What is ITSM Software? Guide to ITSM tools in 2025

What is IT Service Management?

Information technology service management (ITSM) is a framework that orchestrates the delivery and management of IT services.

It ensures that IT services align with business goals, optimizing their performance and consistency. This helps IT teams manage the end-to-end delivery of IT services to customers, encompassing all the policies, processes, and tools used to design and deliver IT services. Essentially, ITSM ensures that IT services align with business objectives and emphasize a customer-focused approach.

What are ITSM tools?

ITSM tools manage the delivery of IT services like incident management, asset management, and service requests to end-users. Your IT department provides a wide array of services for your organization—from device management and security, to app development and deployment, to network management and maintenance, to overall IT support. ITSM refers to all the activities involved in delivering these services to IT users (employees).

Although deployment typically starts with the IT service desk, this technology helps IT engineers do more than provide tech support. It enables them to build increasingly complex hybrid computing environments with advanced automation and well-integrated cloud IT services.

Simply put, the definitive goal of an IT service management tool is to ensure that your tech team’s activities are aligned with your business goals by integrating data and apps so you can automate and track ITSM processes from a single platform.

Must-have Features to look for in ITSM tools

There are many ITSM tools on the market, but they’re not all created equal. Some are geared toward small businesses and have fewer bells and whistles, while others are built for large enterprises and offer more complex ITSM features and functionality. Meanwhile, a few (including Freshserve) are designed to be flexible enough for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

ITSM solutions with AI capabilities provide an even greater productivity boost. With bot assistance, agents can manage and resolve tickets 57% faster and provide first responses roughly 48% faster, according to the Freshservice 2023 Benchmark Report.

Regardless of your company’s size and needs, top tools include the following ITSM features:

• Problem and incident management: Solutions to reduce downtime prevent the incident occurrence

• An ITSM ticketing system: A user-friendly ticketing interface that tracks tickets, assigns work to agents based on specialties or technical experience, and notes trends in the scope of work

• Built-in IT service model: A solution that complements your chosen ITSM framework 

• IT asset management: The ability to track, manage, and secure physical devices and add-ons throughout their lifecycle

• License management: Software that lets your team easily manage license requirements and updates, and stay informed about imminent changes or renewals.

• Change Management: Streamline the process of planning, testing, and implementing changes in IT services.

• Service Catalog: Define and publish a catalog of IT services available to end-users for seamless request submission.

Compare the best ITSM tools and reviews

Some top-rated ITSM tools are Freshservice, Atlassian Jira Service Management, ServiceNow IT service management, and Ivanti Neurons. Let's compare these ITSM tools against each other.

1. Freshservice

Freshservice is an intuitive, cloud-based ITSM solution that modernizes IT delivery with integrated support channels and AI capabilities designed to revolutionize your IT service desk. 

Key Features

• Efficient Ticketing System: Freshservice offers a robust ITSM ticketing system, ensuring efficient incident management. This system provides automated ticket routing, streamlining the process for your support team.

• ITIL-compliant knowledge base: Freshservice offers an ITIL-compliant knowledge base, empowering both agents and users. It facilitates self-service, reducing the burden on support staff and improving resolution times.

• 360-degree reporting and analytics: Freshservice delivers easy-to-use dashboards that provide clear and concise overviews, along with 360-degree reporting and analytics for a complete view of performance. These dashboards enable quick insights and facilitate informed decision-making.

• Empower your users with robust self-service portals: Freshservice provides customizable self-service portals, empowering end-users to find solutions independently. Users can access knowledge articles, FAQs, and submit requests, reducing IT support burdens and enhancing overall efficiency.

• AI and automation ITSM capabilities: Freshservice integrates AI and automation ITSM capabilities, boosting efficiency and speed. These advanced features automate repetitive tasks and improve overall service delivery.

Customer Ratings:

G2: 4.6/5

Why people rave about Freshservice’s service desk

With more than 40,000 SMB, mid-market, and enterprise customers, Freshservice is a right-sized IT management solution that can scale up or down to meet your business’s unique needs. As one satisfied customer puts it on G2:

"The user experience is fantastic; our agents and our users love it. We have found Freshservice to be the perfect amount of customizable—we can use it out-of-the-box without needing to build anything, but we have used the settings to customize it to fit our business needs. The fantastic analytics feature allows us to produce beautiful reports that extract excellent insights from our ticket data." —Olly B.

2. Jira Service Management

Key Features

• Atlassian's IT service management (ITSM) solution is built for high-velocity development and operations teams

• Combines incident, problem, change, and configuration management into one ITSM service desk software.

Pros and Cons of Jira Service Management

• Features open, collaborative platform with tight integrations to other Atlassian products and 900+ apps 

• Lacks deep customization capabilities 

• No out-of-the-box service catalog or inventory management (requires customization/configuration changes to implement)

• Lacks native AI capabilities and features limited workflow automation

Customer Ratings:

G2: 4.2/5

3. ServiceNow

Key Features

• Cloud‑based ITSM platform and solutions that digitize and unify incident, change, asset, and SLA management

• Cloud-based and AI-enhanced IT management tool

Pros and Cons of ServiceNow’s ITSM Software

• Easy-to-use ticketing system with SLA management

• Robust knowledge base

• Complicated search functionality

• Limited change and asset Management capabilities

• Complex configuration process before it’s ready to use

Customer Ratings:

G2: 4.3/5

4. Ivanti Neurons

Key Features

• Sophisticated machine learning and deep intelligence that let you automate workflows and address issues preemptively in a single IT management platform

• This IT manager software has unified endpoint management, network and endpoint security, service and asset management

Pros and Cons of Ivanti’s ITSM Solution

• Extensive intelligent automation and predictive maintenance capabilities

• Visibility into the software landscape and application spend

• Robust self-service experience; limited human customer support

• Overly customized workflows with lengthy implementation cycles

• Clunky UI that requires significant training to use

Customer Ratings:

G2: 4.2/5

5. ManageEngine

Key Features

• ITIL-aligned service desk software

• Integrated asset/endpoint management and project management capabilities

Pros and Cons of ManageEngine’s ITSM Software

• Allows extensive out-of-the-box, code-less customization for a personalized support experience in an IT services software

• Intelligent workflow automation 

• Limited reporting features

• Limited customization and configuration capabilities

Customer Ratings:

G2: 4.5/5

6. HaloITSM

Key Features

• This ITSM tool aligns incident management and SLA management modules for easy-to-use, out-of-box experience

• Features a robust knowledge base to power self-service portals

Pros and Cons of HaloITSM’s Solution

• Limited project management and reporting capabilities 

• Limited AI and automated functionality

• All-inclusive: no tiered plans or locked-away features

• An extensive marketplace of third-party integrations

7. Solarwinds

Key Features

• The ITIL-compliant platform that combines incident, problem, release, and change management modules with an efficient CMDB 

• Cloud-based and AI-powered ITIL tool.

Pros and Cons of SolarWinds IT Service Management Tool

• Easy integration with SolarWinds observability solutions, ChatOps collaboration tools, and other third-party apps

• Intuitive dashboards and reporting

• Robust knowledge base to enable self-service 

• Frequent customer-reported outages

• Complicated search functionality

Customer Ratings:

G2: 4.3/5

8. TOPdesk

Key Features

• Combines incident, asset, and SLA management into one easy-to-use ITSM ticketing system.

• 90+ integrations with popular third-party apps

Pros and Cons of Topdesk’s ITSM Solution

• Mobile-ready so agents can work on the go

• Buildable knowledge base empowers self-service portals

• Complex set-up and configuration

• Limited AI capabilities 

• Complicated reporting functionality

9. BMC Helix ITSM

Key Features

• Enterprise-ready ITSM solution that combines incident, change, asset, and problem management into one mature platform

• Sophisticated functionality, such as multi-cloud management and rich security & compliance capabilities

Pros and Cons of BMC Helix’s ITSM Software

• Robust automation and AI/big-data capabilities that deliver real-time operational insights

• Limited out-of-the-box capabilities

• Significant customization and experienced developers are required to implement

• Slow to implement, upgrade, and change

10. Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk

Key Features

• Free cloud-based ITSM offering that combines IT help desk ticketing with network and IT device management

• Easy-to-use mobile app with push notifications for real-time alerts

Pros and Cons of Spiceworks’ ITSM Ticketing System

• Free to use but contains advertisements

• Robust knowledge base to support IT engineers

• Limited customization and configuration capabilities 

• Limited AI and automation functionality

• Lack of real-time monitoring

• Not ITIL compliant

• Limited third-party integrations

How to select the right ITSM software

With so many solutions providers to choose from, how do you find the best ITSM software for your business? Look for the following when conducting ITSM software comparison research:

Short time-to-value

The faster you can deploy and start using an ITSM tool, the faster you can start earning ROI. The time-to-value varies dramatically from one provider to the next, depending on the complexity of the solution, the vendor’s deployment backlog, and how much training and support they provide during this pivotal time. For example, Freshservice can be rolled out in three to six months, roughly a third of the time it takes to deploy the average ITSM platform.

Easy-to-configure and easy-to-use ITSM software

Long deployments aren’t the only roadblock that can slow you down. Once your team has access to an ITSM tool, how long will it take them to configure and learn how to use it? The more intuitive an ITSM tool is, the easier it will be for your team to configure and start using, and the more you’ll save on training costs and time. 

Workflow automation capabilities

Any decent ITSM tool will let your team organize and manage IT services, but not all of them provide the same workflow automation capabilities. With many vendors, automation is reserved only for enterprise-level users, and if it is available for smaller clients, it might require significant coding to use. 

Freshservice includes a drag-and-drop/graphical Automator as part of all software plans. Your system admin can easily select triggers and dictate automated responses to different service requests—no coding or additional cost is required. 

AI capabilities

Leading ITSM software providers are rolling out capabilities for AI in ITSM that make their solutions even more valuable for IT teams. Yet, as with automation, these features are often reserved for enterprise users.

Freshservice’s Freddy AI is available with every plan, giving IT departments of all sizes access to service chatbots, AI-enhanced insights and recommendations, advanced automation capabilities, and predictive analytics.

Integration with collaboration tools

It’s a multi-channel world, and your employees expect a consumer-grade experience from their IT teams. That means letting them collaborate via their channels of choice, which increasingly includes live chat. Not only is chat the preferred channel for many IT users; it’s often the most effective way to receive services. Over the past few years, the annual Freshservice Benchmark Report has noted that when end-users submit service requests via chat, their issues get resolved twice as fast.

What’s better than live chat? Chatting via the same collaboration tools that IT users rely on to communicate with everyone else in the company. For example, Freshservice includes native integrations with popular apps such as Microsoft Team, Slack, and WhatsApp, and enables easy integration with other apps via APIs.

A solution that goes beyond IT

As the name suggests, ITSM platforms are designed for tech teams, but your IT department isn’t the only internal team that provides services to your employees. For instance, human resources, legal, finance, and facilities management teams also receive requests and respond to queries from individuals company-wide. With a few tweaks, robust IT service management platforms can also be used for Enterprise Service Management (ESM), enabling these employee-facing departments to streamline their workflows, automate their business processes, and improve their “customer” service.

If your IT services software provider offers both ITSM and ESM capabilities, all these different teams can use the same platform. This way, employees can use one system to request all the support they need, IT only has one service management tool to maintain, and your business only has one vendor to pay. 

Modern with continual innovation

As technology evolves, so do most business software solutions, and ITSM is no exception. Leading vendors are always adding new features, expanding automation and AI capabilities, and improving the user experience. Depending on how ITSM tools are developed and deployed, updating and upgrading them can be a time-consuming and costly endeavor. It’s important to understand this investment upfront and consider whether a different solution—for example, a cloud-based service desk management tool with automatic updates and upgrades—might be a better fit for your business.

Some real time ITSM tools usecases and examples

How can an ITSM platform help to organize and optimize IT service delivery? By helping tech teams manage every aspect of their tech stacks and tech support efforts from a single platform. This includes:

Incident management

Users can start tickets via email or live chat, self-service portals, phone, or in person. The system tracks and prioritizes the service request, then automatically resolves the issue or routes it to the best-equipped agent. On a single screen, that agent sees information provided by the user alongside AI-enabled recommendations drawn from the knowledge base of IT processes, so they have all the Incident Management tools they need to handle the request.

SLA management

IT admins can set multiple SLA Management policies for different business hours or incident categories, enabling easy ticket resolution based on priorities and automated escalation rules to communicate about SLA violations.

Knowledge management

ITSM solutions enable you to build a robust knowledge base with documented IT processes, framework-specific insights, integrated third-party information, and other internal content management systems. These Knowledge Management tools empower agents with detailed workflows for everything from password resets to onboarding new employees. It can also power self-service portals for end users.

Problem management

Using ITSM tools, Problem Management admins can isolate problems (often in advance using predictive analytics) and minimize disruptions to the business. Then they can analyze data from existing and past incidents to determine the root cause of the problem, get AI-powered suggestions for how to solve it, and create new processes to help avoid similar problems in the future.

Workload management

Managers and individual agents can easily monitor workloads via dashboards that show a complete overview of all the work assigned to each individual and team. This lets them track availability to plan for incoming work and better manage existing assignments.

App and device management

Tech teams get a single overview of all the software and devices that employees use every day, helping them to optimize usage, plan for and manage updates and upgrades. ITSM tools also help to apply data security protocols, and ensure employees have the best-in-class, hyper-secure, industry-compliant tools they need to work efficiently and effectively.

What is an ITSM framework?

An ITSM framework is a structured set of best practices and guidelines that help organizations effectively manage their IT services, ensuring they align with business needs.ITSM is an IT service management framework that provides a set of best practices for managing IT services, defining procedures and techniques to optimize IT operations and align them with business strategy.

What are important ITSM frameworks?

To truly leverage ITSM tools effectively, it's essential to understand the underlying frameworks that guide their implementation. These frameworks provide structured methodologies and best practices, ensuring that IT services are aligned with business objectives. Here's a look at some of the most prominent ones:

ITIL Framework

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is arguably the most widely adopted ITSM framework. It offers a comprehensive set of best practices for IT service management, focusing on delivering value to the business. ITIL has evolved over time, with the latest version, ITIL 4, emphasizing digital transformation and the integration of modern practices like Lean and Agile. ITIL 4 encourages a holistic approach, focusing on the entire service value system and fostering continuous improvement. A key aspect of ITIL is its focus on the service catalog and service delivery, ensuring that IT services are readily available and meet user expectations. Furthermore, a CMDB is a crucial component within ITIL, facilitating accurate asset tracking.

DevOps

DevOps is a set of practices that automates and integrates the processes between software development and IT operations. While not strictly an ITSM framework in the traditional sense, DevOps significantly impacts service delivery. By emphasizing collaboration, automation, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), DevOps promotes faster and more reliable software releases. Integrating DevOps principles with traditional ITSM frameworks like ITIL can enhance IT service delivery by streamlining workflows and improving responsiveness.

COBIT

Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) focuses on IT governance and management. It provides a framework for aligning IT with business goals, ensuring that IT resources are used effectively and efficiently. COBIT emphasizes IT governance, risk management, and compliance, making it particularly relevant for organizations with strict regulatory requirements.

ISO/IEC 20000

ISO/IEC 20000 is an international standard for IT service management. It provides a framework for establishing, implementing, monitoring, and improving an ITSM system. Achieving ISO/IEC 20000 certification demonstrates an organization's commitment to delivering high-quality IT services.

Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF)

The Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) provides a structured approach to IT service management, particularly within Microsoft environments. It focuses on the operational lifecycle of IT services, providing guidance on planning, delivering, and supporting IT services. While less prevalent than ITIL, MOF offers valuable insights into managing IT operations.

Benefits of onboarding an ITSM tool for your team

When used effectively, ITSM software enables them to streamline their workflows, align IT processes with business goals, and ensure IT users across the organization have the best technology in place to meet their needs. This can have a major impact on organizational productivity and even the bottom line. 

1. Standardization and continuity

ITSM frameworks and solutions let you standardize IT procedures across departments and divisions. IT engineers have the workflow tools they need to streamline service delivery and formal documented processes for each type of IT service at their fingertips, so everyone in the company gets the support they need when they need it.

Meanwhile, IT managers can track how incidents and service requests are handled and continually improve IT processes to ensure services are delivered consistently across the organization and minimize downtime on important systems and hardware.

2. Improved agent productivity

IT service management systems helps IT agents work smarter and faster, so fewer engineers can accomplish more tasks. Because they can manage workflow processes in more detail, they can easily identify procedures that need to be simplified.

"Improving agent productivity is a major goal and benefit of ITSM software,” says Jiten Rajani, Freshservice Product Marketing Manager. “With higher productivity, a company improves the quality of service, reduces costs, and achieves better outcomes, faster. ITSM systems enable agents to improve the employee experiences, fostering a happier workforce.”

3. Reduced IT turnover

Having the right technology in place sets employees up for success, making their jobs less overwhelming and more rewarding. No one knows this better than IT professionals, so investing in ITSM systems that improve their experience also improves their job satisfaction.

“When agents have the proper tools and support, there's the added benefit of improving retention of your support workers,” Rajani explains. “This has been highlighted by Harvard Business Review research, indicating that 77% of the agents surveyed would consider a job change if they were not equipped with the right tools and technology."

Enhancing ITSM tools with AI in 2025

In 2025, AI-powered ITSM solutions are expected to transform IT. This will lead to more automated, data-driven operations. Here are few areas where AI powered ITSM solutions will play a major role in 2025:

Increased Agent Productivity: AI Copilot can automate repetitive tasks, such as generating responses, standardizing procedures, and drafting documentation. This enables your team to concentrate on complex, high-priority issues, leading to faster resolution times and improved overall service quality.

Enhanced User Self-Service: AI agents provide instant, accurate answers and support through conversational interfaces on collaboration channels like MS Teams and Slack. Virtual agents empower users with self-service capabilities, reducing the need for direct human interaction and minimizing wait times, improving the employee experience. Powerful AI search capabilities within these interfaces allow for fast access to relevant information.

Significant Cost Reduction and Business Value: The implementation of AI in ITSM leads to substantial cost savings by automating tasks, reducing resolution times, and improving efficiency. Reduced operational costs and improved service quality contribute to a stronger bottom line.

Automated Workflows: Low code and intelligent automation capablities allows for rapid deployment of new automated workflows. The service operations workspace becomes a hub for efficient agent operations with AI.

Data-Driven Optimization: AI also leverages predictive intelligence to anticipate potential issues by analyzing historical data and trends in various ITSM processes:

• Allowing proactive problem resolution and optimized IT asset management.

• Aiding in cloud cost management by analyzing usage patterns and identifying areas for optimization.

• Improving knowledge management by automating the upkeep and recomendations of knowledge base articles.

• Automating request management processes, ensuring efficient routing and timely fulfillment.