ITSM Customer Priorities

2025: How the CA requests of ITSM systems are changing

The most active implementation of ITSM is observed in public administration, the banking sector, telecommunications, industry, power, retail, transport and logistics. These industries combine a high reliance on an IT infrastructure where business-critical business continuity. The common reasons for the high demand in these segments are related to the growing requirements for automation, integration and transparency of processes, as well as the need to comply with regulatory and regulatory standards. Here, security, SLA and service control requirements are highlighted. A comprehensive approach to service management, including life cycle support, intelligent analytics and automation, is becoming mandatory to achieve business goals, which forms the demand for mature ITSM solutions in the Russian market.

Research shows that it is these segments that demonstrate the greatest maturity in digital transformation and make the most of ITSM's capabilities to increase transparency, automate and control business processes. At the same time, state support for domestic solutions, including stimulates their implementation in these industries, - comments Dmitry Rubin, director of the operating business of NAUMEN.

The most actively implemented ITSM solutions are industries that have reached a high degree of maturity in understanding the role of IT as a driver of efficiency. We are talking about sectors where the IT infrastructure is critical for business, and its downtime or failures lead to significant financial and reputational losses, - said Artem Khizhny, General Director of RIKITLAB.

An important trend is that customers are increasingly looking not for individual tools, but for integrated platforms that combine Service Desk, project management, and document coordination. This opens up additional opportunities for BPMS platforms, - comments, Igor Prostokvashin leading analyst of the company. Comindware

Public sector and state corporations

The public sector is actively introducing ITSM as part of digital transformation, digitalization of public services, import substitution and regulatory requirements to strengthen information security. Here, key strategies are the transition to domestic software, the development of an import-independent infrastructure, the creation of national data centers and the development of internal IT teams.

On the one hand, this is a consequence of large-scale digitalization within the framework of national projects (″ Digital Economy, ″ ″ State Administration of ″) and an increase in the volume of electronic public services. To keep these services stable, the public sector needs mature IT infrastructure support and management processes. On the other hand, it was state customers who were the first to fall under the strict requirements of regulators - FSTEC, the Ministry of Ministry of Digital Development - to abandon foreign software, certify solutions and use exclusively domestic IT products in critical systems. All this makes the ITSM system not just a convenient tool, but a mandatory element of the IT landscape in any large government structure, "explains Arsen Blagov, General Director of the Lukomorye IT ecosystem (RTK IT Plus LLC).

Financial sector (banks, insurance and fintech companies)

At banks and financial institutions, ITSM provides risk management, service continuity and compliance, and minimization of downtime that directly impacts financial flows and customer confidence. The reason for the high demand in this area can be explained by the high requirements of the Central Bank for information security, business continuity, integration with SOC/SIEM. In addition, banks and fintechs are experiencing a tremendous burden on IT services from customers, especially in the field of mobile and online services, so automation of service desk and SLA support is no longer an option, but a necessity.

Telecom

Telecom operators face unique challenges due to complex distributed infrastructure, the need to comply with SLAs and a huge number of incidents, which requires effective service management. Call center automation requires mature ITSM systems that support AIOps scripts, real-time incident monitoring and handling automation. Omnichannel platforms are in demand here, providing effective interaction with customers and internal corporate automation.

Telecom operators are actively optimizing network management costs and developing new business models. Telecom companies cease to be exclusively providers of communication services and develop ecosystem offerings, which requires more complex IT process management, says Igor Prostokvashin, a leading analyst at Comindware.

Industry and power

Industries, including power and extractive industries, use ITSM to integrate IT with manufacturing processes, manage equipment, and organize predictive maintenance, reducing downtime and optimizing support costs.

For companies in these industries, it is vital to effectively manage critical infrastructure (APCS), comply with the laws on CII. Increased attention to import substitution, software localization requirements, participation in digital transformation projects and the growth of internal IT services also contributed to the growth of implementations.

Increasingly, enterprises are creating service units within themselves according to the Shared Services or service stations model, and this is impossible without a mature ITSM platform. Large Russian companies have begun developing their own software, which creates an additional need for IT service management systems in the digitalization of production processes.

Major retail and e-commerce

Retail and e-commerce are showing growing demand for ITSM due to the digitalization of trade, the development of omnichannel and the need for stable operation of online stores. In these industries, automation of service processes has an obvious effect, especially in companies with a distributed network of objects and scalability needs. The tasks of multi-channel, high-load support and integration with business applications are especially acute in this area. It is here that domestic ITSM systems show flexibility: low-code tools, chatbots, auto-integration are actively used, which reduces the load on commands and speeds up Time-to-Value.

Interest by business size

Big business sets the pace of implementation, striving for mature and controlled processes.

The largest demand was demonstrated by large corporate customers from backbone industries. The reason is the need for an integrated approach to managing IT and services: without a mature ITSM system, this cannot be implemented, - emphasizes Vadim Sorokin, director of business development at BPMSoft (part of the IT holding LANSOFT).

Small and medium-sized businesses have so far remained "in the shadows" due to the redundancy of corporate ITSM solutions, preferring simple and fast tools to implement.

Small and medium-sized businesses do not need corporate "elephants," but simple, convenient, modern solutions that can be quickly put into operation and get results. We need solutions that do not require many months of implementation and subsequent expensive support, where you need to pay for each'chikh ', "explains Kirill Fedulov, founder and development director of Okdesk.

At the same time, small and medium-sized businesses, especially service companies, have also matured to automation, since the effect of ITSM is manifested here quickly and clearly.

First of all, we note the interest of service companies, as well as companies with a distributed network of their own facilities (chain hotels, restaurants, retail, gas stations) from the small and medium-sized business segment. They ripened to automation and, most importantly, there the effect of automation of service processes and field work is obvious. However, we also see requests from equipment manufacturers from various fields. In recent years, for obvious reasons, in many industries in our country there has been a renaissance of production, the construction of new partner and dealer chains, which require a more serious approach in terms of management. Automation of service processes and in this case is the answer to many questions, "adds Kirill Fedulov.

Artem Khizhny, General Director of RIKITLAB, agrees with the presence of such a reality factor as the growth of consumer activity in the medium-sized business segment. According to the expert, companies have postponed automation here before, but in 2024, due to the need for savings, they are increasingly realizing the need to build IT service management processes based on modern tools.

How the functionality of Russian ITSM solutions and customer priorities are changing

Over the past two to three years, Russian ITSM platforms have made a qualitative leap, transforming from catching up alternatives to mature, competitive products. In terms of basic functionality, including support for ITIL processes (incident management, problems, changes, configurations, SLA), they caught up with foreign counterparts, and in a number of aspects - such as architectural flexibility, adaptability to the specifics of the local market and the depth of customization - even surpassed them.

Domestic solutions demonstrate the best implementation of the platform approach, offering unified scalable systems with wide boxed functionality and tools for refinement for unique business processes. This contrasts with foreign products, which often focus on highly specialized solutions.

Russian ITSM solutions by international standards are already capable of taking a worthy position in profile ratings. Of course, there are segments where world leaders maintain positions - for example, in managing IT assets. But there are few such world-class solutions, literally two or three. I will highlight the key point that distinguishes Russian solutions: the best ability to implement functionality on a single platform. These are whole systems, where, on the one hand ″ out of the box, wide functionality is ″ available, and on the other, there are tools and mechanisms for flexible adaptation of the product to processes or creating new ones. This approach - a single, scalable platform - is in demand on the market and is becoming a strength of Russian solutions. At the same time, foreign vendors often focus on finished products for solving narrow problems. It works, but in a rapidly changing environment, the Russian approach turns out to be more universal and flexible, - said Alexey Lykov, head of ITSM at Softline Group of companies.

Over the past year, Russian ITSM systems have made a qualitative leap in development, transforming from simple replacement tools into full-fledged competitive solutions. There are only a few systems of this class on the Russian market, but they confidently prove to customers that they can surpass import solutions in terms of value provided. Modern Russian solutions from market leaders support the ITIL methodology well, including all major processes: from incident and problem management to change control, configurations, service catalog and SLA. At the same time, domestic developers are successfully introducing cloud architectures, low-code platforms, AI modules and chat bots - technologies that were previously considered the exclusive competence of global vendors, adds Oleg Skrynnik, managing partner of Cleverics.

As Nikolai Chetverikov, Managing Partner of InfraManager notes, if before the departure of Western vendors, customers often bought service support services using third-party competencies to support and support information systems, now the importance of internal competencies for independent and independent development is increasing. Another important trend determining the difference between Russian ITSM solutions and foreign ones is global changes in the customers' IT infrastructure itself. If earlier domestic companies purchased software and hardware from foreign suppliers, now, as part of the import substitution task, their own products have appeared on the Russian market, the quality of which is in no way inferior to their Western counterparts.

In recent years, the requirements for the management of software and hardware assets have changed, new information security standards have appeared, the fleet of equipment used, the architectural landscape, data transfer protocols, environments, LDAP, and so on have been updated. The modern ITSM solution should be adapted to all innovations of the import-substituted IT infrastructure, freely support its technological changes and composition, - says the expert.

The technological base of Russian solutions also meets modern requirements: progressive frameworks, containerization and reliable DBMS, such as PostgreSQL, are used, which provides scalability and convenience of support.

The key advantages of Russian solutions were:

• Flexibility and adaptability - low-code/no-code capabilities that allow you to customize processes without deep development, as well as the willingness of vendors to take into account customer requirements when developing products.
• Compliance with regulatory requirements - support for 152-FZ, GOSTs, FSTEC requirements, data localization, inclusion in the register of domestic software.
• Integration with Russian ecosystems - compatibility with domestic OS, DBMS, 1C, BI systems.
• The cost of licenses is 2-4 times lower than that of Western vendors, the absence of currency risks, transparent licensing models.

But despite progress, weaknesses remain:

• Lag in AI/ML functionality - automation and analytics capabilities are still inferior to top Western platforms.
• Limited scalability for global companies and fewer ready-made integrations with international Solutions SaaS.
• Market unevenness - many simple systems with basic functionality compete with price, while top solutions focus on depth and innovation.

In addition, many solutions are focused mainly on medium and large businesses within the country. Support for international standards, for example, ITIL 4, is just being formed - although initiatives to create a domestic RITM methodology are already working in this direction, and some vendors are actively participating in them, - comments Arsen Blagov, General Director of the Lukomorye IT ecosystem (RTK IT Plus LLC).

Obviously, there is a significant lag in the leaders of the Russian ITSM market in the field of introducing low-code/no-code tools. This lag can be offset by the use of low-code/no-code general-purpose platforms to automate ITSM tasks or the integration of such platforms into already deployed ITSM tools, says Ilya Kaigorodov, CTO of Citeck, SL Soft.

ITSM solutions are mainly tailored to meet ITIL requirements. We do not observe the peculiarities of the national code in ITSM solutions. Still, the main way to create and develop ITSM solutions is to copy Western solutions from different niches. We are confident that a breakthrough with access to international markets is possible only through new ideas and new approaches, and not through the creation of replicas, - said Yuri Bloshchinsky, General Director of KSK TECHNOLOGY.

With the departure of foreign vendors, customer requirements for ITSM systems have undergone significant changes. The most important criteria were clear licensing conditions, a transparent pricing policy taking into account long-term support, as well as a clearly defined product development roadmap with the ability to take into account individual customer requirements. Along with the basic set of ITIL processes, there is a steady increase in demand for AI/ML functionality: automatic classification of requests, intelligent analytics and chatbots.

According to Dmitry Rubin, director of the operating business of NAUMEN, there is a growing demand for support for hybrid and remote work models that increase the burden on IT support and require more modern tools for interacting with users. Integration of ITSM with DevOps, CMDB and ITAM becomes mandatory for effective service and resource lifecycle management.

Solutions with an intuitive interface, real low-code/no-code configuration capabilities, support for cloud architectures and built-in analytics tools for comprehensive data management within the ITSM ecosystem are in demand. These changes reflect the transition from simple replacement of foreign solutions to the formation of new standards for working with IT services on the Russian market.

Customer priorities have shifted from checking "boxed" functionality and brand recognition to more comprehensive criteria. These changes were formed under the influence of economic conditions, the domestic legislative framework, sanctions pressure and the desire for independence from external influence.

• Operational efficiency and ROI - focus on process transparency, manageability, analytics and automation of routine tasks (AI classification of requests, chatbots, predictive analytics).
• Security and localization - requirements for data protection, work in closed circuits, support of import-substituted IT infrastructure.
• Scalability and integration - the ability to expand functionality into related areas (HR, security, maintenance), connections to other corporate systems, flexibility and the ability to fine-tune the system for specific business processes.
• Usability - intuitive interfaces, offline mobile applications, lowering the login threshold for users.
• Support for hybrid and on-premium deployments is a departure from exclusively cloud models due to security requirements and negative experiences with foreign suppliers.
• Vendor's readiness to propose methodology and recommendations for improving the ITSM system.

If earlier the key requirements were brand recognition, the availability of certificates and rich boxed functionality that covers all needs ″ in reserve of ″, now the situation has changed. The market needs solutions that meet modern information security requirements, the possibilities of deep customization without development. There are requirements for supporting a variety of domestic OS and DBMS. Increasingly, we see how the philosophy of using a large, monolithic ITSM system is becoming a thing of the past. The customer chooses a platform approach that allows you to use and scale the solution for other tasks. And of course, the modern market requires a dialogue with the vendor so that he listens and hears the customer, introducing the necessary functionality into his products, - comments Vadim Sorokin, Director of Business Development at BPMSoft (part of the LANSOFT IT holding).

A significant part of customers come not for the basic ″ ticketing of ″, but for the automation of adjacent areas. Focus has shifted from testing ″ boxed ″ features (such as SLA support) to integration capabilities. Although the market is already quite developed, the cost of licenses for large businesses ceases to be the main criterion. ROI came to the fore through operational transparency and manageability, - adds Andrey Vishnyakov, Business Product Director of SimpleOne, ITG Corporation.

Previously, it was important for customers that the proposed solution was no worse than the product of a well-known high-tech brand, for example, ServiceNow. Now the main thing is that the platform can withstand loads and scaling. Customers face problems, so their priorities have changed. In addition, more attention is paid to the automation of manual labor, in this regard, machine learning, AI agents and so on are in demand, "says Alexander Domnitsky, head of the low-code practice of the Outsourcing and Services division. IBS

There is a tendency to move from classic ITSMs to ESM systems, which indicates an expansion of the application of management principles beyond the IT sphere. Customers are increasingly looking for integrated platforms that combine Service Desk, project management and document coordination, "said Igor Prostokvashin, a leading analyst at Comindware.

The functional portfolio of domestic ITSM solutions is developing towards versatility and strategic importance for the business, which reflects the change in customer priorities in favor of integrated, flexible and technologically advanced platforms. Russian vendors are ready to listen to the wishes of customers and adapt processes to the needs of each company, which is radically different from the Western approach.

Future development trends include the further development of AI, low-code tools, the expansion of ITSM principles to non-core business processes, as well as the formation of domestic methodologies as an alternative to ITIL.

2024: How Customer Priorities Change

In the current market conditions, the requirements of customers of ITSM systems have undergone changes. First of all, they are important for the flexibility of solutions, this is a key criterion when choosing such solutions. The company is interested in the ability to fine-tune access rights, as well as the distribution of responsibility within the team by complex matrices.

Integration capabilities also play an important role. Customers are looking for solutions that can integrate seamlessly into the existing IT landscape. There is an increasing demand for systems that can easily integrate with widely used products. The ability to integrate with voice assistants and other modern technologies is also becoming more and more popular. In addition, system selection takes into account factors such as SSO support, information security compliance, and high performance.

Process automation is another important priority, especially for large companies. They are interested in features that allow you to configure the automatic closure of template incidents, which greatly improves the efficiency of the support service. Equally important is the possibility of flexible approval of applications. This is due to the desire to optimize workflows and reduce query processing time. Customers are looking for solutions to automate, such as access requests, infrastructure deployments, and other recurring operations. In this context, the ability to work with barcodes is also important, which simplifies the accounting and management of IT assets.

Customers pay attention to the convenience of the interface and the overall ease of use of the system. The user-friendly interface becomes not just desirable, but a prerequisite for many organizations. The ability to self-configure and develop the system is also among the priorities. Customers value solutions that allow them to create integrations themselves and adapt the system to changing business needs, such as low-code tools or self-generating APIs. The environmental aspect is also beginning to play a role in the choice of ITSM solutions. Many companies are striving to reduce the use of paper, so the functionality that allows you to effectively manage electronic document management is becoming more and more in demand, - comments Igor Prostokvashin, leading analyst at Comindware.

Customers appreciate the high degree of sophistication and readiness of the solution for implementation, as well as its flexibility and scalability, ease of configuration of integrations and the ability to increase functionality without significant costs. More and more attention is paid to the functionality of accounting for software and hardware assets to control the cost of IT infrastructure and the effective use of the company's resources. Large companies with a large amount of data additionally pay special attention to system performance and performance support in high-load conditions, - said Andrey Rassamakin, General Director of InfraManager LLC.

Companies strive for the smoothest possible transition to the new system and are interested in maintaining the usual interface in order to minimize the need to retrain employees. Also important is the ability to implement all existing settings and business process features in the new system.

The key priority of customers now is the transition to new sanctions-independent systems that is as comfortable as possible, both in terms of finance and resources. To do this, add built-in migration tools. Secondly, customers began to pay more attention to the closure of their individual needs. The basic functionality is implemented among the main market players, so the possibility of additional functions comes to the fore, the implementation of which was difficult when using Western products. It is also worth noting that customers give priority to products that can not only be operated separately to solve highly specialized problems, but can also be used as a full-fledged enterprise management system with other products from one vendor, - comments Roman Myskin, Commercial Director of EvaTeam.

Companies recognize that with ITSM tools they can significantly improve strategic planning: thanks to the ability to collect statistics, you can get high-quality analytics and move from reactive process control to proactive.

Customer priorities are also focused on safety and resilience. Cost reduction remains an important factor, and the effectiveness of solutions should not suffer.

The key customer priority is speed, operational efficiency (reduced costs), reliability and security of IT solutions. An important aspect is the reliability of the suppliers themselves, their readiness to support and develop the solution over a long distance, provide high-quality support and develop the product taking into account the needs of the customer, - said Nikita Kardashian, head of the practice of comprehensive digitalization of Naumen processes.

When choosing an ITSM system, the business pays attention to its commercial and functional maturity. Companies focus on the cost, timing of implementation, the capabilities of the "boxed" version, the quality of the vendor's work with the customer. In addition, it is important to have additional modules, good reporting, the use of a neural network. When getting acquainted with the product, companies pay attention to implementation cases: it is desirable that the direction of the company that has already implemented the product is relevant and has the same size.

Companies strive to find a balanced solution that will provide the necessary functionality, allow integration with existing processes and systems, will be economically feasible and safe. Also important factors are the speed of deployment, in the case when you need to quickly transition from the Western system, both the flexibility and scalability of the system - how easy it is to add new functions, create customized processes and customize existing ones to meet changing business requirements, "says Arzu Kurgan, consultant in the Technological Transformation practice of Reksoft Consulting.

Also, companies pay attention to the possibility of cloud and on-premium placement, the presence of an ecosystem of partners capable of implementing and providing technical support.

It is important to note that given the cost of hardware and the salaries of programmers that have flown into heaven, companies are starting to look even more closely at cloud solutions. Obviously, the threshold for entering the start of use of such systems is significantly lower than the installation at its own capacity. We have been communicating with dozens of medium and small businesses every day, for 3 years in a row we have seen an increasing demand for mobility. In addition, the market lacks ready-made industry products. There are many platforms that can and should be adapted. The problem is that this adaptation or implementation takes months and years. And the result is needed yesterday. Therefore, companies are paying more and more attention to software products ready and tailored for solving specific problems, with a very fast so-called "time to market," says Kirill Fedulov, co-founder and development director of Okdesk.

Other important aspects are reducing the cost of maintaining infrastructure or production, ensuring transparency of processes, increasing loyalty and satisfaction of IT service users.

See also

• Russian ITSM Systems Market
• Technological trends in the development of ITSM systems
• ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library
• Why do I need a Service Desk?
• ITSM import substitution. How to make the right choice and migrate quickly?
• TADdetails: how to introduce artificial intelligence into user support
• How do I choose and implement an ITSM system?
• "We have revoked all licenses": how to choose and migrate to domestic ITSM systems