Service desk staff should use a range of mobile devices themselves before they can understand the support requirements of their customers.

That’s the view of Markos Symeonides, executive vice president of ITSM software specialist Axios Systems, who told ServiceDesk360 that support staff reluctant to experiment with technology not procured by the business are putting themselves at a massive disadvantage.  “Consumerisation means that customers expect services to be delivered via apps and mobile devices.  If IT doesn’t offer these services itself, how can they expect to support them?”

Symeonides also says that some of the concepts in ITIL 2011 that many dismissed as moving beyond the scope of what the books should deliver, can be utilised to address challenges coming to the fore.  “The latest version of ITIL for example offers guidance for supplier management, which is becoming more relevant as cloud and supporting BYOD gain enterprise acceptance.”

The demands from the business for integrated mobile support has also vindicated Axios’ product development decisions.  “There’s a new generation currently at the coalface of IT which expects to do everything on a tablet.  Our assystMobile  allows us to deliver a bespoke experience to every user on the device of their choosing.  This could be a simplified portal for business users up to a full management dashboard for the service desk leader.”