**Information technology service management** (**ITSM**) is a set of policies, processes, and practices used by organizations to design, deliver, manage, and improve the [[Information technology|information technology]] services they provide to customers and end users. ITSM treats IT as a service rather than a technical function, aligning IT capabilities with business needs and emphasizing the quality, efficiency, and reliability of IT service delivery. The discipline encompasses the full lifecycle of IT services, from initial strategy and design through transition, operation, and continual improvement, and is practiced across industries wherever IT infrastructure supports organizational objectives. ITSM is most closely associated with the [[ITIL|IT Infrastructure Library]] (ITIL), a widely adopted framework first developed by the [[UK government|UK government's]] [[Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency]] in the 1980s. ITIL provides a structured set of best practices organized around core processes including [[Incident management (ITSM)|incident management]], [[Problem management|problem management]], [[Change management (ITSM)|change management]], [[Service level management|service level management]], and [[Configuration management|configuration management]], among others. Other frameworks and standards that inform ITSM practice include [[ISO/IEC 20000]], the international standard for IT service management, [[COBIT|Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies]] (COBIT), and the [[Microsoft Operations Framework|Microsoft Operations Framework]] (MOF). Methodologies drawn from [[DevOps|DevOps]], [[Lean manufacturing|Lean]], and [[Agile software development|Agile]] have increasingly been integrated into ITSM practice to accelerate service delivery and improve collaboration between development and operations teams. ITSM processes are typically supported by dedicated software platforms that automate workflows, manage [[Service request|service requests]], and provide reporting and visibility across the IT environment. Leading ITSM platforms include [[ServiceNow]], [[BMC Software|BMC Helix]], [[Jira Service Management|Atlassian Jira Service Management]], and [[Ivanti]], each offering capabilities for [[Help desk software|help desk]] management, [[Change management (ITSM)|change control]], [[Asset management|asset management]], and [[Configuration management database|configuration management database]] (CMDB) maintenance. The [[Service desk|service desk]] functions as the primary point of contact between IT and end users, handling [[Incident management (ITSM)|incidents]], [[Service request|service requests]], and communications in accordance with defined [[Service level agreement|service level agreements]] (SLAs). As organizations increasingly adopt [[Cloud computing|cloud]] and [[Hybrid cloud|hybrid]] infrastructure, ITSM practices have evolved to address the management of distributed, dynamic environments alongside traditional on-premises systems.