IT Service Management Standards: A Reference Model for Open Standards-Based ITSM Solutions

This paper describes the critical importance of open standards1 for IT Service Management (ITSM). The paper presents an overview of ITSM, including underlying elements such as ITIL and autonomic computing; an architecture for the realization of ITSM; many of the key standards - existing, emerging and yet to be developed - that are relevant to ITSM and needed for its effective implementation; and how those standards are employed in the ITSM architecture. In addition, it describes various types of standards that are representative of those used in ITSM and offer a summary of the important standards to look for when investing in ITSM.