Business Service Management (BSM) makes a lot of sense on paper. After all, what is not to like about the concept that ties technology to the business processes IT supports in an effort to ensure the business runs smoothly and efficiently? Nothing, in theory, but putting BSM into practice is a daunting challenge, to say the least. At the most basic technical level, think of all the resource mapping involved and you get the picture.That explains why everyone from established enterprise management vendors like HP to more specialized players like Opalis are stepping up to the plate to offer their tools to help companies put the concept into practice.

Some vendors like BMC are probably hoping BSM will reinvigorate their customer base and reverse recent revenue disappointments. Others see BSM as a means to carve out a niche and define their market presence. But as the term is bandied about by a laundry list of vendors, each with their own particular take on the concept, BSM runs the risk of losing any meaning and becoming just another marketing phrase.

However, there is a real demand from companies for exactly what BSM promises conceptually. And vendors are delivering some of the pieces businesses need to make BSM work in practice.

In the end, much of the responsbility for BSM's success -- or its failure-- actually depends on the customers who so badly crave the formalized linkage between business and IT. After all, BSM is an ongoing process that involves a continuous communications between IT and business, well-defined policies, and consistently enforced procedures.

So what is your organization's view on BSM? Drop me a line at larsendecarlo@yahoo.com and let me know how your organization is approaching the BSM challenge. I am looking forward to hearing from you.