ITSM Software Buying Guide That IT Teams Need In 2025

It’s easy to jump straight into demos and feature lists when choosing an ITSM platform. But before you get dazzled by AI claims and slick interfaces, pause.  Let’s rethink how you choose a solution. 

In this buying guide, we’ll look at some essential things to do before you buy ITSM software. 

TL;DR:

• IT Service Management software enables organizations to deliver, manage, and enhance IT services through structured processes, including incident management, change control, and service requests.

• Before comparing platforms, clarify your why: the business problems you want ITSM to solve.

• Focus first on non-negotiable core functions, such as incident management, change enablement, service request workflows, asset tracking, and knowledge management.

• Understand your future needs and how deployment models impact flexibility, security, and costs.

• Always measure TCO and check for security certifications beforehand to avoid surprises down the line.

• Workwize complements your ITSM software with powerful hardware lifecycle management, maintaining visibility throughout its lifecycle and supporting provisioning, management, retrieval, and decommissioning.

The Why: Why Is ITSM Software Important For Your Business

An ITSM solution enables organizations to manage IT issues, prevent outages, resolve problems quickly, and ensure uninterrupted employee work.

Before you buy, it’s essential to understand why you are looking for an ITSM tool in the first place.

If you’re saying “our current one is old” or “This new platform has cool AI,” you might want to rethink your approach. The better question is: what business or operational problems are you trying to fix? 

• Are resolution times eating into productivity?

• Is your change management chaotic and high-risk?

• Do outdated workflows bottleneck service requests?

• Is your asset inventory a spreadsheet mess?

• Are users still calling the helpdesk instead of helping themselves?

These are just a few of the many problems that ITSM solutions help you address. 

Therefore, the first step is to identify the specific IT processes that require improvement.

Once clear, you can define success in meaningful terms, such as faster MTTR, fewer failed changes, higher SLA compliance, or happier end users.

If you're wondering about the severity of the impacts, consider this: 90% of firms report that just one hour of downtime costs them over $300,000. That’s a lot to lose.

Core Functionality of ITSM Solutions

There’s a lot of noise in the ITSM space. Every platform promises automation, AI, dashboards, and “transformational change.” 

That’s great, but if the fundamentals are weak, you’ll be stuck with an expensive workflow engine that doesn’t help.

Zero in on these when evaluating core features:

Incident and problem management

You want efficiency and control. Can the tool auto-categorize and route tickets based on predefined rules or historical patterns? Does it support dynamic prioritization based on impact and urgency? Also, look for a built-in root cause analysis tool.

Bonus points for:

• Escalation management

• SLA tracking

• Integration with monitoring tools to auto-generate incidents

Change Enablement or Change Management

You’ll want software that supports automated workflows with conditional logic (like high-risk changes that require CAB approval, low-risk ones that don’t). Look for native risk scoring, change calendars, and integration with CI/CD tools like GitLab.

Service Request Management and Service Catalog

You should be able to build a clean, searchable catalog with logical categories, minimal clicks, and automated fulfillment steps. 

For instance, ideally, when you request a laptop, the tool should trigger provisioning, approval, assignment, and asset tagging, without a technician doing it manually.

A Redditor describes some of the features they want in their ITSM. Via Reddit.

Asset management and CMDB

Most ITSM processes fail due to the lack of accurate asset and configuration data. If you're a hybrid or cloud-first organization, choose a tool with auto-discovery (agent and agentless), dependency mapping, and real-time sync with cloud infrastructure. 

Some other nice-to-haves include

• Software license tracking

• Asset lifecycle management (procured, deployed, retired)

• Risk scoring tied to assets (like outdated firmware)

Knowledge management

Your knowledge base shouldn’t be a dumping ground. It should be a dynamic, searchable source of truth. Articles need version control, feedback loops, and must be easy to author, update, and archive.

Also, test the search to see if it handles synonyms, partial matches, or intent-based suggestions and if it recommends articles during ticket creation or in self-service.

Features that matter for value and efficiency

Once the basics are in place, consider features that can significantly reduce manual overhead. Some such features include automation and orchestration, support for AI and ML, customizable reports, and a self-service portal.

Read More: Top 29 ITSM Experts To Follow in 2025

The importance of choosing ITSM software that grows with your business

Your ITSM software should also be able to scale, flex, and integrate as your environment evolves. Otherwise, you’ll return to the procurement table in three years.

Scalability

You’ll want an ITSM platform that can keep up with spikes in ticket volume, onboard additional agents, expand self-service capabilities to new business units, or track a growing set of assets.

However, pay attention to how licensing is structured. 

Some vendors charge per agent, some per ticket volume, and others based on modules. Scaling the wrong licensing model will cost you way more than you expect.

Via Reddit

Customization vs. configuration

Customization is acceptable when necessary, but every tweak you make outside of standard tools becomes technical debt, making future upgrades more challenging. The best ITSM tools make it easy to mold the system to your processes.

Ideally, you want a system that offers strong low-code or no-code configuration. It’s beneficial to have drag-and-drop workflow builders, UI customizations, and flexible form creation capabilities without requiring script modifications every time.

Integration ecosystem

Tight, clean integrations are a must. 

Look for dependable RESTful APIs, a marketplace of pre-built connectors (for monitoring tools like Datadog, cloud platforms like AWS and Azure, IAM systems, ERP platforms, DevOps tools like Jira and GitHub, etc.), and clear support for custom integrations.

The Dilemma Between Cloud, On-Premises, or Hybrid

All this is all right, but where will your ITSM software live? 

This fundamental choice, known as the deployment model, has long-term implications.

Generally, you have three options: rely on the vendor's hosting, manage it on your own infrastructure, or combine these approaches. 

Choose wisely, because deployment models directly impact your flexibility, security posture, operational overhead, and long-term costs.

• Cloud (SaaS): Your ITSM runs in the vendor’s cloud and is accessed via subscription. This is great for fast setup, low upfront costs, and effortless scaling, but it comes with trade-offs like limited control, potential data residency concerns, and long-term subscription costs. It is ideal if you value agility and can live with some constraints.

• On-premise: You run the software on your servers, giving you complete control and better integration with internal systems. However, this option comes with higher upfront costs, ongoing maintenance, and slower updates—not ideal if you need to scale fast.

• Hybrid: It combines on-premise control for sensitive operations with cloud-based flexibility for everything else, giving you the best of both worlds. The cons? Expect added complexity in syncing data, managing identities, and supporting both environments. 

Break Down the True Cost of Your ITSM Software Investment

Once you have decided on your deployment option, settle on the pricing. Don't mistake the software’s initial licensing fee for the final price tag. 

To accurately budget, calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over a typical 3-to-5-year operational horizon. This means accounting for all expenses associated with acquiring, implementing, and operating the software.

Here is what makes up your ITSM software’s TCO:

• Licensing and subscription costs: This is the core software price, but be careful. Determine whether it's per-agent, per-user, feature-tiered, or consumption-based (such as tickets per month).

• Implementation and setup: This includes fees for professional services (configuration, consulting), data migration from old systems, setup labor (internal or external), and project management overhead. 

• Infrastructure requirements: Relevant for on-premises or hybrid deployments, these costs cover the hardware, software licenses (OS, database), backup systems, and the ongoing maintenance and refresh cycles for this infrastructure.

• Ongoing operational and maintenance: Budget for recurring expenses necessary to keep the platform running effectively in the long term. 

This includes annual vendor support fees, costs for training new staff or retraining existing ones, and potential extra charges or effort for reworking customizations after platform updates.

Need an idea of approximate costs? Here’s a Reddit thread where people discuss real-world ITSM costs:

Via Reddit

Another Set of Non-Negotiables: Security and Compliance

Now that we've settled the budget side of things, there’s another area you can't skip: security. Getting this wrong will be even more costly in the long run.

Most ITSM vendors comply with certifications such as ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and FedRAMP, depending on the applicable federal standards and regulations. If not, that’s an instant no-go.

Confirm that data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and check their access controls, vulnerability management, and incident response processes.

If you’re handling regulated data, the platform must offer native support for GDPR, HIPAA, or SOX requirements.

What To Ask ITSM Vendors Before Committing to One

Finally, your mind may go blank when sitting down for demos or writing your RFP. Just so it doesn’t happen, here’s how you need to move the conversation to cover the fundamentals/

How well does it match our way of working?

Would it grow and adapt alongside our organization?

How does it connect with the tools we depend on?

What's the bottom line over time?

What's involved in getting started and staying supported?

How secure is it?

Can we hear from people like us?

Via Reddit

Why Workwize Complements, Not Competes With, ITSM

Modern ITSM software helps orchestrate services. However, execution still depends on physical assets—such as laptops, monitors, and phones—reaching the right people at the right time with the right tracking.

That’s where Workwize shines:

• Provision devices globally in 5–7 days

• Deploy pre-configured assets via your MDM

• Track hardware in a centralized dashboard

• Automate offboarding, retrieval, and ITAD

• Reduce CO₂ and manual workload through local vendors and warehousing

Schedule a Workwize demo now to learn more.