IT service management (ITSM) teams are no stranger to urgency and complexity. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), however, the realities of hybrid work, regular cyber threats, and a higher bar for the employee experience place an extra burden on teams to stay ahead. According to the new State of SMB IT for 2026 report from EasyVista and OTRS Group, most SMBs remain stuck in the middle stages of ITSM maturity. Nearly 40% of respondents say their organizations still operate without consistent processes. Just 12% describe their ITSM approach as “mature and proactive.” While ITSM is considered strategic, that vision hasn’t quite translated into reality. Why not? And what’s holding them back?
The Aspiration-Execution Gap
The survey results show that most SMBs want to improve their ITSM practices; however, they will need more resources and better systems to get there. Over half (56%) recognize that ITSM is about more than just support tickets, seeing it instead as a strategic opportunity to improve efficiency and drive business success. However, here’s the disconnect: many report using basic tools, such as email and spreadsheets, to handle IT requests.
You can understand a small team relying on basic tools for incident tracking, but such tools will be far from ideal when it comes to supporting a growing business. The result is reactive IT operations that are difficult to standardize, optimize, or measure. These are hallmarks of low ITSM maturity.
The data around IT asset management (ITAM) tells a similar story. Thirteen percent of organizations still track assets manually, and 4% have no process at all. Even more telling, 67% say their ITAM and ITSM processes are only “somewhat integrated,” relying on manual processes or spreadsheets. It’s a significant blind spot in an era when endpoints are increasingly distributed, software is cloud-based, and compliance demands are on the rise.
Barriers to ITSM Maturity: Budgets, People, and Complexity
What keeps so many SMBs locked into manual processes and basic tools? The survey points to three main obstacles to higher ITSM maturity:
- Budget constraints
- Lack of skilled personnel
- Integration challenges with existing systems.
These challenges are familiar to every business in every sector in 2025. It’s challenging to hire new staff, let alone train them on a tight budget. Teams that are stretched thin may not have the bandwidth to do the necessary legwork to evaluate and eventually implement something new. Fragmented legacy systems make every improvement more challenging to implement.
It’s a frustrating cycle. Teams recognize the value of maturing their ITSM practices, but they lack the funding and support to achieve this goal.
Why Being “Stuck in the Middle” Is Riskier Than It Seems
Some SMBs might accept this ITSM maturity status quo as “good enough.” It’s hard not to when you feel stuck. But teams are taking a risk by not maturing their operations. Disconnected tools and processes will make it more difficult to resolve issues quickly, to identify issues before they become problems, or to head off the next cyber threat lurking around the corner.
Speaking of security, nearly half of SMBs report disruptive IT security issues multiple times a month. Yet, only a quarter say that cybersecurity-related issues involving IT devices and assets are one of their top priorities. This disconnect can have costly consequences.
Cybersecurity is a good example of what’s happening more broadly. IT is struggling. The risks are known, and the intent is there. So, how can IT teams navigate this challenging middle ground and move forward?
The companies that can turn things around don’t tackle everything at once. They start small with specific goals, build consistency, and make steady improvements that move things forward. Here’s where to start.
How to Break Through: Five Practical Steps Toward ITSM Maturity
Fortunately, ITSM maturity doesn’t have to mean a massive investment. The most successful SMBs are taking practical, incremental steps that align strategy with execution. Here’s how to get started.
1. Don’t Just “Standardize Core Processes.” Pick One That Actually Matters.
Being process-focused is the right instinct. But the common advice to “standardize your core processes” often leads teams in circles. It sounds strategic, but most IT orgs fail at this, and it doesn’t help you decide where to begin. Instead, pick one process that’s messy, repetitive, and causing visible pain. This could be incident handling, onboarding, or software access, for instance. Map how it actually works today, identify where it breaks down, and define a clearer, shared approach. You don’t need perfect workflows or specialized tools, just enough structure to reduce confusion and create consistency. That’s what unlocks progress.
2. Automate the Repetitive
Automation is not magic. But it works well for simple, high-volume scenarios. Look for opportunities to automate basic tasks, such as ticket routing, password resets, or software deployments. Which one to pick? Your historical data is the best source to reveal those repeated, high-volume activities. Start by choosing just one at a time. Experiment by automating some lightweight tasks or processes. Several solutions on the market offer connectors and automation capabilities out of the box. Tapping into these capabilities to improve your ITSM maturity may be easier to access and less expensive than you think.
3. Choose Tools That Scale with You
Building more mature ITSM muscle doesn’t require the most expensive software on the market. Find a solution that is affordable and meets your current needs, while also offering the modularity and flexibility to grow with you. Prioritize solutions with built-in reporting, asset tracking, and integration capabilities.
4. Invest in People First
Most survey respondents indicated that training and education were the top resources they needed to enhance their ITSM maturity. Upskilling your current team may yield a higher return on investment than adding another tool. Look for vendor training, certifications, and knowledge-sharing opportunities within peer networks. Also, be selective with partners who can provide meaningful support. Don’t have budget for more training? Consider knowledge sharing. How about setting aside dedicated time for team members to cross-train and share their expertise more effectively?
5. Make the Business Case for ITSM
If budget is your biggest barrier to making changes, tie those ITSM improvements you’re targeting to something tangible. Show how they will reduce downtime, how they will help employees be more productive, and how they can make onboarding faster (for customers or employees).
For ITSM, the biggest cost to target is the cost of doing nothing. Highlight lost time, frustrated end-users, and compliance risks to help justify even modest investments.
What ITSM Maturity Really Looks Like
It’s worth remembering that ITSM maturity is not about hitting some theoretical ideal. It is about making IT more predictable, more efficient, and more aligned with business goals. For example:
- Moving from email-based ticketing to a centralized IT help desk
- Replacing ad hoc IT asset tracking with a live inventory system
- Shifting from manual request fulfillment to automated workflows.
Every step forward builds momentum. As your processes become more mature, this helps create the credibility of IT across the organization, setting the stage for even more strategic initiatives.
Think Progress Over Perfection
Achieving maturity with your ITSM practice doesn’t happen in a single project; it is a continuous journey. For SMBs, this journey will always involve striking a balance between ambition and reality. But being small doesn’t mean staying stuck.
In The State of SMB IT for 2026, we see the ITSM maturity goals and the challenges SMB IT teams are up against. What remains is to turn those ITSM maturity ambitions into action with smart tools, simple processes, and teams that are empowered to do more.
Further Reading
Keith Andes
Keith builds product marketing functions where market intelligence drives the strategy. From customer insights to competitive intelligence to analyst relations, he focuses on collecting the right inputs to make sure every decision (from messaging to go-to-market strategy) is rooted in clarity and confidence, reasoning from First Principles.
