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Businesses striving for higher service levels

More companies are adopting service level management, and ITIL is the preferred methodology, finds a new global study.
Written by Victoria Ho, Contributor

Service level management (SLM) is gaining in acceptance among enterprises, a new global study reveals.

According to the results of a study by research house Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), service level agreements (SLAs) have been implemented in 82 percent of organizations worldwide, a 26 percent increase compared to a similar study conducted in 2003.

"In addition to the increased adoption of SLM, companies also reported the adoption and documentation of best practices, with 79 percent of respondents citing the ITIL (IT infrastructure library) as the preferred methodology," said Lisa Erickson-Harris, EMA research director, in a statement.

The report also found that 90 percent of end users perceived SLM as "critical or important...and directly tied to business success".

Commenting on the findings, Hydrasight's managing director, Michael Warrilow, said: "The need for effective service levels is also on the rise among Asia Pacific organizations.

"Hydrasight research shows that over 60 percent of local enterprises now have a service management initiative that reports to the CIO or senior IT executive."

SLM is important in IT environments that have more than one outsourcing partner, which "is the case in many mature Asia-Pacific economies", Warrilow added.

Erickson-Harris listed the benefits of SLM as "deeper client relationships, improved service levels, higher levels of profitability and a competitive advantage".

"However, like any addition to networks or systems, these benefits require planning, stamina and patience," she warned.

According to the study, internal education is key to success, although it is also one of the greatest challenges for organizations.

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