IT servIce caTalog

Where IT users and services meet

Solution brief

Ease the squeeze

IT executives are used to feeling the squeezethe one between improving service to users and controlling IT operations costs. It seems every initiative designed to improve IT efficiency leaves them promising users the service they receive will be just as good. Enter IT service catalog management, the IT efficiency enhancer that leaves users saying, Finally, IT is doing something for me! A service catalog delights users by giving them an online storefront that displays IT wares and lets them easily order the goods and services they need to do their jobs. It streamlines work for approvers by enabling them to receive, evaluate, and act on requests quickly and efficiently. And it empowers IT operations managers by enabling them to set user expectations about services and deliver them more efficiently and at lower cost.

This solution brief presents the HP Service Manager Service Catalog module, a component of the HP IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3-based HP Service Manager software. Using it: A media and entertainment conglomerate eliminated 350,000 calls to its service desk annually saving $7 million USD. An IT services company increased user self-service by 82 percent while actually expanding the availability of IT services. A telecommunications company lauds service catalog for reducing user misunderstandings and better aligning IT services with business needs. Those are the kind of results that are driving interest in service catalogs and moving HP Service Manager Service Catalog to the top of the priority list in many enterprises.

Figure 1: HP Service Manager Service Catalog as seen by the requester

HP Service Manager Service Catalog module

To see how it worksand how organizations have achieved these resultswe will look at HP Service Manager Service Catalog from the perspective of each of the principal usersthe end user who requests service, the request approver, and IT. The requester view End users need to know what goods and services they can get from IT, exactly what they include, and what they cost. They need a simple way to request the services and to see the status of their requests. They need goods and services to be delivered as promised. And they would often rather not have to actually talk to anyone in IT to get what they need. To understand what the HP Service Manager Service Catalog module offers the end user, lets put ourselves in his chair as he uses it. Heres what he sees and does: The requester turns to his PC and opens a web interface to HP Service Manager Service Catalog. The catalog is available 24 hours a day so he can shop at his convenience and check the status of his requests at any time. Upon opening the catalog, the requester finds an array of IT goods and services organized in easy-tounderstand categories and subcategories. These goods consist of pre-defined packages along with optional components that are offered by IT. Keyword search helps him find what he needs quickly.

The goods and services visible to him are the ones that business managers and IT have previously determined should be available to his specific job role. So sales representatives may see a different set of offerings than design engineers or accounts payable specialists see. Product descriptions specify what is included, what kind of support is available, what delivery time to expect, and what the cost to the users department will be. The requester finds the information in his local language and currency. The requester can sign up for subscription services that provide ongoing support or keep his hardware or software up to date. Within the limits established by IT, the user can request modifications to standard services to create one-off items to meet special needs. A shopping cart feature enables the requester to select and order what he needs. Shopping carts can be saved, so orders can be placed later. They can even be saved as templates for future orders. When the order is placed, it is automatically routed to the appropriate approvers. The requester can view the approval and fulfillment status of the order at any time. The requester spent less time investigating what is available to him, less time ordering, and less time tracking the order than he would have without an automated catalog. Perhaps most important, the requester knows exactly what services, delivery, and support IT has committed to provide. And he did it all without any phone calls to the IT service desk.

Figure 2: HP Service Manager Service Catalog integrates with ITSM processes for order fulfillment.

Request management User request Business approval

Change management

Service desk

Other applications Business users ITSM processes

The approver view

The approver needs to know whether requested items are appropriate and needed by the user to perform his job, whether requests conform to established policies, and what costs will be incurred if the request is approved. And since the approver may need to review and act on many requests, she needs a streamlined process for being notified, reviewing, and acting on requests. Lets walk through the process from the perspective of the approver: The approver receives either an e-mail message or an on-screen alert indicating that a new request is pending approval. She can view the request and quickly see what has been requested and by whom. She knows immediately that the request is for a standard catalog item that conforms to company policies and is appropriate for the users job role. This has been worked out in advance between IT and the business. The approver sees the cost of the requested item including any ongoing costs for support or subscription services. She also sees what other approvers are in the process. Requests can be routed to multiple approvers serially or in parallel. She can approve, deny, or modify the request based on business priorities. If denied or modified, the request is routed back to the requester with comments or questions. If approved, it goes on to any other approvers that may be defined in the request process or directly to fulfillment processes set up by IT.

To enable requests to be processed quickly, approvers can temporarily delegate approval authority to others. The approver can create any number of approval delegation configurations. For example, she can delegate all approvals to a single individual, delegate the same approvals to multiple individuals at the same time, delegate all approvals within a certain period of time, or only delegate approvals for a particular application. The approver has been able to receive, evaluate, and act on requests quickly and efficiently. And HP Service Manager Service Catalog has provided all the information necessary to confirm that the request conforms to policies and configurations already established by IT and the business.

The IT view
Making life easier for requesters and approvers is fine, but driving down IT cost is what a service catalog is really about. Lets look at how it works for IT: First, IT works with business managers to specify the IT goods and services needed for each job role and the authorization and approval process. IT specialists then use a wizard to set up catalog items and bundles. Items may be services only (like an office move), goods only (like a new laptop), or a combination of goods and services. Bundles can contain the set of goods and services needed in a particular situationto equip a new employee, for example.

 Catalog items may be simple transactionsitems that are be requested and fulfilled on a one-time basisor they may be subscriptionsitems that include ongoing activity and cost like support and updates. HP Service Manager Service Catalog comes with predefined categories and subcategories for goods and services, so IT specialists can enter items quickly. They can also customize by copying, modifying, and removing categories to meet the needs of the organizations users. Both tree and network category structures are supported, and an unlimited number of subcategory levels can be established. The HP Service Manager Service Catalog includes built-in integrations and functions to make implementation easier for IT. For example: It accesses service level agreements (SLAs) established by IT and the business, so catalog items can alert requesters to expected delivery time frames and advise them of the kind of service they will receive with the item. It includes tight, out-of-the-box integration with HP Service Manager workflow moduleslike HP Service Manager Request Management module, HP Service Desk module, and HP Change Management suiteso orders are automatically routed to the appropriate IT fulfillment process. Using web services architecture, IT can also integrate HP Service Manager Service Catalog directly with other HP and third-party applications that automate fulfillment of requests.

It tracks ordering and order fulfillment. Reports let IT managers measure demand for each catalog item and monitor the performance of service orders against SLAs for service request fulfillment. HP Service Manager Service Catalog makes IT more efficient by streamlining and automating the processes of offering IT goods and services to users and processing and fulfilling their orders. Since the process is automated, it dramatically reduces the number of calls to the service desk for these routine items. But the benefits go beyond that. It enables IT to properly set users expectations about what they can acquire, how long it will take to receive it, and what they will receive. When users know what to expect and IT knows what must be delivered, that reduces the number of unnecessary phone calls and e-mail messages for everyone, and everyone is happier with the results.

Why HP?
HP is a leading supplier of IT Service Management (ITSM) software. We offer the most comprehensive set of ITIL-aligned solutions addressing all aspects of ITSM. Not a standalone product, our service catalog is an integrated component of HP Service Manager built on a federated Universal Configuration Management Database. And HP offers the implementation options you need. If you want to implement HP Service Manager Service Catalog at your site, we have more than 12,000 ITIL-trained professionals available to help you. If you prefer, however, you can use HP Software as a Service (SaaS) model to provide a service catalog for your organization with no capital outlay.

To learn more about HP Service Manager Service Catalog and HP ITSM solutions visit [Link]/go/servicemanagementsoftware.

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Copyright 20102011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. 4AA0-0252ENW, Created February 2010; Updated July 2011, Rev. 1