ISG Buyers Guide for IT Service Management Classifies and Rates Software Providers

ISG Research is happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The IT Service Management: ISG Research Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by ISG Research.

Chief information officers (CIOs) and IT leaders face the dual challenge of optimizing IT operations while driving innovation in an increasingly complex marketplace. The intricacies involved in managing a diverse array of technology environments require enterprises to harness a multitude of tools and platforms to address unique operational demands spanning various departments and functionalities. Technological advancements often outpace traditional strategies, so it is essential for IT leaders to have a comprehensive understanding of the software solutions at their disposal.

IT Management software plays a pivotal role in aligning technology initiatives with business objectives. As enterprises strive to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and maintain a competitive edge, these approaches become critical enablers of streamlined operations and effective resource allocation. Furthermore, as enterprises transition to more agile and cloud-centric architectures, the integration of comprehensive IT Management software platforms facilitates enhanced visibility, control and adaptability across the entire IT stack. This is particularly important as CIOs look to future-proof enterprise architecture and ensure that technology strategies are not only reactive but also proactive in addressing emerging challenges and opportunities.

ISG defines IT Service Management (ITSM) as a strategic approach to deploy IT services that effectively support overall business objectives. ITSM is a collection of processes and practices that guide enterprises in managing and delivering high-quality IT services to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Key subsets and extensions of ITSM that are critical for optimizing the performance of IT environments include:

• IT Operations Management (ITOM): ITOM focuses on the operational aspects of managing IT services and infrastructure. It encompasses vital functions such as incident management, problem management, change management, performance monitoring and capacity management. The goal of ITOM is to ensure that IT services operate smoothly and effectively by optimizing resource use, minimizing service disruptions and enhancing service quality. By implementing efficient ITOM practices, IT leaders can proactively address incidents and operational challenges before they escalate, fostering an environment of continuous improvement.
• IT Asset Management (ITAM): ITAM involves the management of an enterprise's IT assets throughout the entire lifecycle—from procurement to disposal. This includes such functions as asset tracking, compliance management and software license management. Adequate oversight of IT assets not only helps enterprises optimize costs but ensures compliance with licensing agreements and regulatory requirements. By maintaining accurate inventories of IT assets, CIOs can make informed decisions regarding resource allocation and investment in new technologies, ultimately supporting strategic initiatives and enhancing operational efficiency.
• Service Integration and Management (SIAM): In the current landscape, where multiple service providers are often involved in delivering IT services, SIAM has emerged as an essential framework for ensuring seamless coordination and integration. This subset focuses on managing relationships between suppliers and ensuring collaboration to maintain service quality and delivery. For organizations that rely heavily on third-party vendors, effective SIAM practices are vital for enhancing service continuity, accountability and operational synergy. By adopting a SIAM approach, CIOs can streamline interactions with multiple vendors, enhancing accountability and driving better alignment with business goals.
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL): Serving as a foundational framework for ITSM, ITIL provides a comprehensive set of best practices and processes designed to enhance service delivery. ITIL's service lifecycle stages emphasize the importance of continual improvement, highlighting the need for enterprises to evolve ITSM practices in a dynamic business environment. Furthermore, ITIL establishes a common language and set of standards that unify ITSM efforts across varied teams and stakeholders. By implementing ITIL guidelines, CIOs can create a cohesive ITSM strategy that drives collaboration, efficiency and innovation.

The integration of these key subsets—ITOM, ITAM, SIAM and ITIL—enables IT leaders to strategically align IT services with business objectives while fostering operational excellence and enhanced customer satisfaction. An enterprise ITSM strategy should serve not only as a tool for managing IT resources but also as a catalyst for driving transformational growth and sustained competitive advantage. Investing in these ITSM frameworks and practices allows enterprises to create resilient, adaptable IT environments.

The criticality of effective ITSM software cannot be overstated. As enterprises strive to enhance operational efficiency, improve customer satisfaction and manage increasingly complex IT environments, the opportunity exists for enterprises to re-evaluate ITSM strategies and partnerships. In an enterprise evaluation, there are four key ITSM trends to consider, including:

1. Accelerated digital transformation: The push for digital transformation initiatives across industries has been accelerated by the ongoing demand for enhanced customer experiences and streamlined operations. ITSM must support these transformations by ensuring that service delivery aligns with new business models. Enterprises should re-assess ITSM solutions to identify gaps in service capabilities and integration that may impede agility and responsiveness to market changes.
2. Evolving workforce dynamics: With the rise of hybrid and remote work environments, ITSM strategies must adapt to support a distributed workforce. Workers require seamless access to IT services and support regardless of location. By examining current ITSM offerings, enterprises can uncover solutions that facilitate better collaboration, self-service options and proactive support mechanisms to enhance user satisfaction and productivity.
3. Cost management and resource optimization: Economic uncertainty and tighter budgets have heightened the need for cost control in IT operations. Evaluating ITSM partnerships and software can reveal opportunities for consolidation, streamlining vendor relationships and renegotiating contracts. Through 2026, 85% of enterprises will rely on IT service management application marketplaces to connect software platforms across line-of-business groups. This focus on cost management not only improves financial performance but also ensures that ITSM investments align with overall business goals and deliver maximum value.
4. Enhanced focus on customer experience: As enterprises compete for customer loyalty, the ability to deliver exceptional service is paramount. ITSM plays a crucial role in building processes that prioritize customer satisfaction. A review of ITSM solutions can identify ways to incorporate features that enable better tracking of customer interactions, manage service requests effectively and provide insights into service performance. Empowering IT teams to respond swiftly to customer needs fosters lasting relationships and trust.

By focusing on the drivers behind a re-evaluation of ITSM service trends—digital transformation, workforce dynamics, cost management and customer experience—IT leaders can effectively advocate for the necessary changes to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency. A well-defined ITSM strategy will not only help enterprises meet current challenges but also position them for long-term success.

Generative AI (GenAI) plays a pivotal role in enhancing IT Management software by automating complex processes, improving decision-making and driving efficiencies across various IT functions. By leveraging GenAI, enterprises can streamline service delivery, optimize resource allocation and proactively identify and resolve issues, ultimately leading to improved operational performance. Additionally, GenAI enables IT teams to generate insights from vast amounts of data, facilitating more informed strategic planning and enhancing collaboration among teams. As enterprises embrace digital transformation, IT Management software integrated with GenAI capabilities becomes essential for staying competitive.

In the realm of ITSM, GenAI functionality is transforming how enterprise IT teams handle service requests, incident resolution and knowledge management. IT technicians can leverage features such as automated session summaries, which capture key details of interactions and help provide context in support tickets. This significantly reduces the time spent on notetaking and allows teams to focus on delivering solutions.

GenAI can also assist in command-line generation, enabling technicians to automate routine tasks by generating scripts or commands based on specific requests or scenarios. This capability minimizes the need for extensive coding knowledge, allowing less experienced staff to execute complex tasks effectively.

Additionally, GenAI enhances troubleshooting processes by narrowing problem scenarios to the most likely causes based on historical data and context cues from previous incidents. This predictive capability allows IT teams to resolve issues more quickly, reducing downtime and improving service levels.

And GenAI supports knowledge management by automatically generating knowledge articles. When a new issue is identified, GenAI can curate and create documentation that details the symptoms, remediation steps and relevant configurations. By streamlining knowledge article creation directly within application workflows, enterprises can ensure that essential information is readily available for future reference, promoting a culture of continuous improvement.

Agentic AI, while not yet available, has the potential to transform ITSM by reshaping how enterprise IT teams manage service requests, incident management and customer interactions. One possible application is intelligent virtual agents that autonomously handle routine inquiries via natural language processing, enhancing the user experience and allowing IT staff to focus on complex issues. Additionally, Agentic AI may streamline incident resolution by analyzing historical data to recommend solutions, reducing response times. Proactively, it could monitor system performance to detect anomalies and initiate actions, ultimately paving the way for a more efficient ITSM framework that improves service reliability and customer satisfaction.

CIOs and IT leaders should approach IT Management software that incorporates GenAI, LLMs and future Agentic AI capabilities with enthusiasm and caution. While these technologies offer significant benefits, they also come with unique challenges and prerequisites. A holistic evaluation must include technical aspects and business, ethical and strategic considerations. Other areas of focus include risk awareness, critical infrastructure, organizational readiness, governance and compliance and a long-term perspective on the sustainability and scalability of AI approaches.

ISG believes a methodical approach is essential to maximize competitiveness. It is critical to select the right software provider and product to improve the performance of your enterprise’s people, process, information and technology components.

The ISG Buyers Guide for ITSM software research is designed to provide a 360-degree view of a software provider’s ability to optimize the delivery, performance and governance of IT services within an enterprise. Separate Buyers Guide research reports are available for FinOps, AIOps, Observability and IT Management software.

This ISG Buyers Guide for ITSM evaluates products based on capabilities including asset and configuration management, GenAI, machine learning and automation, human-centric IT service management, incident and request management, knowledge management and service level management. To be included in this Buyers Guide, software providers must meet or exceed the inclusion criteria and have commercially available products for enterprise ITSM.

The insights gained from understanding current IT Management software providers are invaluable for IT leaders who aim to align technology investments with organizational goals, optimize workflows and foster a culture of innovation. By investing in the right tools, CIOs can unlock new avenues for growth and transformation, paving the way for enterprises to thrive.

This Buyers Guide report evaluates the following software providers that offer products addressing key elements for ITSM: Atera, Atlassian, BMC Software, Broadcom, EasyVista, Freshworks, IBM, IFS, Ivanti, Matrix42 AG, OpenText, ServiceNow, SolarWinds, SymphonyAI, Zendesk and Zoho.

This research-based index evaluates the full business and information technology value of IT service management software offerings. We encourage you to learn more about our Buyers Guide and its effectiveness as a provider selection and RFI/RFP tool.

We urge organizations to do a thorough job of evaluating IT service management offerings in this Buyers Guide as both the results of our in-depth analysis of these software providers and as an evaluation methodology. The Buyers Guide can be used to evaluate existing suppliers, plus provides evaluation criteria for new projects. Using it can shorten the cycle time for an RFP and the definition of an RFI.

The Buyers Guide for IT Service Management in 2025 finds ServiceNow first on the list, followed by BMC with Broadcom and Atlassian tied for third.

Software providers that rated in the top three of any category ﹘ including the product and customer experience dimensions ﹘ earn the designation of Leader.

The Leaders in Product Experience are:

• ServiceNow.
• BMC.
• SolarWinds.

The Leaders in Customer Experience are:

• ServiceNow.
• BMC.
• Atlassian.

The Leaders across any of the seven categories are:

• ServiceNow, which has achieved this rating in seven of the seven categories.
• BMC in five categories.
• Atlassian in four categories.
• Zendesk in two categories.
• Broadcom, Matrix42 and SolarWinds in one category.

The overall performance chart provides a visual representation of how providers rate across product and customer experience. Software providers with products scoring higher in a weighted rating of the five product experience categories place farther to the right. The combination of ratings for the two customer experience categories determines their placement on the vertical axis. As a result, providers that place closer to the upper-right are “exemplary” and rated higher than those closer to the lower-left and identified as providers of “merit.” Software providers that excelled at customer experience over product experience have an “assurance” rating, and those excelling instead in product experience have an “innovative” rating.

Note that close provider scores should not be taken to imply that the packages evaluated are functionally identical or equally well-suited for use by every enterprise or process. Although there is a high degree of commonality in how organizations handle IT service management, there are many idiosyncrasies and differences that can make one provider’s offering a better fit than another.

ISG Research has made every effort to encompass in this Buyers Guide the overall product and customer experience from our IT service management blueprint, which we believe reflects what a well-crafted RFP should contain. Even so, there may be additional areas that affect which software provider and products best fit an enterprise’s particular requirements. Therefore, while this research is complete as it stands, utilizing it in your own organizational context is critical to ensure that products deliver the highest level of support for your projects.

You can find more details on our community as well as on our expertise in the research for this Buyers Guide.