Five vendors hold 70% of the IT service management market

IT service management, or ITSM, uses software to organize the work involved in running an organization’s IT systems.

Its processes are now highly formalized and increasingly automated, replacing the informal help people once got by visiting an IT department.

ServiceNow, Jira, Ivanti, BMC and Broadcom together account for about 70% of the market.

Many large commercial tools bundle a wide range of functions, while open-source tools often focus on specific tasks that can be combined.

Cloud services are gaining ground, but companies can still find tools they run themselves.

These systems can make support feel less personal, and their tracking and reporting can increase oversight of IT staff.

Much of ITSM happens inside IT departments, where software can automate work such as managing changes, capacity and problems.