Don't go changing... Tryin' to please me

Why do people change things and why do organisations change their ITSM solutions (and change them from what to what)? You knew that there'd be an ITSM link here somewhere, let's get it out front and centre!

Following on from a look at the current landscape in terms of ITSM solution spread/adoption (see here and here) and what perhaps those choices have meant in terms of impact or other factors in day to day operational running, thought it would be interesting to look at how we got here.

And you may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"

A FOI request later... let's have a look at the transitional trends over the past 20 or so years as organisations have moved from one solution to another (and also those that haven't changed) and posit why that may be and what, if anything, it may mean...

Change and consolidation

The below shows the transition from what to what and is based on ~320 responses from local councils (who changed solutions), as you can see, a 'busy' graph and not especially clear, however I do break these down into more digestible chunks shortly.

But what does this show us? Working from left to right, we see what solution changed to what and easy to see that there is more on the left than right hand side, simply put and since around 2010 where there were 72 ITSM solutions in place in some guise or other and that this broad selection has since been blended into a smaller cohort of 52 solutions - a ~%28 reduction.

A number of the former solutions you'll no doubt recognise (if you squint, you might be able to read them) and I'm sure that several either came to the end of the line, were no longer developed and/or just didn't keep pace with the broader needs of the marketspace, some of these observations are born out when we look at the rationale for change in my follow on article... But fair to say we are seeing here a generalised consolidation.

So how about a clearer look at this, but this time showing the top 6 solutions - HaloITSM , ServiceNow , Freshworks , Ivanti , TOPdesk and Hornbill - that organisations changed to.

Ok, well - the consolidation is much more apparent when we look at things when filtered this way, it's still a word jumble in the left hand side but we see some prominent names in the ITSM world on the right. In this breakdown it shows 55 solutions consolidating into 6! an 89% reduction!! Remarkable, so leave a remark below ?? if you've any thoughts thus far ??

To call out a specific example here, Landesk to Ivanti , would this be classed as a 'change' or an upgrade? Certainly I'd expect functionality and other capability elements here, and from the information received, Landesk became EOL (bought by Ivanti), so...

Let's pick on a familiar name now and take a look at ServiceNow and what solutions/services organisations used prior to taking the leap here...

So where there were 13 solutions in situ, the ~20 organisations using those decided to ditch these (for various reasons) and opt for ServiceNow to meet their needs. Arguably some 'larger' leaps here in terms of functionality, certainly from an In House solution (but perhaps that was comprehensive in of itself?).

Interesting to note that (the flow from left to right) a former ServiceNow house changed and moved onto the Freshworks platform...

Possibly lots more could be inferred from these Sankey charts, if you've an observation, please share in the comments ??

No ch ch ch changes (how come?)

This is all very well and good, but some organisations just didn't change their ITSM of choice, what could this mean??

It could be said that certain solutions are just too good and there is no need to change, or that they have such a progressive product roadmap (informed by ??) that they continue to evolve with the needs/times and it doesn't make sense to switch out - the below shows around 60 orgs which have stayed the course over the years with their ITSM of choice... Hornbill seemingly a clear outlier in terms of stickiness!

Or is it that the thought of having to instigate a significant change program of works, across a fundamental business system, too much to think about when you've got the day to day running of your organisation to take into consideration?? Who needs the disruption (headache) hey?! Even if it would mean driving increased levels of positive and beneficial business outcomes (or saving some money)...

So why change? Well, that's for the next article where we explore the Top 10 reasons and drivers for change within the ITSM realm... Stay tuned ????

Needless to say though, and as with all change, a structured approach and a solid plan are crucial to success as well as delivering the benefits the change is intended to bring, fail to plan, plan to fail as the adage goes.

Or as Machiavelli himself puts it

"It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would benefit by the new one"

Thinking of changing your ITSM solutions? Come gather round people...

At Xcession?we know that migration projects can often be daunting, certainly time consuming and, if poorly executed, most likely expensive! It takes time, resources, precise planning and quality testing for a successful migration project. Let us do all the heavy lifting! Our collaborative approach, advisory mindset and real world experience will provide you with the right recipe for a successful migration. We are experts in documenting the migration strategy and execution plan and being a one-stop-shop for all your customer engagement, automation and ITSM needs. Get in touch and let's talk ??

Footnote, if you've ended up with an earworm or two from this article, I make no apologies ?????? and also thanks for reading this far, comments/feedback always welcome ?? always welcome a view from our readers, users and also the vendors - get in touch if you'd like to know more ??