It's 6am Vegas time, and my head is spinning. I am coming up on day 3 for me of one of my favorite conference venues Pink Elephant IT Service Management. After years of studying, implementing, consulting and leading ITSM intitiatives and projects I woke feeling like someone had picked my pocket.
WHY IN THE WORLD DO NON-IT COMPANIES HAVE IT SERVICES?
THEY DON'T NEED THEM!
There I said it. (actually' I've already tweeted it).
Why would I say this? Me, after standing on soapboxes for so many years.
I don't know if it's the past year of doing the ITSM Weekly Podcast and listening to guests. Having some gut wrenching discussion internally at Inforonics about our corporate strategy. Maybe it has been reading the Universal Service Management Body of Knowledge (after reading this post Ian offered users a $50 discount. use Discount code "VigilantGuy" tx Ian) and meeting its author this week Ian Clayton. I'm sure it's a bit of all that, but's it's definitely 2 distinct events that have happened in sessions here at Pink. Which is why this contiues to be one of my favorite venues.
Event #1) After a 45 minute panel discussion on Service Catalog (of which I had the pleasure of being on) the last question of the day was by a women who was frustrated by the inability to have services defined and asked "Besides Email, what are some other IT services". I then hear each panelist rattle off System after system, network, storage, etc.. It was clear this panel of Service Catalog (where you write down what the services are for the business) couldn't agree on what a Service is.
Event #2) In a panel discussion moderated by Rob England (aka The IT Skeptic) the topic was the elusive CMDB. A source of consternation, frustration, and confusion throughout the ITSM industry. The major point hit again and again: It has to be Service Aligned.... But wait, we can't define what a service is.
As I sat there and listened to the extremely passionate arguments, emotional lessons learned, and even one person honeslty begging for help.
We are trying to put Round Pegs in Square holes. We are making up a layer that does not need to be there. The IT Service layer is fabricated to fill a misconceived whole. Well there is no whole.
Business Models are supported by Operational Models that are managed through systems and processes. Business Services are the only services a business needs. These can be supported through systems layer that correlates and integrates assets (technical or not).
Yet, that is not how ITSM community speaks and talks. In the ITSM community if my Business Model is about Hospitality, we still create this thing called Storage Area Network Services. When did SAN Services become something people buy to get a hotel room. They Don't!
So if I follow the current thinking on ITSM, I am supposed build and define the SAN Service, put it in a catalog, map it to a CMDB, and present its value to my CEO and ask him for a seat at the table.
If you were CEO, would ask me to sit down?
I can tell you what Captain Arbrashoff would say: "Beat it buddy"
Please tell me your comments or send me a tweet @vigilantguy I would love to hear your response and thoughts on this.
On to day 3.
