United Kingdom, December 17, 2009 - A new report, sponsored by a leading international IT Service Management (ITSM) company, Axios Systems, and published by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), reveals that today’s service desk is now at the core of corporate IT Service Management initiatives.

The report, “The Aging Help Desk: Migrating to a Modern Service Desk,” offers a number of compelling findings from its survey of 1158 IT professionals. Currently, 62 percent of IT professionals are making the Service Desk part of the main ITSM strategy, or are planning to do so. Over half of individuals from large enterprises are seeing multiple service desk tools being utilized, many of which will consolidate operations. ITIL disciplines are now being identified as critical to the service desk operations, with over 64 percent of respondents having already deployed or in the process of deploying ITIL V3.

Some of the highlights from the report regarding service desk priorities include:

•   “Service Catalog is a Key Growth Area: 56 percent of respondents have deployed or are planning to deploy a Service Catalog.”
•   “Self-Service is a Top Priority: Self-service is a strong area of investment because of its ability to lower call volume and resolution time at the service desk.”
•   “Knowledge Management: Will also show growth in the coming years as a key corporate resource. Effective access of that knowledge is critical.”

Lisa Erickson-Harris, Research Director at EMA and leader of the study states, “EMA has long believed that the service desk represents an area of investment for the enterprise. Our research confirmed that – even in this down economy – companies view the help/service desk as a place where spending can drive returns through technology automation, the introduction of self-service and consolidation in operations.”

Markos Symeonides, Executive Vice President at Axios Systems adds, “Axios often encounters organizations that need to implement a new Service Management application in a very short timeline—usually due to regulatory requirements. One of Axios’ key strengths lies in our ability to propel customers on a rapid path to implementation and value. Because of assyst’s out-of-the box, yet configurable approach, customers don’t get bogged down with costly customizations that deliver little incremental value. Instead, we help customers design and automate processes based on industry best practices that ultimately improve service quality and efficiency.”