Why Service Catalog Management?

Many organizations are challenged to understand the services that they provide, to communicate these services to potential “customers” and to execute them effectively.

There are many sources of information and the provision of service varies widely depending on the source. To cope with these issues, frameworks like the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) have introduced the concept of a service catalog.

Where companies have begun their service catalog management process by leveraging applications like Microsoft Excel or home-grown databases, establishing and maintaining the service catalog is costly and inefficient. It is not cost effective or efficient to document services without considering the customers’ input or knowing which services you offer and which are obsolete.

Leveraging a service catalog enables an organization to “provide a single source of information on all of the agreed services, and ensure that it is widely available to those that are approved to access it (ITIL Service Design, p. 72).” The service catalog helps companies know in detail what services they offer, who are accountable, and how it impacts the organization to improve all aspects of the business while increasing value. As a result, the process helps drive productivity and impacts the business’ bottom-line.