IT operations is an activity in which a company's IT operators are involved to ensure the smooth running of an organization’s assets and technology systems. This includes hardware, software, and support for internal and external IT systems.
Important responsibilities of the IT operations team include technical management, data protection, quality assurance, infrastructure management, and confirming that the finished products meet all customer needs and expectations. IT operations support both internal and external customers.
As companies continue to grow and respond to evolving technologies, IT alongside with IT systems continues to adapt, evolve, and change. Optimizing IT Service Management (ITSM) operations is a continuous goal to keep pace with changing customer needs.
To support their ITSM needs, many businesses have adopted the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework - a set of five separate publications outlining the flexible practices and processes required for successful service management.
While ITIL service operation practices are being implemented or refined in the enterprise, great attention should be paid to the processes outlined in service operation – this is the area where most customers perceive value.
Poor IT operations can undermine the quality of IT services and other business processes within the company. It is therefore important that a company's IT operations focus on improving business requirements while maintaining the operational stability of the company.
In addition, a strong IT team with a strong IT system can enable a company to change its business processes to adapt to changing customer needs. It may also be necessary for the IT team to adapt to modern technology trends.
Otherwise, an organization risks falling behind its competitors. Modernizing a company's IT operations and IT systems can help a company reduce its operating costs while increasing the agility and efficiency of its IT operations.
This transformation is necessary if a company is to perform well and remain competitive in the current global environment.
Some specific IT operations processes include incident management, problem management, access management, IT operations control, facilities management, and technical management.