Service Desk Articles

Why service management keeps outliving its ITSM is dead obituaries

ITSM is Dead? Why Service Management Keeps Outliving Its Obituaries

Somebody announces the death of service management every few years, and they’ve been doing it for 35. Barclay Rae has heard every version and thinks they all miss the same thing: the job at the heart of service management is human, not technological, which is exactly why no new wave of tech has managed to kill it. If anything, AI has made the case for it stronger.
CTO checklist for building AI-ready IT operations in 2026

The CTO Checklist for AI-Ready IT Operations in 2026

Every new tool promises to simplify IT operations and somehow adds another layer of complexity instead. Rui Alves argues that bolting AI onto a tangle of disconnected systems just gives you automation without intelligence, and that the CTOs getting real value in 2026 are doing the unglamorous work first: connecting service management, monitoring, assets, FinOps, and governance into a single operational layer. A practical checklist for what AI-ready operations actually require.
From VIPs to VIRs

From VIPs to VIRs: Rethinking IT Support Prioritization for Business Impact

Many IT service desks still operate with a “very important person” (VIP) list (after all, it’s a long-held IT support best practice). However, given the importance of technology to business operations and outcomes, the VIP list is showing its age. And more importantly, it’s likely getting in the way of something more useful to your organization. Does your IT service desk need a VIR list?
Shadow AI in IT Support

Shadow AI in IT Support: When Employees Fix Problems Outside the Service Desk

It’s 9am and a sales manager hits a VPN error before a client call. Rather than wait on a service desk ticket, they paste the error into an AI tool and get a fix in seconds. The problem is solved, but no incident was recorded. Judin Joan Soundarya S of ManageEngine looks at what shadow AI costs problem management and security operations, and the practical ways ITSM platforms can regain that visibility without slowing users down.
Agentic ITSM

Agentic ITSM: Understanding the 4 Levels of AI Maturity in IT Service Management

Everyone is selling agentic AI, but the gap between the weakest and strongest versions is enormous. Manish Sharma of Rezolve.ai sets out a four-stage maturity model for AI in ITSM, from legacy retrieval through reactive assistants and process agents to true agentic systems that reason, act across connected systems, and catch problems nobody asked them to look for. He also offers the questions to put to any vendor claiming agentic AI.
Ending the L1 vs L2 Escalation Wars

Ending the L1 vs L2 Escalation Wars: Rethinking IT Support Tiers

A ticket gets escalated, comes back marked “add notes before escalation,” gets reassigned, then returns with “should have been resolved at L1.” Meanwhile the end-user is still waiting. Eusoph Simba argues the ticket ping-pong between support tiers isn’t an escalation problem but a problem with how we frame support levels. He makes the case for treating every ticket as an issue to solve, escalating on capability rather than hierarchy, and a simple standard format that breaks the loop.
Neurodivergence in ITSM

Neurodivergence in ITSM: Why Being Called a “Legend” Feels Uncomfortable

This article by Daniel Breston is about neurodivergence in ITSM and was sparked (pardon the pun) by his attendance – and what he did and didn’t feel – at the Service Desk Institute (SDI) SPARK26 event.
What I Learned from SDI SPARK26

Superheroes, Service Desks, and Chaos Monkeys – What I Learned from SDI SPARK26

The Service Desk Institute (SDI) held its annual SPARK conference in Birmingham in March. In this article, you’ll find an overview of what Vawns Murphy sees as the best bits, including top tips and advice from the presenters. 
AI Help Desk Software

AI Help Desk Software: How LLMs, AI Agents & Chatbots Are Transforming IT Support

In this article, learn how artificial intelligence (AI) help desks powered by LLMs and AI agents automate IT support, reduce Tier 1 tickets, cut costs, and scale IT support operations.
The Hidden Cost of IT “Papercuts”: Why ITSM Automation Is a Business Continuity Strategy

The Hidden Cost of IT “Papercuts”: Why ITSM Automation Is a Business Continuity Strategy

It’s the small issues that can kill your team. It comes from the tiny cuts: the password resets, access tweaks, profile changes, and “just a quick question” tickets that never make a headline but never stop arriving either. ITSM automation will help – this article explains how.
ITIL 4 Service Value System Explained

ITIL 4 and ITIL 5 Service Value Systems (SVSs) Explained: Guiding Principles, Practices, and Service Value Chain

Much has changed in ITIL 4 and thus there’s a lot to get one’s head around! This article quickly explains what the ITIL 4 service value system is and what it contains: the guiding principles, governance, service value chain, management practices, and continual improvement.
The MSP Agentic AI Execution Gap

The MSP Agentic AI Execution Gap in Service Delivery

70% of MSPs say they’re using agentic AI. Only 10% are primarily using it where it counts. And according to new Omdia poll data, MSP’s customers are already further ahead. The report digs into the execution gap, the cost of hesitation, and why investors are increasingly factoring AI maturity into MSP valuations.
Beginner’s Guide to IT Support Ticketing Systems

Beginner’s Guide to IT Support Ticketing Systems: How IT Tickets Really Work

The concept of ticketing systems might be alien to a new starter in IT support. This article explains how IT ticketing systems work, from ticket creation to resolution. A beginner’s guide to IT tickets, workflows, and best practices.
10 Common IT Help Desk Issues and How to Fix Them

10 Common IT Help Desk Issues and How to Fix Them (Step-by-Step Guide)

This article shares the 10 most common IT help desk issues, why they keep happening, and how IT support teams can efficiently fix them.
How AI Helps Service Desks

AI-Assisted Service Desks

If you’re wondering about AI-assisted service desks, this article and the videos it links to are for you. Discover how AI-assisted service desks transform ITSM, especially for lean teams – improving speed, experience, and scalability across the business.