ITSM vs ITOM: What is the Difference?
Do these two frameworks overlap, replace each other, or collaborate? Let’s find out.
In recent years, IT Operations Management (ITOM) has emerged as a complementary approach to the more established IT Service Management (ITSM). The differences in definitions and scope, the challenges of integrating the two disciplines, and use cases for each have become key topics for discussion.
In this article, we will explore how ITOM and ITSM differ, where they overlap, whether they can be effectively combined, the tools commonly used in each domain, and how both practices can enhance one another.
What is ITOM?
ITOM (IT Operation Management) is a discipline that covers the processes, tools, and activities IT teams use to run infrastructure and day-to-day operations. This means provisioning and configuring servers, storage, and networks, keeping an eye on system performance, and making sure services stay available for both internal teams and external users. In short, ITOM is the framework that keeps the tech stack consistent, reliable, and secure—while also meeting business needs and SLAs.
How ITOM took its shape
1980s–1990s: “Operations” before ITOM
ITIL v1 (1989) described processes like Operations Control, Facilities, and Computer Ops—covering backups, monitoring, and event handling. The term ITOM didn’t exist yet; the related field was referred to as “operations.”
2000s: ITOM in ITIL v2/v3
ITIL v2 (2000–2001) formally introduced IT Operations Management within Service Support/Delivery. ITIL v3 (2007) reinforced it as daily ops (control + facilities). ITOM was official in ITIL, but not yet common in practice or marketing.
2010s: ServiceNow productizes ITOM
By 2015–2016, ServiceNow promoted ITOM as a separate set of applications next to ITSM and ITBM (IT Business Management). It included Discovery, Service Mapping, Event Management, and Cloud/Orchestration. This shift made ITOM recognized in the software market.
2020s: ITOM as an established market segment
Today, ITOM is a mature, widely accepted term, used by vendors such as BMC, IBM, Micro Focus, Broadcom, Splunk, and others. Gartner and Forrester include ITOM in their market analyses, often alongside AIOps, Observability, and ITSM.
Strong ITOM practices bring order to complex IT environments. They connect hardware, software, and people through clear procedures that keep infrastructure stable and efficient. With proactive monitoring, automation, and well-defined policies, ITOM helps organizations cut downtime, lower costs, and stay ready to scale or adapt during digital transformation.
ITOM is a subset of ITOps that focuses on the tools and processes used to monitor and manage the IT infrastructure itself. Think of ITOps as a big umbrella that covers the whole organization’s IT environment and keeps it running smoothly. ITOM is more about the automation and oversight side of ITOps—making operations more efficient, proactive, and predictable.
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The main processes of ITOM
IT Operations Management ensures that every layer of an organization’s IT environment—from infrastructure to applications—remains stable, secure, and available for use. The following processes help achieve that:
Network infrastructure management
This is the key component of IT Operations Management, which covers the setup and maintenance of all communication channels, such as:
- secure remote access networks
- firewalls to protect against external threats
- internal telephone systems
- network security policies
Help desk
The help desk serves as the frontline of IT operations, addressing service issues related to servers, networking, and virtual machines. IT operations managers oversee ticketing systems, manage incident communications, and coordinate disaster recovery plans when needed. Additionally, help desk teams handle user support tasks such as password resets, software installations, and provisioning of user profiles, ensuring that employees can work without interruptions and maintain productivity.
Server and device management
ITOM teams administer and maintain servers, virtual machines, and endpoints that run business applications. This includes patching, upgrading, and monitoring servers, as well as managing IT assets like desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and tablets.
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- IT service desk: centralized ticket management, automated workflows, and a no-code self-service portal for users
- IT assets: tracking of physical devices and software licenses
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ITOM vs. ITSM
ITSM (IT Service Management) is a service-oriented approach to managing IT, where the work of the IT department is treated as a portfolio of services delivered to the rest of the organization under agreed SLAs. The goal is not just to “keep the lights on,” but to make IT a true business partner and a service provider for other departments.
Instead of focusing only on individual servers, networks, or applications, ITSM looks at how IT as a whole delivers value to employees and customers.
A core part of ITSM is the formalization of processes, often guided by best practices defined in frameworks like ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library). For every process—whether it’s incident management, change management, or service requests—there are clear steps, defined resources, expected time frames, and quality checks. Once a process is standardized, its performance and cost-effectiveness can be measured and improved.
Importantly, ITSM does not dive into the technical details of infrastructure management; rather, it structures the internal work of IT teams to ensure predictability, transparency, and high-quality service delivery.
This is where ITOM (IT Operations Management) steps in.
- While ITSM focuses on what services are delivered and how they are managed, ITOM focuses on how the underlying infrastructure is run.
- ITOM automates the management of servers, networks, storage, and other components, collecting data about the environment and monitoring the health of services.
- With ITOM in place, organizations can detect and fix issues faster, often before they impact users—reducing downtime, controlling costs, and supporting the ITSM mission of reliable service delivery.
Think of it this way: while ITOM keeps the engine running, ITSM makes sure the train gets you where you need to go.
ITOM & ITSM tools in action
In real life, ITSM and ITOM are more than just fancy industry jargon. Below, we’re bringing examples of workflows and tasks where ITSM and ITOM tools create tangible value for business processes.
Practical use cases for ITOM tools
Application development
Building and scaling modern apps requires speed and resilience. Here, log management and observability tools give teams visibility into application performance, while automation platforms provision and configure environments for CI/CD pipelines. Together, they ensure development doesn’t slow down due to infrastructure bottlenecks.
ITOM software that helps: Splunk, Elastic Stack, Dynatrace, Ansible, Puppet.
Continuous deployment and delivery
Smooth deployments rely heavily on change and release management and event management tools. These platforms coordinate updates, correlate alerts, and automatically highlight issues that could derail a rollout—minimizing downtime during release cycles.
ITOM software that helps: Moogsoft, ServiceNow Event Management.
Ongoing maintenance of cloud services used by employees
Keeping employees productive means making sure their IT services run seamlessly. Infrastructure monitoring solutions track the health of networks and servers, while cloud and hybrid management tools provide visibility into SaaS and cloud-hosted applications.
ITOM software that helps: Nagios, Zabbix, SolarWinds, New Relic, Dynatrace.
To learn more about the benefits of cloud migration, check out this article: The Benefits of Cloud Migration in 2025.
Service and network orchestration
Large-scale networks and distributed services demand orchestration. Orchestration platforms combine automation with intelligent event handling, helping teams reroute traffic, spin up capacity, and resolve incidents without manual intervention.
ITOM software that helps: ServiceNow Orchestration, Moogsoft.
Automation of repetitive infrastructure maintenance jobs
At the core of ITOM lies automation. Automation tools handle repetitive tasks—from patching servers to scaling containers—freeing IT staff to focus on higher-value projects and reducing human error.
ITOM software that helps: Ansible, Puppet, Chef.
Practical use cases for ITSM tools
Processing requests
Everyday IT requests—from “I need a new laptop” to “reset my password” are handled by service catalog and request fulfillment tools. ITSM platforms like Alloy Navigator connect users to predefined services, often supported by knowledge bases that empower self-service.
Handling incidents, problems and service requests
This is where ITSM connects directly with ITOM data. Incident management tools log and track issues, problem management platforms help eliminate root causes, and service request management solutions ensure customer requests are solved timely.
For a deeper understanding of how incidents and service requests differ and why this distinction matters, read our article: Incident vs. Service Request: From Theory to Practice.
Discovery and tracking of IT assets and configurations
This is where ITSM connects with IT Asset Management (ITAM). For example, our ITAM solution provides organizations with a centralized view of their hardware and software assets, covering details like ownership, licensing, and configuration history. By linking tickets and change requests to the actual assets behind them, IT teams can reduce blind spots, improve compliance, and prevent costly misconfigurations.
Managing service information
Beyond day-to-day tickets, ITSM tools also structure service delivery itself. Service level management tracks KPIs and SLA compliance, while knowledge management systems capture solutions in FAQs and self-service portals. This enables IT teams to meet business expectations while reducing ticket volume through proactive information sharing.
Merging ITOM & ITSM
ITSM focuses on how IT delivers services, while ITOM ensures the infrastructure runs reliably. When combined, they bridge the gap between service delivery and operations, creating a unified approach that’s proactive, resilient, and cost-efficient. By merging ITSM and ITOM, businesses gain full visibility and control over their IT environment, reduce downtime, cut expenses, and simplify processes.
| Operational gains | Business gains |
| Reduced downtime and outages | Lower IT costs |
| Faster incident resolution | Better customer and employee experience |
| Automated workflows and escalations | Stronger security and risk management |
| Streamlined processes and less complexity | Improved compliance |
| Real-time visibility into IT assets and processes | Data-driven strategic decisions |
| More efficient resource use | Greater agility and innovation |
ITOM and AIOps: intelligent operations
AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations) is the use of machine learning and big data to automate core IT operations processes. Typical use cases include alert correlation, alert escalation, auto-remediation, capacity optimization, intelligent alerting, and root cause analysis.
As IT environments become increasingly complex, IT Operations Management requires a solution to cope with the alert noise level and unnecessary follow ups. AIOps solutions filter monitoring noise, surface the incidents that really matter, and can suggest or execute the right response. This helps operations teams stay focused and avoid alert fatigue.
Another key advantage is contextual intelligence. ITOM provides the baseline visibility into infrastructure, configurations, and dependencies. AIOps analyzes this data in context to not only react faster, but also anticipate and prevent problems.
Example: Imagine a spike in database latency. Traditional monitoring might trigger dozens of separate alerts—from application slowdowns to server CPU warnings. AIOps can correlate them into a single incident, pinpoint the database as the root cause, and even kick off an automated scaling action.
To sum up, AIOps let ITOM achieve more speed and safety in operations than humans and traditional monitoring tools alone.
Conclusion
Rather than competing approaches, ITOM and ITSM are best understood as complementary practices.
ITOM provides the stable and efficient infrastructure that ITSM relies on to deliver services, while ITSM ensures that the value of IT operations is translated into business outcomes and user satisfaction.
When combined, they create a holistic framework: ITOM keeping the technology running smoothly in the background, and ITSM ensuring that those capabilities are delivered in a structured, user-focused way.
To make your IT operations run even more smoothly and to relieve the team of alert overload, ITOM can be enhanced with AIOps capabilities.
Organizations that integrate these approaches are better positioned to achieve operational excellence, improve customer experience, and support long-term digital transformation.
