Functions and Processes in Service Design

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Service Catalog Management

The purpose of Service Catalog Management (SCM) is the development and upkeep of a Service Catalog that contains all accurate details, the status, possible interactions and mutual dependencies of all present services and those under development.

Service Level Management

The objective of the Service Level Management (SLM) process is to see to it that the agreed level of IT service provision is attained both for present and future services. SLM assures reliable communication with all responsible parties (both external and internal) and maintains the relations with these parties. It agrees on the goals of the service provision of these parties and provides the management information which is required to attain these goals. If interference occurs, SLM assures the feedback regarding causes and provides information to SLM regarding preventive actions to be taken.

Capacity Management

The purpose of capacity management is to provide an IT capacity coinciding with both the current and future needs of the customers against justifiable costs. Capacity management is responsible for planning the IT resources in order to deliver a consistent service level that matches the current and future requirements of the customer, delivering a capacity plan in consultation with the customer.

Availability Management

The purpose of the availability management process is: to ensure that the delivered availability level for all services complies with or exceeds the agreed requirement in a cost-effective manner. The availability and reliability of IT services has a direct impact on customer satisfaction and company reputation. As such, availability management is vital. It should therefore be included in the Service Lifecycle at an early stage, just like capacity management.

IT Service Continuity Management

The purpose of IT Service Continuity Management (ITSCM) is to support business continuity by ensuring that the required IT facilities (computer systems, networks, etc.) can be resumed within the agreed timeframe.

ITSCM has a valuable role in supporting business continuity planning. Organizations often use it to create awareness of continuity and recovery requirements and justify their decision to implement the process of business continuity planning (including plans).

Information Security Management

The purpose of information security management is to align IT and business security and ensure that information security is managed effectively in all services and service management operations.

Information security management ensures that the information security policy complies with the overall security policy of the organization and the requirements based in corporate governance. It realizes an internal awareness process in relation to security issues in services. The management is responsible for business information and should react when security is endangered. The higher management should consider information security an integrated part of corporate governance.

Supplier Management

The goal of supplier management is to manage suppliers and the services they supply, aimed at consistent quality at the right price.

One of the most important goals of supplier management is to get 'your money's worth'. In addition, it will result in the goals in supporting contracts with suppliers being tuned to the requirements of the service provider and the goals stated in the SLAs. The end goal is high quality IT service provision that meets expectations. Adjust the supplier management process to the requirements of the organization and the requirements of the information security management and ITSCM.

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© 2007 itSMF International. Extracts are from the book, Foundations of IT Service Management Based on ITIL® V3, which is available from www.vanharen.net.