Historically, the Service Desk and Operations have struggled to optimize process efficiencies and in many cases even to meaningfully communicate. But current macro-economic pressures combined with advances in best practices and new technologies are creating a transformational environment rich in both requirements and choices. This environment can present huge opportunities for better business alignment and a broadened role for IT. But it can also lead unprepared IT executives into a confusing labyrinth of what may seem to be no-win options.

This reports looks at the dynamics underlying these pressures for change as well as the best practices and technologies that can support an effective integration of the Service Desk and Operations teams. The report focuses on closed loop incident and problem management, as well as end-to-end change and configuration management, with a particular focus on automation. The report also introduces HP’s disciplined approach for addressing these requirements from both a process and technology perspective.