Revisiting some of the older articles on ITSM.tools reminded me of something that was once a “thing” in IT service management (ITSM). Well, at least for a while. The concept of ITSM tool vendors having their own ITSM evangelists.
In 2026, I have to ask, “What happened to them?” I guess, like you, my assumption is that things didn’t “add up” in terms of their perceived value. But did it? And do we still need them?
Why Did ITSM Evangelists Disappear?
Of course, people move on (to other roles and even new companies), and organizational templates change. Especially when ITSM tool vendors and their people are acquired.
However, I deliberately used the word “perceived” in my opening paragraph because I think they added significant value to ITSM tool vendors (and to customer acquisition and retention) as well as the wider ITSM community.
Whether by presenting at ITSM conferences, answering ITSM-related questions on the event booth, speaking at customer events, writing thought leadership pieces, or basically being evangelists for the ITSM tool vendor’s capabilities, successes, and potential.
I would always say that someone like Pat, mentioned below, wasn’t directly selling product, but was generating future sales by being the knowledgeable person (and ITSM tool vendor) that people remember when they do want to invest in a new ITSM tool.
But I guess, without a direct line between an evangelist’s activities and realized sales, it’s hard to justify a sales-and-marketing role that isn’t hitting a quota. The odd thing is, I bet quite a few people are calling themselves evangelists on LinkedIn (although not necessarily “ITSM evangelists”) when they really aren’t.
Notable ITSM Evangelists Then and Now
Many of the knowledgeable people you can still see at ITSM conferences in 2026 were once ITSM evangelists (even if only in my mind):
- Patrick Bolger at Hornbill – Pat even had it as his job title
- Ian Aitchison at LANDesk
- Stuart Rance at HP (now OpenText) – although I don’t remember him there
- Jon Stevens-Hall at BMC (now BMC Helix).
Not all evangelists bore the title. For example, ServiceNow had Chris Pope, Damien Davis, and Paul Hardy in “innovation” roles. But you still knew you could watch them present or have a conversation with them and learn stuff. Stuff that would help you get the most from your organization’s ITSM investments.
There are also more recent ITSM evangelists out there, too. For example, Ashwin Ram Ragupathi filled the role at ManageEngine for a long time, followed by Nisha Ravi. I also believe Akshay Anand sort of fulfilled this role during his spell at Atlassian, Simon Morris could be seen as currently fulfilling it at Freshworks (even if unintentionally), and Matt Beran is globetrotting to help the ITSM community while an employee of InvGate. You could perhaps also include Charlie Arajuo at SymphonyAI.
I’m sure there were probably more, but not enough people are highlighted as (ITSM tool vendor) ITSM evangelists in 2026, and I think we (as an ITSM community) miss that.
What Made ITSM Evangelists Different from Sales and Marketing?
I think a key differentiator was that an ITSM evangelist was there to provide inspiration and guidance, not necessarily to hard-sell to a potentially captive audience. Something that made their words valuable to those fortunate enough to listen to or read them.
They were, of course, still selling. But in a way that’s similar to a tire store that doesn’t charge you for a small repair because they know you’ll likely go back and buy four new tires when you eventually need them. Whether this is building up “goodwill” or similar, I don’t know.
ITSM evangelists were perhaps an investment in brand. People who personified the ITSM tool vendor they worked for, creating the foundation from which a salesperson could eventually win business once the opportunity arose.
Maybe this was “half the problem,” perhaps it was an unclearly defined role in terms of performance assessment?
ITSM Evangelists 2.0: In the Age of AI and Authenticity
I should get to my real point now.
All this talk of ITSM evangelists isn’t just because I miss them and their wisdom (and appreciate the help they’ve given countless organizations struggling with ITSM practices or tooling). Instead, it’s an evolving thought around what’s happening with artificial intelligence (AI) and the growing demand for “authenticity.”
People seem to be increasingly looking to other people for real guidance (especially on big decisions). For example, watching a video of someone they think they can trust rather than reading text that they believe has been created by AI. They want to hear from people who have “lived experiences,” not simply “genned up on” a topic to appear knowledgeable.
I personally think the ITSM Community needs ITSM evangelists more than ever (or service management evangelists, or intelligent workflow automation evangelists, or experience management evangelists, etc.). There’s so much “AI slop” being created on LinkedIn and – dare I say it – by ill-informed marketing personnel that people need to hear from experienced people who can genuinely help them and their organization. It’s that focus on outcomes rather than operations we hear so much about these days.
The “new” ITSM evangelists (I believe we need) are very much about authenticity and helping (and making their employer rise up from the sea of competitor ITSM or service management offerings). They are someone who will get accepted to speak at an ITSM conference because of “who they are,” rather than because their parent company is willing to pay “the big bucks” for a slot.
What ChatGPT Said
As a quick sense check that I hadn’t missed anyone or any ITSM tool vendors in the above, I asked ChatGPT to list them.
It only gave me three:
- Simon Morris (but at his previous employer, ServiceNow, rather than Freshworks)
- Jon Stevens-Hall (still going strong at BMC Helix “down under”)
- Joe the IT Guy (a puppet who is now MIA).
I expected better, and I’d forgotten that Joe could be considered an ITSM evangelist through his blog.
What was more helpful, though, was the ChatGPT section on “Why vendors hire ITSM evangelists”:
“…vendors need people who:
- Translate ITSM frameworks into real-world use
- Inspire adoption (not just sell licenses)
- Build credibility beyond marketing.”
I don’t think I could have expressed the latter two points better myself.
In my (potentially naïve) opinion, everyone wins with ITSM evangelists.
Do We Need ITSM Evangelists Again?
There are, of course, “ITSM evangelists” who don’t work for ITSM tool vendors. For example, Roman Jouravlev at PeopleCert (and ITIL), Rob Akershoek at DXC Technology (and IT4IT), Claire Agutter at Scopism, and Katrina Macdermid at Humanising IT. Plus, “independents,” such as Barclay Rae and Sophie Hussy, or ITSM practitioners who can share their varied experiences.
But does the ITSM community need what it had circa 10 to 15 years ago, when someone like Pat, Ian, or Stewart would write articles or stand in front of a room full of people and genuinely help them? It didn’t matter that they worked for an ITSM tool vendor, with people benefiting from a wealth of experience and forward thinking rather than a single success story.
I think the answer is a resounding “yes.”
What do you think? Please let me know in the comments.
Further Reading
Stephen Mann
Principal Analyst and Content Director at the ITSM-focused industry analyst firm ITSM.tools. Also an independent IT and IT service management marketing content creator, and a frequent blogger, writer, and presenter on the challenges and opportunities for IT service management professionals.
Previously held positions in IT research and analysis (at IT industry analyst firms Ovum and Forrester and the UK Post Office), IT service management consultancy, enterprise IT service desk and IT service management, IT asset management, innovation and creativity facilitation, project management, finance consultancy, internal audit, and product marketing for a SaaS IT service management technology vendor.
One Response
For me there value was manifold. In my role at TCS, they were my best interface when working in conjunction with the tool providers; they undoubtedly helped the vendors seem more mature and differentiated them from the box shifters. Above all else, they pushed the message, both externally and internally, that the tool was only one element in successful ITSM, and that messaging extended beyond the sales cycle into implementation.