Running IT as a Business using IT4IT and ServiceNow

[Matt Schvimmer]

We've been talking for years about running IT as a business.  Multiple industry standards have taken their shot a guiding customers down this golden path, with varying degrees of success.  The latest, and possibly most promising, is called IT4IT.  This blog is meant as a quick introduction to IT4IT and our suggestions on how to get started.

IT4IT Defined

The IT4IT Standard was developed by the Open Group, which is a global consortium that enables the achievement of business objectives through technology standards.  The Open Group has a diverse membership of more than 600 organizations that includes customers, systems and solutions suppliers, tool vendors integrators, academics, and consultants across multiple industries.  Disclaimer:  ServiceNow is a member of the Open Group consortium and has contributed to the IT4IT Standard.

The IT4IT Standard comprises a value chain-based operating model and reference architecture for managing the business of IT.  It provides prescriptive guidance on how to design, procure, and implement the functionality needed to run IT as a business.  The end-to-end, "how to" emphasis of the IT Value Chain and IT4IT Reference Architecture also enables the state of services that IT delivers to be systematically tracked across the service lifecycle.

ServiceNow Point of View

IT4IT is the most valuable for identifying capability gaps, aligning the IT value chain and shifting the paradigm to running IT as a business. The IT4IT Reference Architecture enables a more streamlined, transparent, and automated IT function across the IT value chain.  At ServiceNow we are embracing the IT4IT Standard, as we believe our single platform approach provides a unique value for our customers to make IT4IT real.  The IT4IT Reference Architecture combined with the Now Platform can serve as an accelerator when it comes to digital transformation. The native integrations, common information model, and modern workflow engine make ServiceNow the ideal choice for IT4IT customers.

 

ServiceNow enabling the IT4IT Journey

Did I mention that ServiceNow is uniquely positioned to deliver on the promise of IT4IT?  It starts with the Now Platform serving as the Service Backbone and a common data model, along with a portfolio of applications that are natively designed to run IT as a business.  There is close alignment across the entire IT4IT Value Chain.  In addition to the Now Platform serving as the IT4IT Service Backbone, the ServiceNow application portfolio is aligned to the IT4IT Value Streams.  Additionally, we have a full suite of supporting capabilities, such as Governance, Risk, and Compliance, Project Portfolio Management, and Performance Analytics.  Have a look at the graphic above to see how we align.

ServiceNow's work with IT4IT

ServiceNow is actively engaged in the IT4IT Standard committee and has a team of IT4IT experts standing by to help customers embarking on the IT4IT journey. It is important to note that IT4IT is not for everyone.  ServiceNow continues to push the IT4IT working groups for framework rationalization, a common lexicon, sizing flexibility, and simplification of the standard.  In parallel, ServiceNow continues to focus on building solutions that help run IT as a business while aligning to the desired outcomes of the various frameworks.  In the end, we are a customer-driven organization and we share information back into the frameworks in the context of thought leadership over simply aligning to a standard.

Getting Started

As you've probably guessed, there isn't one simple starting point.  You need to review the IT4IT Standard and map it against your own IT Supply Chain.  Ideally you can then identify the value streams as they exist today, where you're aligned (i.e., where IT is operating in a manner that supports your business objectives), and then prioritize the areas for improvement.  As with most elephants, don't eat this elephant all at once.  Incremental measurable steps that align to a desired end-state are the way to go.

Over the course of the next few months, you're going to see a series of papers that we will post on our Customer Success Center, outlining various IT4IT-related topics.  We hope that you find them helpful if you so choose to embark on an IT4IT journey.  Also, we'll be adding a forum on the ServiceNow Community to continue the discussion and learn from each other along the way.