t have to go that far. More disruptive technologies play only a secondary role among respondents.This includes end-user chatbots (24%), sentiment analysis (22%), or translation services (16%).

This suggests that SMBs currently do not view generative AI as a major game changer. They do, however, see it as an important enabler of IT processes. The potential of AI is evident. It simply unfolds on a much smaller scale compared to many larger companies.

High Relevance, but Practical Obstacles

The high relevance of AI—even for small business owners—should not be underestimated. The fact that adopting AI in SMBs is fragmented and secondary to primary processes is due to practical hurdles more than to willingness.

Nineteen percent of surveyed executives and IT professionals cited budget constraints as the biggest barrier to introducing generative AI into IT operations. Seventeen percent pointed to a lack of in-house expertise.

In contrast, doubts about AI’s value are not holding respondents back. Only 6% named limited use cases as the biggest obstacle. Five percent cited unclear ROI and 3% saw no need for generative AI at all.

Not surprisingly, 71% of respondents are convinced that AI in ITSM is critical for success and will be among the top five priorities for 2026. Similarly, 30% consider the introduction of AI tools the most important IT priority in the next 12 months.

About the Report

“The State of SMB IT for 2026” is based on an online survey conducted between March 14 and April 4, 2025, on behalf of EasyVista and OTRS AG. A total of 1,051 executives and IT professionals from companies with 51 to 1,000 employees in Brazil, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Portugal, Malaysia, Mexico, and the USA took part.

Solution Strategies

The study points to cautious optimism, not blind enthusiasm for AI adoption in SMB IT. Respondents are well aware of both the high potential and benefits of AI. They also understand the practical limitations of their companies which include budget and in-house know-how.

This strongly correlates with the fact that IT is viewed differently in SMBs. ITSM leaders view IT as a strategic business driver. In contrast, they are often in early maturity stages and rely on fragmented tools. They are also more reactive than proactive in their approach.

Recommendation #1: Take Incremental Steps

This clearly shows that SMBs recognize the signs of the times. They understand that a large-scale shift to AI-driven processes would practically overwhelm them. A realistic and promising approach, therefore, lies in incremental improvements with clearly measurable benefits. Examples include automating repetitive tasks, improving real time inventory management, or optimizing customer service.

Recommendation #2: Embrace Selectivity

In plain terms, the breadth of AI options is overwhelming and nearly impossible to grasp in full. The best approach is, therefore, an as-much-as-you-can strategy. SMBs should take action wherever possible and where clear benefits exist. But they must act consciously within firm boundaries, since a comprehensive approach is out of reach.

This explains the observed gap between awareness and implementation. The gap results in a demand for affordable, easy-to-integrate, and tailored AI solutions.

The key lies in setting clear priorities for AI adoption. Leaders must equip teams with the right technology and training. The focus should be on tools that deliver time savings, enhance quality, and provide strategic value.

In short: SMBs neither have to nor can fully ride the AI hype. Their challenge is to precisely identify and implement those AI solutions that promise the greatest benefit for their individual needs.

OTRS AI Services

Since SMBs implement AI step by step and with pragmatism, they need a flexible, scalable, and cost-conscious model.

They can find such a model in OTRS AI Services. OTRS users can flexibly book AI services via a credit-based system (more info here). Available features include intelligent ticket classification, AI-powered response generation, and unified knowledge access.

The services—based on the machine learning and a Large Language Model (LLM)—are designed to deliver high-quality customer experiences, improved workflows, and greater productivity.

Conclusion: Practical Support, Not Hype, in Focus

With the growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in professional IT environments, the pressure on SMBs is increasing. On the one hand, there’s the hype and the urge to stay up to date. They must deliver products or services as quickly as possible and protect customer relationships. Both of which can be enhanced with AI.

On the other hand, there are financial, staffing, and skill-related constraints.

For SMBs, AI capabilities are more about practical support of existing processes and relief. For example, if SMBs are often understaffed, AI can help bridge this gap. This pragmatic approach reflects today’s reality. The pursuit of “unlimited AI-powered performance,” however, remains an ideal that SMBs cannot (yet) pursue.

Therefore, SMBs need easy-to-implement solutions that provide quick and straightforward support, ease the burden on employees, and create greater value.

Tobias Kortas

AI & Automation

Device Management Software and Its Connection to Service Management

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:46:50 +0000

Device Management Software and Its Connection to Service Management

2025-08-26
Tobias Kortas

ITAM, ITSM

Modern IT landscapes are complex—and growing even more so. Countless assets and a wide variety of devices are managed by IT teams. At the same time, the business expects IT to deliver strong services.

A dedicated Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution is not only a key component for handling these challenges effectively. It also enables outstanding monitoring, significant time savings, and a high Return on Investment (ROI).

This article outlines how device management software creates real added value. It considers the benefits of pairing MDM solutions with a ticketing system. The article examines its role in IT Service Management (ITSM) or Enterprise Service Management (ESM). Finally, it gives an overview of various budget considerations.

What Is Device Management Software Today?

Mobile Device Management refers to software solutions and related strategies that efficiently manage, monitor, and secure endpoints regardless of location or operating system. Endpoints are devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Intelligent device management means that devices running in the environment are remotely identified, monitored and maintained.

Integrations with other tools are essential to gain a holistic view of IT environments. In addition, automation provides smart ways to save valuable resources.

Connections and Overlaps

Mobile Device Management is part of IT Asset Management (ITAM). Today, MDM is evolving into intelligent endpoint management. This combines MDM with customer management—leveraging AI-driven analytics and increasingly relying on automation.

In modern IT operations, it makes sense to connect device management with IT Service Management (ITSM). Device management helps support hardware. ITSM supports service processes. Request management, problem management, incident management, or change management are examples of service processes.

On this basis, IT environments can be managed holistically with ease.

ITSM becomes Enterprise Service Management (ESM) when its principles are extended to other areas of the business.. Device management also complements ESM. It helps teams manage both services and technology through a central platform, structured processes, and clear responsibilities. While ESM orchestrates services, MDM becomes a crucial service component (more on this later).

Key Functions—and Their Role in Providing Services

When combined with service management, Mobile Device Management brings several significant practical advantages. Even small teams can gain a surprisingly good overview of large diversified IT environments.

After device enrollment, MDM functions and service management work together to offer a number of benefits.

Device history and inventory data: Tckets can be auto-populated with prior device information. This could include device properties or earlier service cases. This saves time, provides clarity, and marks the first step toward adequately resolving a support request. It also helps technicians understand if someone is using a personal device.
Software and patch management: Installations, updates, and patches can be managed across many devices through MDM software. This helps proactively avoid disruptions which aligns perfectly with proactive problem management. Teams can eliminate root causes before they lead to problems and incidents.
Remote maintenance: Being able to easily maintain devices remotely is essential in MDM. For instance, if a device is lost or stolen, teams can make sure work data is not compromised by remotely wiping the device. When done reliably, first-level support experiences huge relief, as users contact support far less often with maintenance issues.
Automatic escalations: Device security is easier to manage. For instance, if devices violate security or compliance policies, automatic escalations can be triggered. This resolves issues as quickly as possible.
Policy management: Policies can be directly integrated into change management processes. This includes information on how devices, apps, and data should be used.

Integration with a Ticketing System

It’s already clear that Mobile Device Management has strong relevance for service management. To make work easier, the mobile device management solution should be integrated with a ticketing system.

Here’s how integration with a ticketing system makes sense:

Relevant device information is automatically available in tickets through a shared data foundation.
Events within MDM tools automatically trigger ticket creation.
Response times and SLA (Service Level Agreement) compliance improve.
Self-service portals can integrate device-related content (e.g., tailored suggestions for a “slow device”).

The combined power of device management and a ticketing system propels IT teams forward.

The key lies in having all device data and service processes in view. In this way, teams can act efficiently and logically.

Device Management in the Context of Enterprise Service Management (ESM)

Device management software plays an increasingly strategic role in Enterprise Service Management (ESM). It benefits the IT department but all other areas of the business.

A typical example is employee onboarding. HR initiates a service request. By using device management, IT can automatically provide, configure, and deliver the appropriate device. At the same time, these steps can be documented, managed, and tracked through the central ticketing system.

This is an excellent example of ESM in action.

In short: When device management is systematically integrated into the ESM platform, seamless, end-to-end processes emerge that increase efficiency and transparency across the enterprise.

IT saves time and is positioned as a driver of strategic services. IT becomes the heart of the digital organization.

AI in Device and Service Management

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds a prominent place in service management. But it also optimizes and accelerates processes in device management.

Several use cases for AI come into play. For instance, device and ticket data can be used to generate predictions that support maintenance processes. AI also enables intelligent routing decisions in device management, such as when certain device types are frequently affected.

In service management, AI applications help in many ways. They can:

classify tickets,
generate responses,
provide real-time translations, or
perform sentiment analysis. Sentiment analysis gauges the emotional tone of inquiries.

AI creates numerous opportunities. It accelerates processes. It helps teams handle higher volumes, achieve better results, and generate forward-looking insights. The potential in this area is far from fully realized.

How Integrated Device Management Software Helps Save Budget

Using resources intelligently, acting efficiently, achieving Return on Investment (ROI): these have always been important in business. Today, they are even more critical due to increasing market pressure.

When organizations ask whether to implement an MDM solution, budget is taken into account in two ways:

The solution must be worth its price. The price includes the acquisition cost. It also includes factors that go into Total Cost of Ownership, such as training or maintainance.
The software should pay off and generate more financial value than it costs. Ideally, benefits such as productivity gains, automation, or error reduction should outweigh the expenses.

This is precisely what integrated device and service management achieves:

By reducing manual effort (e.g., in incidents and problems), support costs decrease.
Proactive monitoring extends device lifespans, reducing the need for costly replacements.
By providing key context information, device management enables faster and more comprehensive problem resolution.
License and asset management are optimized, ensuring licenses and devices are used more efficiently and in a coordinated manner.
Transparency on device status and usage enables well-founded, targeted investment decisions.
Remote device management makes it easier to enforce security, thus protecting the business from potential fines.

Conclusion

Device management plays a crucial role in IT operations and strongly overlaps with ITSM and ESM. It can also be described as the data-driven backbone of AI-powered automation.

Efficiency, security, and cost control are pressing topics—heavily supported by intelligent, integrated device management. That’s why it makes sense to integrate device management with a ticketing system or an ESM platform. It saves costs long-term, unifies processes, and maintains a holistic overview of IT-related workflows.

At the same time, device management remains a vital subcategory of IT Asset Management. It enables comprehensive device administration and application management regardless of location and operating system. This creates the foundation for fast remote support, delivers valuable automation, and ultimately saves considerable time and money.

Organizations that successfully leverage MDM software solutions to manage devices lay the foundation for intelligent data use and integration with ITSM and ESM processes. This includes automation and AI benefits.

Tobias Kortas

ITAM, ITSM

Request Management: Benefits, Best Practices, and Software

Author OTRS — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 06:15:31 +0000

Request Management: Benefits, Best Practices, and Software

2025-08-21
Author OTRS

Customer Service

Whether it’s a new employee who needs system access or a customer requiring immediate technical support, organizations today are under constant pressure: they must handle an ever-increasing volume of user requests.

These requests involve different departments, touch every aspect of business operations, and create a complex web of diverse requirements. Managing them demands clear prioritization, a high level of coordination, and timely execution.

Without an appropriate system, even the simplest issues — from password resets to onboarding requests — can cause delays, leading to confusion and frustration. Lacking a structured service request management process results in longer response times, a growing backlog of unanswered requests, and negative experiences for both customers and employees.

This article explains why proper, effective request management is so important. It outlines the benefits and presents best practices along with the most suitable software solutions to support the process.

Request Management: Why It Matters

Request management refers to the structured handling of all standardized requests submitted to a service desk. These requests typically do not involve incidents or service disruptions but are usually related to system access, resource provisioning, or information retrieval.

Every service request must be recorded, prioritized, fulfilled, and documented. This includes IT tickets, scheduled maintenance, and starting a recruitment process through HR.

Poor request processes lead to lost productivity, employee frustration, and dissatisfied customers. For example, if a new employee does not get their login details on time, they cannot work well. Even a short lack of access affects team performance. Likewise, unresolved customer requests can hinder long-term customer loyalty.

Effective request management ensures:

Every request is recorded and tracked
Responsibilities are clearly assigned
Communication is centralized and traceable
SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and deadlines are met

In short: functional request management is critical to ensuring business continuity and maintaining the reliability and quality of services.

The Benefits of Successful Request Management

When implemented correctly, request management offers tangible advantages for the entire organization.

Here are the most important ones:

#1 High Efficiency

With structure and automated workflows, service teams save work and enable clear decision-making. Using standard forms and routing rules helps assign tasks to the right people quickly. This saves time and reduces mistakes.

#2 Visibility and Traceability

With a centralized system, all requests are captured, tracked, and monitored in real time. Dashboards and regular reports provide managers and project leaders with full transparency into workloads, potential bottlenecks, and service performance.

#3 Improved Communication

Through a unified portal or ticketing system, both requesters and support teams stay informed at all times. Updates, approvals, and completion notices are communicated automatically, preventing chaotic situations and unnecessary email chains.

#4 Customer and Employee Satisfaction

Fast and transparent handling builds trust and enhances user experience. Employees feel supported, and customers who receive reliable service are more likely to develop strong loyalty toward the company.

#5 Accountability and Compliance

Well-designed request management systems log who did what and when. This audit trail is essential for regulatory compliance, internal controls, and performance evaluations.

#6 Continuous Improvement

Analyzing request volume, processing times, and user satisfaction helps identify recurring issues and optimize processes accordingly.

Best Practices for Request Management

Implementing request management isn’t just about rolling out a tool. It involves creating a company culture built on consistency, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.

Here are some proven best practices to help make it a success:

#1 Standardize Request Categories and Forms

Create clear categories for different types of requests — such as IT, HR, or facility management — and use standardized forms to quickly and accurately capture necessary information.

#2 Automate Where Possible

Automate recurring tasks — such as ticket creation, approvals, or notifications — to speed up processes and reduce the workload for support teams.

#3 Define Prioritization Rules

Not all requests have the same importance. Establish criteria for assigning priorities based on urgency, expected impact, and SLAs. This ensures that critical matters are addressed faster.

#4 Assign Clear Responsibilities

Every request needs a clearly accountable handler. Role-based assignments and escalation rules ensure transparency and prevent delays.

#5 Provide Self-Service Options

Offer users a comprehensive knowledge base and a self-service portal with FAQs so they can resolve common issues themselves. This reduces request volume and promotes user autonomy.

#6 Monitor Performance with KPIs

Track key metrics such as average resolution time, first contact resolution (FCR), ticket backlog, and satisfaction scores to measure process effectiveness. Regular reviews reveal trends and opportunities for improvement.

#7 Encourage Feedback and Improvement

Invite requesters to rate their experience and provide feedback. These insights help refine workflows and adjust training and communication strategies.

The Right Software Support for Effective Request Management

Technology is at the heart of any modern request management system. The right request management software enables automation, supports targeted monitoring and integrates with other business solutions to ensure smooth operations.

Key Features to Look For

An effective request management platform should provide:

Customizable request forms and workflows
Centralized ticketing
Dashboards for complete process visibility
Service catalog, SLAs and escalation management
Role-based permissions and task assignment
Self-service portals and knowledge bases
Integration with email, chat, and business apps
Reporting and analytics capabilities

The Benefits of Specialized Software

It’s clear: professional request management requires dedicated request management software. The specific benefits include:

Speed and Accuracy: Automated routing and data validation reduce errors and speed up processing.
Scalability: An effective service request management system adapts to the needs of different departments as the company grows.
Collaboration: Cross-department teams work on the same platform with full visibility into request status.
Audit and Compliance: Central logs and audit trails ensure accountability and support regulatory compliance.

Integration is Key

A strong request management solution works best when it fits well with the current IT and process setup. This includes not only CRM, ERP, and HR systems but also collaboration tools, monitoring platforms, and industry-specific applications.

With this smooth connectivity, requests are automatically enriched with relevant contextual information, duplicate data entry is eliminated, and manual handovers between departments are minimized. The result: faster processing, fewer errors, and a continuous flow of information across all systems.

In the long run, strong integration also boosts user adoption, as employees can continue working with familiar tools while still benefiting from centralized request management.

Conclusion: Request Management — A Strategic Advantage

Today, a well-established request management process is no longer a “nice to have.” It is essential for ensuring efficient, consistent, and high-quality services across the organization. Well-managed requests increase satisfaction, productivity, and operational excellence — both within internal teams and in customer interactions.

By using proven best practices and the right software tools, organizations can improve request handling. This focus on continuous improvement helps create lasting value.

In short: well-executed request management is a strategic advantage, streamlining workflows, increasing transparency, and delivering a better experience for everyone involved.

Author OTRS

Customer Service

Service Desk Software – Definition and Key Features

Bernd Maus — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:53:02 +0000

Service Desk Software – Definition and Key Features

2025-08-19
Bernd Maus

ITSM

What Is Service Desk Software?

Modern service desk software is more than a support tool. It combines ITIL processes, integration features, and automation.

This creates one platform for all service requests. It serves as the main point of contact. This forms the base for efficient and measurable IT service management.

Definition and ITIL Alignment

A traditional helpdesk works reactively. It waits for users to report issues and then fixes them.

In contrast, the ITIL-defined service desk does more. It serves as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) between IT and users. It also combines several ITIL processes and helps improve services proactively.

Service desk solutions bring this concept to life by:

Capturing, classifying, and prioritizing incoming tickets.
Supporting ITIL processes like Incident, Problem, Change, Request, and Knowledge Management.
Providing the data foundation for Continual Service Improvement (CSI).

Technical Architecture of Modern Service Desk Software

Modern service desk platforms are typically multi-layered, modular systems designed to integrate into heterogeneous IT environments.

Scalability is very important, especially for large businesses. Cloud-native platforms use microservices, containers like Docker and Kubernetes, and event-driven systems like Kafka and RabbitMQ. These tools help manage high demand effectively.

Typical Components

Frontend
Web portals, mobile apps, chatbots, and omnichannel interfaces provide a consistent user experience for agents and end users—ensuring fast access to services and seamless communication across devices.

Business Logic
Process engines, workflow orchestration, SLA/OLA management, and automation rules. This layer manages ticket prioritization, escalations, approvals, workflow automation and service-level monitoring for compliant and efficient service delivery.

Data & Integration Layer
APIs (REST, SOAP, GraphQL), webhooks, and middleware integrations (e.g., CMDB, monitoring tools, ERP). This enables context within tickets through deep integration with Active Directory/Azure AD, collaboration tools, and monitoring systems.

Knowledge & Analytics Layer
Reporting engines, machine learning models for ticket classification, NLP for chatbots, and knowledge base indexing. This layer supports analytics, self-service, and continuous knowledge updates to empower both users and agents.

OTRS – The Enterprise Service Management Solution

Turn your service desk into a strategic advantage—discover why OTRS is the ideal solution for modern service management.

7 Core Features of Service Desk Software

A service desk that delivers comprehensive services and contributes to the organization’s value creation needs more than just a ticketing system. It requires full support for all core ITSM processes. The selection of the right service desk software therefore depends heavily on the available functionality.

The following capabilities, grouped by area of application, should be provided.

Service Management

Service Level Management: Define, monitor, and report on Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and OLAs (Operational Level Agreements), with automatic escalation for breaches.
Service Catalog Management: Centralized, user-friendly catalog with service descriptions, costs, and delivery times.
Service Portfolio Management: Manage the full service lifecycle, from planning and rollout to retirement, aligned with business goals.
Service Reporting & Dashboards: Real-time visibility into performance, workload, trends, and bottlenecks.
Supplier Management: Integrate external vendors into workflows, including SLA monitoring and performance reviews.

Incident Management

Automated ticket creation from monitoring alerts.
Prioritization by Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and criticality matrix to respond to critical issues as quickly as possible.
Playbooks and predefined workflows for faster resolution.
SLA tracking with escalation paths.

Problem Management

Root cause analysis through incident correlation.
Integration with CMDB to identify impacted configuration items (CIs).
Documentation of workarounds and permanent fixes.

Change & Release Management

Approval workflows (CAB meetings, risk assessments).
Integration with DevOps pipelines (CI/CD).
Change calendar and conflict detection.

Knowledge Management

Central knowledge base for FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and how-to articles.
Full-text search with AI-powered relevance ranking.
Self-learning systems that auto-update articles with new solutions.

Service Request Management

Catalog-based requests (e.g., “Order a new laptop”).
Approval chains with automated provisioning (e.g., shared drive access).

Continual Improvement

CSI Register: Centralized tracking of improvement initiatives.
Automated KPI Analysis: MTTR, FCR, Change Success Rate, and more.
Feedback Integration: Surveys, ticket ratings, sentiment analysis.
Trend & Problem Analytics: Early detection of recurring issues or process inefficiencies.
Process Modeling & Simulation: Test changes in a sandbox before rollout.

KPIs, Monitoring, and Reporting

Without capturing data, optimization is impossible. Advanced systems offer real-time dashboards, drill-down analytics, and automated alert functions when thresholds for defined KPIs are exceeded or not met.

The following key metrics should be tracked by a service desk software solution:

MTTR (Mean Time to Resolution or Recovery)
FCR (First Contact Resolution Rate)
Ticket backlog and aging
SLA/OLA compliance
Change success rate
User satisfaction (CSAT, NPS)

Advanced systems provide real-time dashboards, drill-down analytics, and automated alerting functions when thresholds for defined KPIs are exceeded or not met.

Integration Across the Enterprise

In many organizations, the service desk is still limited to IT support. It receives requests, assigns a ticket number, and then disappears from the broader process context.

Today, however, IT has permeated almost all of a company’s value chain. The service desk must therefore be understood as an enterprise-wide solution.

This persistent silo mentality costs time, quality, and money. In a modern, highly connected IT environment, the service desk is not just a data entry tool. It is the nerve center of IT service management (ITSM).

Its true strength emerges only when it is deeply integrated—with monitoring, CMDB, identity and access management, DevOps pipelines, collaboration tools, and governance systems.

These integrations are not a luxury—they are prerequisites for efficiency, rapid response times, precise decision-making, and compliance.

Information Flow and Context: Faster Decisions Through Data

A ticket without context forces agents to conduct manual research (Who is the owner? Which CIs are affected? Which changes have been made?).

By integrating with CMDB/asset management, monitoring, and HR/ERP systems, tickets are automatically enriched upon creation. They include information such as affected CIs, dependencies, business criticality, owners, ongoing changes, and maintenance windows.

Result: The average time to correctly assign a ticket decreases, incorrect routing is reduced, and unnecessary “ping-pong messaging” between team members disappears.

Systematic Reduction of Waiting Time

Every unnecessary wait and manual process slows down the cycle time (CT) and ticket resolution time.

Manual decision-making, copy-paste between tools, or follow-up questions due to missing information add workload.

Here, significant time and cost savings can be achieved: automation features like event-to-ticket, auto-prioritization, and skill-based routing substantially shorten CT.

Example: Reducing manual triage from five minutes to one minute per ticket via monitoring/CMDB integration saves four minutes. While that may seem small, at 3,000 tickets per month this amounts to 12,000 minutes—or 200 net hours—saved.

Reducing Error Rates & Rework: Duplicate Data, Twice the Cost

Copying information between tools leads to typos, incorrect CI assignments, and missed SLAs. Integrated systems use unique identifiers (e.g., CI IDs, UIDs), idempotency, and reference integrity. These result in less rework, fewer follow-up questions, and fewer errors. Audit findings are also reduced.

All Services in One Portal

An integrated self-service portal (SSO, service catalog, knowledge base, chatbot) resolves standard cases early, displays ticket status in real time, and triggers auto-fulfillment.

Result: Higher first contact resolution (FCR) rates and reduced workload for second- and third-level support.

Governance, Compliance, and Security: Proof Instead of Gaps

Siloed solutions make it harder to meet today’s compliance requirements for revision and traceability (Who changed what, when, and why?).

Integration with SIEM/SOAR, DLP, and GRC provides a complete audit trail and policy check (e.g., four-eyes principle for production changes). This reduces risks, ensures traceability, and eliminates recurring manual tasks like assignment, status updates, fulfillment, or feedback requests.

Conclusion: Integration and automation mean time savings and fewer errors caused by manual work.

The following benchmarks once again highlight the potential for savings:

If 40% of service requests are standard, it can save agents a lot of time. This is possible by using a service catalog, auto-provisioning, and knowledge base automation. Also, it doesn’t compromise service quality.

AI in the Service Desk

The future of the service desk is intelligent and highly automated. The use of AI is steadily increasing and will continue to transform the way service operations are managed.

Service desk teams can focus more on creative tasks and improving the value contribution of service management—supported by AI-driven capabilities.

The following tasks can already be performed more efficiently with AI:

AI-based classification: Automatic ticket categorization based on free-text descriptions.
Personalized support: AI can incorporate the current ticket and the complete history of the requester into the resolution process. This enables more personalized responses by considering previous requests—regardless of the currently assigned agent—avoiding impersonal or repetitive interactions.
Intelligent routing: Assigning tickets to technicians with the right skill sets (skill-based routing).
Sentiment analysis: Detecting critical tickets and trends in current ticket volumes through Natural Language Processing (NLP), automatically identifying the emotional tone of a text.
Predictive analytics: Forecasting ticket volumes for better resource planning.
Self-healing: Automated scripts that resolve issues without human intervention (e.g., restarting services).
Lessons learned with generative AI: Creating solution suggestions based on the content of previous tickets.

OTRS AI Services

With OTRS AI Services, you can automatically classify over 80% of incoming tickets—saving hours of manual work and dramatically speeding up resolution times.

Cloud vs. On-Premise Deployment

While SaaS and cloud adoption are growing, the choice between cloud and on-premises depends on more than cost and maintenance.

Key decision factors:

Latency Requirements: On-premises offers lower latency for time-critical workloads; cloud provides global access.
Customization Depth: On-premises allows deep code-level customization; cloud offers configuration within platform limits.
Data Sovereignty: On-premises may be required for GDPR or industry compliance; cloud requires vendor compliance checks.
Critical Infrastructure: Energy, healthcare, and public safety sectors may need fully isolated, offline-capable solutions.
Hybrid Models: Combine cloud-based service desks with on-premises CMDB and sensitive data for a balanced approach.

Conclusion – Why a Modern Service Desk Is Essential

A service desk today is far more than an IT ticketing tool. Without it, organizations risk losing efficiency, transparency, and the ability to position IT as a true business enabler. The right platform delivers faster processes, happier users, and a more resilient, compliant IT environment.

FAQ

What is service desk software

Large Language Models (LLMs) and Machine Learning: Background and Use in Customer Service

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:47:02 +0000

Large Language Models (LLMs) and Machine Learning: Background and Use in Customer Service

2025-08-12
Tobias Kortas

AI & Automation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing striking improvements to customer service. The challenge, however, is that many organizations still don’t know how to make practical use of it. The excitement is real, and daily uses are varied. However, the true business value is slow to reach many companies.

To use AI effectively, it takes a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind it. This article explores what Large Language Models (LLMs) and Machine Learning (ML) can accomplish in customer service.

What Are LLMs and ML—and How Do They Work?

Large Language Models and Machine Learning algorithms are transforming customer service. They are becoming important tools for companies. These tools help them stay competitive, provide quick support, save time, and keep high performance.

What Are Large Language Models?

Large Language Models (LLMs) are a powerful type of artificial intelligence (AI) designed to understand and generate human language. They are machine learning models that process natural language (Natural Language Processing – NLP).

LLMs understand text, analyze it, and generate coherent responses or perform language-related tasks. Neural networks that are similar in design to the human brain make this possible. The network’s training process requires massive amounts of text so that the model can learn and build connections.

There are many types of models that are differentiated by how the model is trained.

Fun Fact #1: To read the amount of text used to train GPT-3, a human would need to read around the clock for 2,600 years.

Fun Fact #2: A large language model performs many calculations. If a human could do one billion operations each second, it would still take over 100 million years.

When it comes to handling text, LLMs can:

Generate text
Create summaries
Continue or extend text
Translate languages
Rephrase sentences
Classify data
Categorize topics
Detect sentiment (Sentiment Analysis)
Fraud detection

They also function as chatbots, answer questions, and can even perform basic programming tasks.

These capabilities make LLMs increasingly popular in the business world. They support customer service with chatbots, sentiment analysis, translations, summaries, and information delivery.

What sets them apart: In 2017, developers introduced transformer models. This was a game changer because it lets LLMs decide how important information is in a sequence. It also processes NLP-related information much faster.

Use in business: In addition to training one’s own LLM, companies can be licensed. This means that the LLM can provide usable results right out of the box.

Companies can improve a pre-trained model by adding specialized data. This helps the model fit specific tasks, industries, or language styles. This results in more precise and context-aware outputs.

What Is Machine Learning?

Machine Learning (ML) is the foundation of Large Language Models. ML-based programs learn from example data rather than being explicitly programmed with rigid data. These models learn to recognize patterns and apply them to new data without needing additional instructions.

After the initial learning phase, it is fine tuned. Reinforcement learning is used. This is the practice of teaching the model which, among multiple options, is the best fit. The algorithm learns to make better decisions over time.

A simple example: A program initially doesn’t know what a cat looks like. The program learns from thousands of images and can later recognize a cat without being told what it looks like.

A more advanced example is sentiment analysis. A model learns how different emotions are expressed through various sample data and can then detect customer sentiment. This gives support agents quick orientation, allowing them to dive deeper into critical cases and respond accordingly.

Learn how OTRS makes your support more efficient with its AI services and download the OTRS AI data sheet.

Background: LLMs and ML Are on the Rise

Artificial intelligence continues to gain momentum. The challenge is not in understanding its potential but in turning that potential into tangible business outcomes. Yet, teams have difficulty applying tools, like ChatGBP, in meaningful, business-specific ways.

Our report is called “The State of SMB IT for 2026” It shows that 71% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) believe AI is important for their IT service management (ITSM) success. However, most are still just starting to adopt it. For SMBs, AI is less of a disruptive force and more of an enhancement to existing workflows.

According to the report, the adoption of AI systems correlates with ITSM maturity. Without a good ITSM or ITAM system, AI has limited uses. It would only be able to help with chatbots, sorting tickets, or creating knowledge base articles.

AI, LLMs, and ML are already making a difference in service management. They are providing clear efficiency gains.

The bottom line: These technologies currently support manual processes rather than fully replacing them.

Role in Customer Service

Large Language Models are an excellent fit for customer service. Put simply: LLMs can significantly optimize customer service. These AI-driven applications support a wide variety of tasks and make a real difference.

Customers get fast and helpful answers. Agents save time and effort. Businesses enjoy smoother processes, more productive workers, and happier customers.

Example Use Case

This even applies to complex cases. Imagine a customer who is referring to issues following the implementation of a particular software. The assigned agent can quickly summarize past ticket interactions using AI. They can also detect the customer’s mood with sentiment analysis.

Additionally, they receive a suggested response in just seconds with the agent just needing to review it.

In such cases, the time savings are enormous, and the results—thanks to a combination of AI tools—are likely to be highly helpful.

Even without agent involvement, LLMs are taking on a key role by responding to inquiries instantly. They are able to offer around the clock services. This relieves staff and automates routine tasks. Chatbots and AI-driven knowledge bases are great examples of this.

Progress Through Machine Learning

Machine learning doesn’t just represent the potential of LLMs—it powers their ongoing evolution. LLM-generated outputs may start by handling simple questions, like service-level 0 or service-level 1 inquiries. However, their abilities can improve. They can eventually deal with complex issues and match the skills of experienced workers.

Tips for Using LLMs and ML

There’s no doubt about it: LLMs and ML are growing quickly. They are getting great results and will likely exceed our expectations in the future.

Therefore, the question isn’t whether to use these technologies—but how. In other words, getting the most out of LLMs and ML is crucial both now and in the future.

Below are practical tips for leveraging their strengths while effectively addressing challenges.

Make the Most of the Benefits

The potential benefits of AI are vast, powerful, and varied. You just need to know them—and know how to use them.

Here are key examples of how LLMs can drive meaningful improvements in customer service:

#1 Use LLM Capabilities Strategically for Automation

Many users apply LLMs in a fragmented way, supporting manual processes. In reality, LLMs can fully take over tasks that previously required manual effort. For example, in customer service, models can generate responses, handle entire support conversations, and even automate documentation or FAQ creation.

Ideally, users who understand the full scope of LLM capabilities should use them to the fullest extent possible. This saves time and often yields more consistent and better results.

#2 Enhance Precision and Quality

LLMs are often recommended for routine tasks, process automation, and increasing output. Advanced machine learning allows for high quality. LLMs not only understand language well but can also generate it accurately. This makes it possible to produce well-crafted emails and reports, clear summaries, rewrites, and accurate translations between languages.

#3 Find Creative Solutions and New Ideas

Thanks to their vast training data, LLMs can surface knowledge from many different areas and connect the dots. This can lead to creative, unconventional solutions and ideas that users wouldn’t come up with on their own.

Overcoming Challenges

In general, AI, LLMs, and ML offer significantly more advantages than problems. Still, there are some challenges. The sooner users understand them, the better they can manage them.

Here are the most common challenges users face:

Determining whether they can trust the outputs
Difficulty validating AI decisions or recommendations
Dealing with bias and discrimination
Protecting sensitive data
Navigating legal and ethical uncertainties

Below are a few key challenges explained:

#1 Dealing with Hallucinations

One of the biggest challenges in generative AI is output accuracy. While most results are factual, people should still check the outcomes—especially in complex scenarios.

Sometimes AI “hallucinates”—generating information that sounds right but is factually incorrect. This happens because predictions are based on probability (the most likely next word) rather than truth verification.

You can reduce hallucinations by providing LLMs with context—such as relevant documents—which helps generate more accurate, context-aware responses.

#2 Identifying Bias

This challenge is closely related to accuracy. Biases may be factually correct but still present a skewed view of reality.

For instance, LLMs can reproduce social stereotypes—like defaulting to male doctors and female nurses. In addition to ethical bias, linguistic (e.g., overly polite wording) or geographic (e.g., US-centric examples) bias may appear.

With experience, users can easily identify these. Mature applications and diverse training data help minimize them—especially with fine-tuning using curated datasets.

#3 Protecting Sensitive Data

LLMs should comply with data protection regulations like the GDPR and must not expose personal data. Users should avoid sharing personal or sensitive data unless absolutely necessary—and then only if they’re sure how that data is being handled.

LLMs and Machine Learning at OTRS

Today’s customers expect outstanding service experiences: fast, knowledgeable, thorough, and up to date. In ITSM, that includes being able to handle large ticket volumes while maintaining high service quality and satisfaction.

OTRS’s AI services bring LLMs and machine learning to the next level. Our AI learns from data, understands context, and generates relevant answers—automating previously time-consuming service tasks.

This improves efficiency and the quality of customer service. It also helps businesses grow, giving them a clear edge over competitors.

Available AI services include:

Ticket classification and service description
AI-generated responses
Sentiment analysis
Real-time translations
AI-generated summaries

Conclusion

Large Language Models and Machine Learning are becoming increasingly important in customer service. When used for automation, standardization, or personalization, they can significantly enhance efficiency, customer experiences, and satisfaction.

It’s not just about saving time on routine tasks. It’s also about quality.

LLMs provide new insights and effective solutions. They also offer sentiment analysis. These create a strong base for better service.

In the future, a key differentiator will be how businesses use LLMs. There are two main approaches:

LLMs as supportive tools – used occasionally to speed up and enhance manual processes.
LLMs as disruptive technology – used to replace manual processes altogether.

The first approach keeps the focus on manual labor; the second is technology-driven. The truth is that businesses using LLMs only sometimes are just starting to see their full potential in customer service.

Tobias Kortas

AI & Automation

ESM vs. ITSM: Differences and Similarities

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 08:32:49 +0000

ESM vs. ITSM: Differences and Similarities

2025-08-05
Tobias Kortas

ESM, ITSM

Enterprise Service Management (ESM) extends the principles of IT Service Management (ITSM) to the entire organization. The value of service management increases when companies are able to apply it effectively across different departments. In addition to technical aspects, business and strategic orientations become more prominent.

However, ESM isn’t always the right choice. Whether a company should focus on ITSM or ESM depends on various individual factors.

This article clarifies the differences and similarities between the two. It also explains under which conditions ESM makes the most sense.

What is IT Service Management (ITSM)?

IT Service Management (ITSM) is a strategic approach to delivering IT as a service. Using workflows and tools, IT services are created, implemented, delivered, and managed with a focus on customer needs.

The goal of ITSM software is to help IT teams manage services better. It provides the tools and processes they need. This can improve business performance, boost productivity, and increase customer satisfaction.

ITSM helps core IT functions. It supports organizations in reaching their business goals. It also keeps costs low by using budgets wisely.

ITIL® is the de facto framework for ITSM, featuring 34 practices. Key ITIL processes include:

Benefits of ITSM

Companies can benefit greatly from ITSM when the IT department plays a central role.

Key advantages include:

Effective and secure management of the IT environment
Rapid resolution of incidents and problems
Transparent and traceable implementation of changes
Fast and efficient deployment of innovations like new applications
Clear visibility into IT assets and their interdependencies

ITSM Software

Organizations use dedicated software solutions for ITSM that support services through features like incident and change management. Key aspects include simple setup, high usability, and maximum flexibility.

A Practical Example

The Saxony State Office for Schools and Education (LaSuB) had problems with its IT support system. The request management system was complex, unclear, and inefficient.

With OTRS, request management is now centralized and clearly structured, enabling better service. Requests and related notes can be quickly and easily forwarded to the appropriate colleagues. This allows even small teams to operate efficiently.

What is Enterprise Service Management (ESM)?

Enterprise Service Management (ESM) aims to enable efficient, transparent, and highly collaborative service management across all departments. It adopts ITSM principles and technologies. Teams apply these concepts to areas such as HR, Legal, Facility Management, Finance, or Marketing. This creates a consistent service approach that improves quality and reduces workload.

In short: As a cross-departmental or cross-industry concept, ESM uses ITSM practices as a model to achieve better organization, visibility, transparency, communication, and efficiency.

Benefits of Enterprise Service Management

When used correctly, ESM offers the major benefit of improving organization-wide processes. It is also strategically beneficial with respect to achieving company goals.

Key advantages include:

Better service experience for customers and employees—without long wait times, miscommunications, or data loss
Reduced stress and increased satisfaction among support agents due to better structure and transparency
Cost savings through efficient processes and workflows—both direct and opportunity costs
Continuous improvement and long-term success through active management of the service portfolio
Consistency, fewer errors, and more time for complex, value-added work thanks to process automation

ESM Software

Companies also use dedicated software for ESM to improve efficiency, increase security, and enhance customer satisfaction. Important features include process orientation, integrations and automation, self-service, scalability, as well as reporting and analytics.

ESM Examples: Onboarding and More

Onboarding is an important process. New employees feel it strongly, and a bad experience can cause early resignations.

A functional ESM system simplifies the process with automated workflows and clear communication. Everyone knows what to do. All the needed resources are ready from day one. This includes a detailed plan, hardware, account info, learning materials, and training registration.

Other examples include:

Internal self-service: Employees can find helpful answers on a portal. It has FAQs, guides, and solutions. No long email threads are needed.
Approval processes: Without ESM, requests may get lost or delayed. With structured approvals, status tracking, escalation handling, and defined timelines, processes become smooth and transparent
Integrations: Connecting tools and systems automates data flows and enables information sharing across platforms

Similarities and Differences Between ESM and ITSM

ESM is an extension of ITSM, so the concepts are closely related. Their common core is “SM” (Service Management). The difference is in the focus: “E” stands for Enterprise, while “IT” stands for Information Technology. ESM covers the entire organization, while ITSM focuses on the IT department.

Shared Features

Both ESM and ITSM enable efficient and goal-oriented service management through:

Efficient workflows that improve collaboration and save time and money
Automation for consistency, fewer errors, and time savings
Knowledge bases with FAQs, guides, and learnings for fast support
Self-service portals for customers or employees, improving accessibility and handling simple requests 24/7
Use of frameworks like ITIL® to standardize and optimize processes
Strong focus on customer and service orientation
Similar software tools to manage tickets, workflows, and services

In essence, both are built on the same foundation and pursue similar goals.

Key Differences

ITSM is concerned with IT services such as system upgrades, access control, and application delivery. ESM, in contrast, also covers non-technical areas such as HR onboarding or customer service. It also includes business-focused processes in finance, legal, and marketing.

Here are the main differences:

ITSM focuses on IT-related services
ESM addresses non-technical and business-oriented services across departments
ESM is more strategically aligned with goals like cost savings, high service quality, and customer satisfaction
ITSM is well-established with standardized processes, often using ITIL®
ESM often requires pre- work since not all departments are used to process-based work

Conclusion: ITSM delivers IT services, while ESM expands service delivery across the organization.

The key takeaway: ESM holds tremendous potential. It’s less widely adopted than ITSM but offers broad use cases. Companies that enable process-based work across departments can significantly optimize their internal workflows and gain a competitive edge.

ITSM or ESM: What Should Companies Choose?

ITSM and ESM are not mutually exclusive—they blend together. IT departments with extensive ITSM experience can act as enablers, helping apply these practices elsewhere in the company.

Where process orientation exists, an iterative implementation of ESM is highly recommended. Automation, standardized workflows, and access to knowledge bases streamline operations, save time, and improve outcomes.

The best approach is to build on the overlap of ITSM and ESM—essentially evolving ITSM step-by-step into a comprehensive ESM strategy.

What works well in IT may also benefit the entire organization. For example, HR departments, which handle many complex processes and inquiries, can benefit significantly from structured service management.

When to Stick with ITSM

IT departments deal with incidents, root causes, change management processes, and asset tracking. In such a complex, interdependent environment, structured and transparent service management is essential.

If other departments are not prepared for process-oriented work, they might only need basic service management. In that case, ITSM could be sufficient.

When to Use ESM

Enterprise Service Management is always a good choice when various departments handle broader service needs. For example, the Facility Management team might trigger workflows when new workstations are needed.

Since many service processes involve multiple departments, ESM is particularly valuable. A prime example is onboarding a new employee. Onboarding typically involves IT, HR, Facility Management, Legal, and the employee’s future department.

If organizations are ready to streamline processes and implement automation where appropriate, they should take that step.

Final Thoughts: Expand What Works

ITSM and ESM aren’t alternatives—they’re different expressions of the same principle. If ITSM is already working well in your organization, consider extending it to ESM.

Since ESM is still relatively underused, early adopters can gain a significant advantage. It also offers strategic value, helping achieve important business goals like high customer retention (CRR).

ESM isn’t automatic—it requires a foundation of process-oriented work. But when that’s in place, ESM offers enormous potential for highly structured, results-driven service management.

Contact us to learn how we can support your ITSM and ESM journey.

Get first-hand insights into how OTRS can support you.

Tobias Kortas

ESM, ITSM

The Benefits of Enterprise Service Management

Author OTRS — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:30:40 +0000

The Benefits of Enterprise Service Management

2025-07-29
Author OTRS

Countless strategies to optimize operations and manage services are available to companies. But Enterprise Service Management (ESM) is one approach that consistently proves effective.

ESM applies the principles of IT Service Management (ITSM) to all departments of an organization. This may include HR, finance, legal, facilities and customer service. The result: more unified, efficient service and a structured organization.

In this article, we explore the key benefits of ESM. We show how businesses can overcome common implementation hurdles to maximize their return on investment (ROI).

ESM: A Growing Market

By the end of 2025, analysts expect the global Enterprise Service Management (ESM) market to reach $12.8 billion. This is an annual growth rate of 18–20%. This rapid expansion is driven by several key factors:

The rise of remote and hybrid work models demands structured and automated service management processes across all departments.
Cloud adoption continues to grow, offering flexible and scalable solutions without the need for costly infrastructure.
There’s a growing need for cross-departmental collaboration and operational efficiency. This prompts companies to adopt ESM platforms that break down silos and simplify workflows.

As organizations increasingly prioritize digital transformation, the value of ESM solutions continues to rise.

ESM: A Driver of Transformation

Enterprise Service Management encompasses the entire organization. It brings service-oriented business models and proven IT practices beyond IT. Simply put, ESM provides structured workflows, automated processes, and performance monitoring across all departments.

With ESM, organizations can standardize services, enhance the user experience, and drive digital transformation at scale.

Enterprise Service Management is much more than an operational framework. It is a catalyst for transformation, enabling organizations to deliver better services across the board.

Understanding the benefits of ESM is critical for companies looking to boost efficiency, transparency, and satisfaction—both internally and externally.

The Benefits of Enterprise Service Management

From automating routine tasks and optimizing workflows to enhancing collaboration and ensuring compliance, ESM delivers measurable value that drives business growth and competitiveness.
Let’s look at the top reasons why companies should embrace ESM:

#1 Increased Efficiency Through Automation

ESM boosts efficiency by enabling process automation and standardization. This helps businesses save valuable time and reduce errors.

For example, an HR department can automate onboarding processes. This approach fully equips new employees and prepares them to start on time. Doing so improves the employee experience for the new hire.

Example: A company shortens its onboarding time using ESM tools. The tools automatically create user accounts, assign devices, and run compliance checks. This allows HR to focus more on strategic initiatives like talent development.

#2 Transparency and Control

ESM offers real-time transparency into workflows, service requests, and responsibilities across departments. Dashboards, reports, and analytics give leadership the insights they need to make informed decisions. They help to avoid bottlenecks, clearly assign responsibilities, and better track company goals.

Example: A financial services provider uses ESM to manage compliance requests, IT issues, and HR matters. Previously, request handling relied on long, disorganized email threads and spreadsheets, causing delays and mistakes. With ESM, service desk managers now have full visibility into the work. They can watch task statuses, assign tasks efficiently, meet deadlines, and resolve internal issues more quickly.

#3 Better Collaboration and Communication

One of ESM’s core benefits is improved cross-departmental collaboration and communication. Centralized platforms enable teams to exchange information, share updates, and solve problems together. ESM platforms often include built-in knowledge bases, ticketing systems, and collaboration tools.

Example: A facilities department coordinates setting up a new office with IT and HR. Without ESM, project management happens via scattered emails and to-do lists—causing friction and confusion. ESM centralizes workflows to streamline processes in one single platform. This includes tasks like network setup, workspace preparation, and employee onboarding lists.

#4 Compliance and Security

Compliance and data protection are critical for any company today. ESM supports regulatory adherence by enabling standardized procedures, access monitoring, and audit trails. Automated compliance workflows help organizations stay compliant over the long term.

Example: A healthcare organization uses ESM to automate compliance reporting and data access management across departments. This improves handling of patient records, payment reconciliation, and treatment documentation.

Before ESM, manual checks posed risks. ESM automatically generates audit logs, access approvals, and reports—reducing violations, improving audit readiness, and strengthening trust in compliance practices.

#5 Resource Optimization

With centralized transparency and smart automation, ESM enables optimal use of time, equipment, and personnel. It identifies underused resources, eliminates redundant processes, and enhances planning and forecasting.

Example: A large manufacturing company implements ESM to manage maintenance requests and workforce planning. Previously, poor coordination led to duplicated work and delays. ESM documents, prioritizes and monitors activities in real time. This improves resource usage, reduces downtime, and cuts overtime costs.

#6 Customer Satisfaction

Optimized internal processes directly improve the end-customer experience: faster response times, accurate information, and consistent service all drive satisfaction. ESM empowers customer-facing teams—like sales and support—with the right tools and data.

Example: A telecom provider uses ESM to automate and monitor customer support across channels (call centers, web portals, apps). Before ESM, requests were often misrouted or delayed. ESMs solutions automatically prioritize, assign and track tickets via SLA monitoring. This leads to faster resolution times and a significantly higher first contact resolution rate.

Common Challenges in ESM Implementation—and how to solve them

Despite its many benefits, companies often face the following challenges when implementing ESM:

#1 Resistance to Change

Employees familiar with legacy systems, such as dedicated ITSM solutions, may resist new processes. This cultural inertia can slow down adoption.

Solution: Offer comprehensive training and involve stakeholders early in the ESM selection and implementation processes. This helps to build acceptance and ownership over the change. Ensure newly introduced platforms are user friendly to make adoption easier.

#2 Silo Mentality

Departments often work in isolation. One department delivers services one way. Another uses completely different tools and workflows. Integrating them into a central ESM platform can be complex.

Solution: Start with pilot projects in individual departments and expand gradually. Actively promote collaboration.

#3 Lack of Leadership Commitment

Without executive backing, ESM projects often suffer from a lack of resources and clear objectives.

Solution: Demonstrate the ROI and strategic benefits of ESM. Use KPIs and real-world success stories to gain leadership buy-in.

#4 Complex Data Integration

Migrating and connecting data from different systems is technically demanding.

Solution: Choose ESM software with strong integration capabilities and develop a data strategy early on. The right technology, partners, and ongoing support help overcome hurdles. This unlocks the full potential of ESM.

The Role of Software Solutions in ESM Success

Choosing the right platform is critical. The solution must align with the company’s size, existing IT infrastructure, and specific service management needs. A modular cloud platform often provides the flexibility and scalability required. A service portal is a key aspect of ESM software as it provides a single point of contact for customers and employees.

Implementing Enterprise Service Management isn’t just about internal process optimization—it transforms how an organization operates day to day. More automation and transparency, higher employee and customer satisfaction, and better resource usage: the benefits of ESM are compelling.

Ultimately, ESM helps companies unlock untapped potential—fueling the innovation, efficiency, and satisfaction leaders, customers and employees expect.

Author OTRS

OTRS Features Compared to the ((OTRS)) Community Edition

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:11:45 +0000

OTRS Features Compared to the ((OTRS)) Community Edition

2025-07-22
Tobias Kortas

OTRS Community Edition

OTRS continuously delivers new features and enhancements for its users. These go far beyond the basic functions of a ticketing system, creating significant value. Customer-specific requirements and modern focus areas like AI services and automation are key to simplifying work and increasing efficiency.

The ((OTRS)) Community Edition does provide some essential functionality, but it lacks many of the core capabilities expected in a modern service management system. This gap becomes even more apparent in today’s fast-paced tech landscape, where real leaps in productivity and performance matter more than fleeting trends.

This article provides a concise overview of how modern OTRS features make the switch from the ((OTRS)) Community Edition worthwhile.

Key Advantages of the New OTRS Features

Since the ((OTRS)) Community Edition is based on older versions of OTRS and has not been supported by OTRS AG since 2020, it serves as a basic foundation but lacks modern features and critical developments. Only the new managed OTRS provides professional-grade security with regular updates and patches.

Here are the key OTRS functionalities that the ((OTRS)) Community Edition lacks – and the major benefits that come with them:

#1 Workflows and Automation

Process management, web services, and the Generic Agent enable automated workflows and seamless data exchange within OTRS or between OTRS and other systems. This reduces manual effort and increases efficiency.

In the Process Manager, users can simply position activities on the screen and connect them with sequence flows. These flows may require user input or automatically execute tasks such as pushing/pulling data, setting attributes, sending emails, creating articles, or linking tickets.

Thanks to web service support, OTRS can even send data directly to ERP or CRM systems.

#2 Kanban View and Resource Planning

The Kanban view offers clarity, flexibility, and greater efficiency. It can be organized by status, priority, and more. Users can drag and drop tickets between collapsible columns with ease.

The improved OTRS calendar keeps you informed and provides a clear view of all appointments – whether meetings, workshops, or absences. Multiple views allow you to tailor the display to your specific needs.

For example, the resource calendar gives a complete overview of your team’s availability and lets you assign appointments like field service visits to agents via drag and drop.

#3 Translation Management

Our interface supports over 40 languages. Each agent can choose their preferred language in their personalization settings. In the ((OTRS)) Community Edition, custom translations had to be done via command line and required access to the file system.

In contrast, OTRS allows you to add translations directly through the admin interface – no special knowledge or access rights needed. Agents can add translations themselves if required.

#4 Updated User Interface

With customizable widgets, the dashboard offers a comprehensive overview of business objects and statistics. Tickets can be created quickly and dynamically using dropdown menus and input fields.

Depending on the selected input, additional fields appear to collect more information. The external interface functions as a self-service portal for customers and employees, featuring knowledge base articles, updates, and more. The service catalog lets users create process tickets for their requests.

Agents can use the sidebar organizer to create and label lists of tickets, customers, and other business objects. These lists are accessible from any screen.

#5 CMDB Integration with Other Tools

The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) supports asset management by showing relationships between configuration items (CIs), incidents, and changes. It tracks CIs and their status, linking them to relevant tickets and change processes. This gives teams full visibility into their IT environment.

A recent OTRS enhancement allows the CMDB to connect easily with tools like EV Reach. This provides an instant central view of IT assets and comprehensive monitoring—a major step toward robust, full-scale IT security.

#6 REST API

The REST (Representational State Transfer) API makes it easier to integrate OTRS with other systems. By enabling communication between OTRS and external applications, workflows can be automated. Improved interoperability leads to smoother operations and more efficient data exchange.

#7 Enhanced Reporting and Statistics

The latest OTRS version includes robust tools for generating reports and statistics on Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and ticket volumes. A statistics module lets users create various reports – e.g., total tickets by type, priority, status, queue, or service.

Reports can be scheduled and automatically generated in formats such as PDF, providing valuable insights into performance metrics. This supports better decision-making.

These features give companies the data-driven insights they need to monitor performance, ensure SLA compliance, and identify areas for improvement – ultimately boosting customer satisfaction.

New AI Services

In addition to the above features, OTRS users can access a range of AI services. Using AI credits, you gain access to cutting-edge tools that enhance service quality, increase productivity, and save valuable time in daily operations.

Available AI features include:

Ticket classification and service descriptions
AI-powered response generation
Sentiment analysis
Real-time translations
Unified knowledge access

How to Start Your OTRS Project

With OTRS, you benefit from regular updates, exciting new features, and top-tier customer support. We offer a personalized solution tailored to your requirements.

There are three flexible ways to get started with OTRS:

1. Project Transition (SaaS)

Enjoy the full benefits of our SaaS offering. We update your system to the latest version hosted in our OTRS Private Cloud.

Automatic updates, patches, and backups keep your system current. Location doesn’t matter – you can access OTRS from anywhere.

2. Project Migration (On-Premise)

With OTRS On-Premise, you retain full control. We update your system to the latest version while all data remains on your servers. You maintain full autonomy and can access OTRS from any device.

3. New System or Preconfigured Solution

We’ll build a system for you – either from scratch or as a preconfigured solution. A brand-new OTRS system is tailored to your exact requirements, and you can choose between SaaS or on-premise.

Our turnkey solutions come preloaded with helpful features, making them fast to implement and highly reliable from day one.

Conclusion: Why Switching to OTRS Makes Sense

Users of the ((OTRS)) Community Edition are several years behind the times. While it may be sufficient for basic tasks, it falls short in terms of productivity, time savings, and service quality.

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, every new development brings progress. OTRS is no different. Its new, improved, and technically advanced features offer capabilities that ((OTRS)) Community Edition users can only dream of.

But why dream when you can make it a reality? Switching to OTRS is a smart move. Beyond just security, design, and scalability, the modern features provide plenty of reasons to make the leap. The biggest one: work gets easier and more effective.

In short, OTRS is a powerful driver of business value creation.

Tobias Kortas

OTRS Community Edition

Incident Response Management Software – 10 Key Features to Consider When Buying

Bernd Maus — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:46:16 +0000

Incident Response Management Software – 10 Key Features to Consider When Buying

2025-07-15
Bernd Maus

Security & Compliance

In an increasingly networked world characterized by cyber threats, responding quickly and effectively to security incidents is one of the central tasks of every IT department. How to find the right incident response software – an overview of the 10 most important features for efficient incident management.

Why Is Incident Management Software Essential?

Information structure and clear procedures are what make an incident response platform necessary. Organizations typically face the following operational challenges when implementing incident response processes:

Unclear responsibilities: Who takes the lead when a critical incident occurs?
Data disruptions: Information is fragmented across emails, spreadsheets, and disconnected tools. Critical data is often delayed or incomplete.
Lack of transparency: Stakeholders cannot monitor incident status in real time.
Manual processes: Without automation, errors and delays become more likely.
Insufficient post-incident analysis: Teams do not systematically document valuable lessons learned.

Efficient Response Is Crucial

The threat landscape for organizations has escalated dramatically in recent years. Cyberattacks are no longer rare events—they are a daily reality. There are many types of cyber threats, like ransomware, supply chain problems, and zero-day attacks. The real question is not if an incident will occur, but when it will happen.

In this context, efficient incident response management has become a strategic priority for IT security teams.

Compliance Requirements as a Driving Force

For many organizations, compliance is just as important as security. Several regulatory frameworks must be considered:

GDPR: Mandatory breach notification within 72 hours
NIS2 Directive: Required documentation and processes for critical infrastructure
ISO 27001/27035: Standardized incident response procedures

Dedicated Incident Response Management Software (IRMS) helps organizations efficiently meet these requirements and perform well during audits.

What Is Incident Response Management Software?

Incident Response Management Software (IRMS) is a tool that helps organizations handle IT security incidents. It does this in a structured, coordinated, and trackable way. Key features include:

Capturing, classifying and managing incidents
Automated response workflows and playbooks
Role-based task and permissions management
Integration with SIEM, threat intelligence, CMDB, and ticketing systems
Audit-proof documentation, reporting, and follow-up analysis

Such tools support incident handling aligned with frameworks like NIST SP 800-61, SANS, and ISO/IEC 27035.

OTRS supports you in responding to security incidents.

The Incident Response Software STORM provide

10 Key Features to Consider When Choosing an IRMS

To limit damage, analyze root causes, maintain trust, and ensure compliance, we need clear processes. A strong IRMS should support these processes.

Here are the 10 most important features to evaluate when reviewing popular Incident Management Software solutions:

1. Process Automation

A defining capability of modern incident management tools is automating routine tasks such as isolating infected systems, generating support tickets, or alerting stakeholders.

Why it matters: Manual processes delay response times and are prone to errors. Automated workflows ensure rapid action, consistency, and security in incident handling.
What to check:
Does the software support SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response) capabilities? Can processes be customized to fit your business’s specific requirements?

2. Integration with Existing Security Infrastructure

An IRMS should seamlessly connect to your existing security stack—from SIEM and ticketing systems to threat intelligence feeds.

Why it matters: Standalone tools reduce efficiency. Integrated data provides essential context and enhances situational awareness.
What to check: Are there open APIs and connectors for tools like VirusTotal, VMRAY, or other internal systems?

3. Flexible Playbook Management

A structured Incident Response Plan (IRP) defines how to respond to different incident types. This includes incidents such as phishing, ransomware, or data leaks. Flexible incident response tools should allow easy playbook updates and changes.

Why it matters: Standardized responses reduce resolution time and improve response quality.
What to check: Can workflows be visually modeled, versioned, and collaboratively edited? Are templates available for common incident types?

4. Role-Based Access Control

In critical situations, it’s vital to define who sees what and who can take action.

Why it matters: Fine-grained permissions help prevent unauthorized access or accidental changes.
What to check: Does the tool support RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)? Are audit trails and activity logs available?

5. Compliance Reporting and Offline Readiness

After the incident, comprehensive documentation is required—for internal tracking, external audits, or regulatory reporting. In high-security environments, the software may also need to support offline operation.

Why it matters: Audit-proof records are mandatory for compliance with GDPR, NIS2, and ISO 27001.
Offline operation is essential in certain environments to maintain operational capability during cyberattacks. It also allows teams to collect data and perform analysis without interacting with active IT systems. This allows for secure forensic investigations or the assessment of security controls in an isolated environment.
What to check:
- Can reports be automatically generated?
- Is the system audit-compliant?
- Can it run fully offline if required?

6. Scalability and Multi-Tenancy

Security incidents can affect businesses of any size. Your IRMS must scale from small teams to global enterprises.

Why it matters: Changing platforms as you grow is costly and disruptive.
What to check: Is the platform multi-tenant capable? Does it support hybrid cloud environments?

7. Real-Time Collaboration and Communication

Incident response requires input from multiple teams—Security, IT, Legal, PR. A strong IRMS facilitates secure, real-time communication across these groups.

Why it matters: Poor communication slows down responses and increases legal risks. It may also hurt your business’s reputation.
What to check: Are there built-in communication tools (e.g., encrypted chat, comments)? Can it integrate with common collaboration platforms?

8. Usability and Training Requirements

In crisis situations, user-friendly design is critical. The software must be intuitive and easy to use under stress.

Why it matters: Complex interfaces result in errors and delays.
What to check: Does the platform guide users through workflows? Are contextual help and inline instructions provided?

9. End-to-End Incident Lifecycle Management

Incident response doesn’t end with threat containment. The IRMS should support the full cycle—from detection and containment to post-incident analysis.

Why it matters: Root cause identification and knowledge articles document lessons learned from resolved incidents. This helps prevent or improve resopnse to future incidents.
What to check: Are features like Lessons Learned tracking, Root Cause Analysis, and Review logs included?

10. Vendor Support and Reliability

Advanced features are of little use without reliable support. Especially during a security crisis, clear Service Level Agreements SLAs and accessible contacts are vital.

Why it matters: Every minute counts during a critical incident.
What to check: What SLAs are defined? Is 24/7 support available? How is the platform maintained (e.g., security patching)?

Implementation Best Practices

The best software won’t help without the right implementation strategy. These best practices have proven effective:

Involve key stakeholders
All key parties should be involved from the start of the project: the CISO, the IT team, the data protection officer, and in some cases also Legal and Compliance. This ensures that the solution covers the various technical, regulatory, and operational requirements.
Define use cases incrementally
It is not necessary (nor advisable) to cover all types of incidents from day one. The ideal approach is to start with priority use cases, define clear flows, and then gradually scale up to more complex scenarios.
Conduct a Proof of Concept (PoC)
Before final implementation, it is advisable to conduct a proof of concept phase with real scenarios. This allows you to verify the adaptability of the solution, detect possible adjustments, and confirm that it aligns with internal processes.
Offer ongoing training
Once the system is implemented, it is important to train teams with practical training. Tabletop exercises (response drills) help evaluate coordination, validate playbooks, and familiarize staff with the tool.
Regularly review
Incident management is a dynamic process. That is why it is essential to periodically review key performance indicators (KPIs), update playbooks based on the latest learnings, and adapt the tool to new threats.

The Role of AI in Incident Response

Modern IRMS platforms increasingly incorporate Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to accelerate response capabilities.

AI supports:

Automatic prioritization of incidents: AI can classify incidents based on their criticality, technical context or potential impact on the operation, allowing resources to be focused on what is truly urgent.
Automatic generation of recommendations: Based on previous databases, AI can suggest corrective actions, correlate events or propose escalation paths.
Dynamic adaptation of playbooks: Machine learning-enabled systems can adjust response flows based on real-time variables or based on previous similar cases.
Unstructured data analysis: Using techniques such as natural language processing (NLP), large volumes of emails, logs or technical chats can be analyzed to identify red flags or anomalous patterns.

Technologies like Natural Language Processing (NLP) improve insight into system behavior and communications. AI doesn’t replace human analysts—but it significantly enhances productivity.

Final Thoughts: Why IRMS Is a Strategic Investment

An Incident Response Management Software platform is more than just another cybersecurity tool. It’s a strategic asset that improves your ability to respond, recover, and report in crisis situations.

When evaluating vendors, look beyond features—assess how well people, processes, and technology are integrated. The 10 features above provide a solid foundation for your decision-making.

Security is a process—not a product.

Robust Incident Response Management Software is not a silver bullet. It is a critical tool for securing business operations, increasing efficiency, ensuring standardization, and supporting compliance efforts. Therefore, you should not make a selection based only on features. It should also take into account the maturity of your internal processes and your overall cybersecurity strategy.

Organizations that invest in an IRMS today strengthen their resilience against cyber threats. They ensure that, in a real crisis, their response is not just reactive, but truly competent. The foundation for this is a well-defined process framework and secure, confident use of the chosen platform.

Pro tip: Before making a final decision, conduct a proof-of-concept phase where you test concrete use cases with two or three vendors. This is the only way to accurately assess how well a solution fits your organization.

TCO and ROI: Don’t Forget the Business Case

Besides features, the economic impact must be considered:

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): When calculating TCO, you should factor in licensing fees, operational costs, training, and ongoing maintenance.
Return on Investment (ROI): Key ROI drivers include reduced downtime, faster recovery of normal operations, lower personnel workload, avoidance of regulatory fines, and protection of brand value—just to name a few.

A well-implemented IRMS solution often pays for itself after the first major incident. This is because it minimizes damage, accelerates response times, and meets documentation and compliance requirements.

STORM provides you with a solution for orchestrating, automating and responding to security incidents.

With STORM, OTRS offers a robust solution for orchestration, automation, and incident response—making your IRMS smarter, faster, and more secure.

Bernd Maus

Security & Compliance

The Best Knowledge Management Software: Best Practices, Criteria, Comparison

Author OTRS — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 06:00:03 +0000

The Best Knowledge Management Software: Best Practices, Criteria, Comparison

2025-07-08
Author OTRS

ITSM

The way an organization manages its knowledge base can significantly impact productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction. With the increasing complexity of the digital work environment, companies must rely on leading knowledge management solutions.

The goal is to ensure that their teams operate efficiently, make informed decisions, and provide exceptional service.

This article highlights the importance of Knowledge Management (KM) systems. It also lists best practices and key criteria for evaluating available software. We will compare the main KM platforms. This will help us understand why more companies are choosing OTRS.

The Importance of Knowledge Management

Knowledge is a fundamental resource for any organization. However, information silos and diversified teams make acquiring and distributing complete, correct, and timely information increasingly difficult. This is where knowledge management (KM) becomes fundamental.

Effective KM enables organizations to collect, store, share, and use knowledge to improve operational performance. It helps employees quickly find important information. It cuts down on repeated work and encourages ongoing learning and teamwork.

Good knowledge management (KM) practices help businesses in many ways. They allow faster responses to customer requests. They also make it easier to onboard new employees.

The main advantages of knowledge management include:

• Greater efficiency: time spent searching for information is reduced.
• Better decision-making process: it’s simpler and more immediate to make data-based decisions.
• Better customer experience: quick and consistent responses increase the user experience quality.
• Risk management: when employees leave the company, disruptive information losses don’t occur.
• Innovation support: a knowledge management system encourages the sharing and development of ideas.

KM success doesn’t just happen because a company has the right tools. It requires a consistent strategy and practices.

Useful Practices for Knowledge Management

Implementing effective knowledge management doesn’t just mean choosing software. It requires a combination of corporate culture, processes, and technology. It’s important to:

1. Create a Knowledge Sharing Culture

Encourage employees to share what they know. Reward contributions made to the knowledge base and facilitate the documentation and retrieval of information.

2. Identify and Prioritize Knowledge Resources

It’s important to first gain valuable knowledge. This includes customer service procedures for solving problems, process documentation, company information, decision trees, and lessons from successful projects.

3. Standardize Documentation

Use clear templates and guidelines to ensure that all knowledge base articles are consistent, easy to read, and actionable.

4. Use Tags and Categories

Structure content logically with tags, categories, and metadata to make retrieval fast and intuitive.

5. Maintain and Review Content

Keep knowledge bases updated. Make organizing and sharing information a dedicated aspect of someone’s role. Assign content review tasks based on workloads and responsibility levels to ensure frequent reviews. Archive or remove any outdated information.

6. Measure Usage and Impact

Management should monitor how users use content, what they search for, and what they can’t find in order to refine KM activities.

These practices constitute the foundations on which to build a solid knowledge management system. The next step is finding the top knowledge management tool to support them.

Essential Software Features and Evaluation Criteria

Choosing the best knowledge management software means looking at how well the tools support KM best practices. It should also fit the needs of the business. Here are the key characteristics and criteria to consider:

1. Search Functionality

Users must be able to quickly find relevant information. Advanced search features such as full-text search, filters, and AI-powered search suggestions are essential.

2. Content Management

KM tools make content creation and management simple and consistent. They should offer WYSIWYG editors, templates, version control, and publishing workflows.

3. Categories and Tags

The ability to organize content using tags, folders, or taxonomies helps users navigate easily within large volumes of information.

4. Collaboration Tools

Collaboration features such as comments, co-editing, and feedback mechanisms allow teams to continuously improve informational resources.

5. User Access Control

Granular permissions ensure that the right people can view, edit, or publish content while protecting sensitive information.

6. Analytics and Reporting

Drawing insights from usage patterns helps us find popular articles and identify content gaps. This improves the knowledge base over time.

7. Integration Capabilities

The knowledge management system should work with your CRM, help desk, project management, and other business tools. This approach ensures people can access knowledge when and where they need it.

8. AI and Automation

Modern KM tools use generative AI to suggest content, assign tags automatically, and create drafts. This speeds up content development and customization. AI powered knowledge management continues to develop and will boost productivity even further in years to come.

9. Scalability and Customization

As an organization grows, the KM system must grow too. To promote sustainable development, tools must be scalable, customizable, and free from the need to write complex code.

10. Mobile and Multi-channel Access

Organizations should give access to knowledge in many ways. This includes mobile devices, chatbots, portals, and support tickets. It should be available wherever your users are.
Now, with these criteria in mind, let’s look at some of the best knowledge management solutions available today.

Comparison of Leading Solutions

As you begin to explore solutions, it’s important to understand what knowledge management is. It is the management of organizational information.

It differs from other similar options. Other types of knowledge management include:

Educational content is managed in learning management system (LMS)
Documents is stored in document management system
Website content is handled by a content management system

The focus in this article is on solutions that specifically secure organizational information.

Here’s a comparison of some of the most common knowledge management tools based on the criteria described above.

1. Confluence

Confluence by Atlassian is a popular tool for teamwork. It helps teams gather, organize, and manage information easily. It lets users create organized pages, edit content in real-time, and keep a version history for project alignment.

It integrates well with Jira, the agile tool for planning, monitoring, releasing, and supporting high-quality software. Confluence is mainly used by development teams that need to coordinate software documentation and workflows.

Key Features:

Predefined page templates
Simultaneous editing
User permissions and notifications
Hierarchical page structure
Tight integration with Jira

Main Advantage: allows teams to centralize documentation, outline project roadmaps, and monitor progress collaboratively.

Ideal for: software development and product teams that already work in the Atlassian ecosystem.

2. Zendesk Guide

Zendesk Guide provides self-service and knowledge base functionality. It allows customer support teams to publish useful articles, provide automatic content suggestions, and monitor knowledge base performance. Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, it simplifies ticket deflection and improves customer experience.

Key Features:

Customizable help center layouts
AI-based content suggestions
Multi-language support
Tools for monitoring article relevance and quality
Integrated feedback and reporting functions

Advantages: allows users to find answers on their own, helping to reduce support volume and improve service efficiency.

Ideal for: customer support teams that already use Zendesk for ticket management, live chat, or help desk functions.

3. Guru

Guru is simple and easy to use. Guru offers browser extensions and Slack integration to provide knowledge during workflows.

Its artificial intelligence can answer direct questions. It uses a large and growing knowledge base. You can get real answers with cited sources.

Key Features:

Intuitive interface and browser-based access
Real-time synchronization and verification reminders
Integration with Slack and Teams

Main Advantage: intuitive interface to use for storing and retrieving knowledge.

Ideal for: real-time knowledge sharing within sales and support teams.

Why OTRS Stands Out from Other Knowledge Management Software

The best knowledge management software depends on your goals, size, and current technology. OTRS is notable for its complete features at every level.

OTRS combines robust knowledge management with specific features for services, ticketing, automation, and security.

It’s ideal for companies that want a single platform. It supports both internal and external knowledge bases. It has a flexible design and works well with ITIL practices. It’s also particularly suitable for IT departments, customer support teams, and regulated sectors.

For organizations that need a powerful, customizable, and scalable solution that covers all essential KM elements, OTRS offers comprehensive functionality for most needs.

Investing in the right knowledge management software is not just about storing information. It is about giving your employees the knowledge they need to work more productively and efficiently.

Author OTRS

ITSM

Features in OTRS: AI Use Cases and Benefits

Tobias Kortas — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:00:27 +0000

Features in OTRS: AI Use Cases and Benefits

2025-07-01
Tobias Kortas

AI & Automation, Using OTRS

Today’s service teams have high expectations. They must provide fast, personalized, and high-quality support. This support often needs to be across many channels, in different languages, and under pressure.

Even the most dedicated employees find it hard to keep up. They feel overwhelmed by repetitive tasks, slow ticket triage, and time-consuming research.

To ease this burden and provide noticeably better service, teams need new solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications accelerate responses, streamline workflows, and increase productivity. OTRS’ AI features automate repetitive tasks and enable fast, high-quality, and transparent ticket handling.

Why AI Is a Key Driver of Efficiency

AI features and applications automate tasks and increase efficiency, allowing companies to accomplish more with fewer employee resources. Every agent should have an AI assistant. This helps speed up ticket processing and gives accurate answers. It also frees teams from boring routine tasks.

In short: When agents work smarter, not harder, they get better results with less effort. This leads to more satisfaction overall.

This reduces pressure and improves customer relationships.

It supports key performance indicators (KPIs). It aims to maximize the return on investment (ROI) for AI solutions. It also focuses on improving important business metrics. These include Customer Retention Rate (CRR) and Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Additionally, it looks at employee satisfaction and productivity.AI-powered systems keep improving over time. They build on the base model and become more valuable with each interaction.

AI-enhanced systems significantly outperform traditional software, particularly in terms of efficiency and service quality.

AI Features in OTRS

As a ticketing system, OTRS doesn’t just provide AI tools—it gives users the power to work more efficiently.

AI applications are only as good as the time savings, quality improvements, and service enhancements they generate.

Here’s an overview of the AI services available in OTRS:

Ticket Classification and Service Description

This AI feature automatically analyzes and categorizes tickets. Not only does this save time, but it also ensures standardized, accurate ticket assignment. It can also trigger automated workflows such as escalation management.

This feature uses automated service descriptions. It creates consistent and meaningful summaries in seconds. These summaries include keywords and common request types. This significantly reduces manual documentation and forms the foundation for further AI use.

AI-Powered Response Generation

This service generates context-aware responses based on knowledge base entries. Agents review the natural language reply and send them directly. This greatly speeds up response times and helps solve problems better.

It also makes sure that answers are clear, helpful, and correct. This removes the need for long manual responses and searching through knowledge bases.

Sentiment Analysis

By using a large language model, OTRS AI features identify the emotional tone of incoming messages. They system determines how urgent or emotionally charged a request may be. Agents deal with cases differently based on a customer’s mood.

Sentiment analysis provides a quick overview and helps agents craft thoughtful, empathetic replies.

Real-Time Translation

This feature breaks down language barriers by instantly translating both incoming and outgoing messages. It enables seamless multilingual communication, allowing everyone to converse in their native language. This saves time for agents and enhances the customer experience.

Unified Knowledge Access

Responses need to be fast, accurate, and based on the latest information. This service integrates with both internal and external sources to ensure responses are current and consistent.

Accessing AI Services

AI features in OTRS are provided through credit packages that are tailored to specific needs. The features are microservices in OTRS. They are easy to set up and grow with your support operations. This also helps improve agent performance.

Pricing is simple and scalable: each AI action—such as ticket classification—costs one credit.

Ideal Use Cases for AI in OTRS

AI in a software solution like OTRS is useful in a wide range of scenarios. It’s especially beneficial when the goal is to save time, enhance the user experience, or increase precision. In these cases, automation, pattern recognition, and language processing pay off significantly.

Here are some ideal scenarios:

High ticket volumes: Service teams benefit from automation and easier scalability.
Multilingual environments: AI supports the setup of international, multilingual customer support.
Onboarding and productivity: AI shortens ramp-up time and boosts employee efficiency.
Improving customer experience: AI provides tools to better understand and serve unhappy customers.
Cost reduction: For cost-conscious businesses, AI helps reduce cost per ticket.

Benefits of Using AI

Using a dedicated ticketing system is already a big step forward for many organizations. Adding focused AI functionality takes productivity to the next level and helps evolve service management even further.

Here are five key benefits:

#1: Faster Resolutions

A key strength of generative AI is speeding up processes and reducing routine workloads. In ticketing systems, this means automatic ticket classification, priority assignment, forwarding, and response generation.

All of this speeds up the process, enabling quicker—and often better—resolutions. It eases the agents’ workload and, more importantly, increases customer satisfaction.

#2: Streamlined Workflows

One of the biggest challenges at work is the overload of routine tasks. These tasks prevent employees from focusing on strategic or creative work. AI frees them from these constraints, allowing for more value-driven tasks.

Sometimes, workflow management is less about perfecting processes and more about enabling employees to follow them without disruption.

#3: Improved Accuracy

The real power of AI lies in combining human and machine strengths. For example, as an agent builds a relationship with a customer, AI gives helpful case information. This information comes from internal or external sources in real time.

Agents can then filter what’s useful for the specific case—resulting in highly relevant, well-structured answers. Enhanced responses with rich detail are received by customers.

#4: Better Relationship Management

Empathy is a human strength. However, AI is very good at analyzing large amounts of data. This includes finding sentiment in text.

Sentiment analysis helps agents detect emotions quickly and prioritize tickets that may indicate frustration or urgency.

AI also supports personalization. It recommends actions based on historical data and understands each customer’s specific preferences and expectations. Summary generation helps employees quickly gain an overview—something that would otherwise require significant time and effort.

#5: Multilingual Support

Language barriers are one of the biggest obstacles to fully understanding issues and crafting appropriate solutions. Even when people share a language, fluency may not be enough to communicate complex details effectively.

Integrated translation eliminates this barrier. It enables multilingual support, regardless of the customer’s original language. Agents view requests in their chosen language. The system automatically translates their replies into the ticket’s original language.

Conclusion: Smart AI Usage Drives Business Forward

AI models are a game changer in ticketing systems—helping save time, improve visibility, and deliver more personalized service. When used effectively, customers clearly feel the benefits of AI.

A core rule of process automation is to first optimize workflows, then automate them. Similarly, AI should be implemented gradually in areas where it delivers high value.

OTRS’ AI credits provide a clear and flexible way to use AI features. This makes it easy to meet increasing support needs.

Tobias Kortas

AI & Automation, Using OTRS