Blog Articles

The IT Director's Playbook

Easy, practical ways to manage projects, time, and service requests.

School IT support team collaborating around a laptop while troubleshooting technology issues, representing the firefighting mode of reactive K-12 IT support.
IT Help Desk, Service Management

Why School IT Teams Start Every School Year in Firefighting Mode—and How to Break the Cycle

The first bell rings, students fill the hallways, and within hours, support requests start pouring into the school help desk. It’s a familiar…

Asset ManagementService Management
IT for Schools & Universities
Laptop open on a classroom desk with school supplies, representing K-12 IT device management and summer tech planning
IT Help Desk, Service Management

The K–12 Summer IT Checklist: 10 Steps to Prepare for a Successful School Year

Education IT leaders know that summer isn’t a vacation—it’s the opportunity they look forward to because it allows them to focus on a K…

Asset ManagementService Management
IT for Schools & Universities
Help Desk IT Asset Management
asset management, IT Help Desk

Help Desks Resolve Issues Faster with Real-Time IT Asset Management

Most employees don’t care whether an issue is related to asset management, ticket management, or service delivery. They simply want their pro…

Asset ManagementService Management
IT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
IT Asset Management
Project Management, Service Management

What Is IT Asset Management? More Than Just Tracking Devices 

Ask most IT professionals what keeps them up at night, and you’ll hear a familiar list of concerns: security vulnerabilities, budge…

Asset Management
Corporate ITIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Startly IT Help Desk Blog
IT Help Desk, Organizational Governance, Service Management

IT Help Desk: How to Maximize Performance, Efficiency, and User Experience 

Modern IT organizations are under constant pressure to deliver faster support, improve operational visibility, and create better user experiences –…

Ticketing
Corporate IT
Organizational Governance, Service Management

IT Management Best Practices for Scalable, Secure, and High-Performing Organizations

Modern IT organizations are operating under a different set of expectations than they were even a few years ago. IT is no longe…

Project ManagementService Management
IT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Startly Customer Service
Service Management

ITSM Automation with AI for Successful Customer Service

For today’s CTO, customer service is no longer just a support function—it’s a direct reflection of how well IT enables the business. This is where …

Service Management
Corporate ITIT for MSPs
Illustration of an asset management metrics dashboard with charts, checklist, target, and analytics tools
Service Management

10 Common IT Challenges Facing Schools and Small Colleges

IT departments in schools and small colleges face ongoing challenges that directly impact teaching, learning, and campus operations. Small teams, l…

Asset ManagementService ManagementTicketing
Transforming ITSM with AI and Automation
Service Management

Transforming ITSM with Innovative Automation and AI

From the IT department’s perspective, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in IT Service Management (ITSM) are no longer future concepts, th…

Asset ManagementTicketing
IT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Service Management

How to Build and Maintain a CMDB That Actually Works

A Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is often described as the foundation of effective IT Service Management (ITSM). When CMDB best practices…

Change ManagementProject Management
Corporate ITIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Change Management, Project Management

The Strategic Value of IT Change Management

IT change management has been considered primarily as an operational discipline — a structured way to approve updates, track modifications, and pre…

Change ManagementCMDB
Corporate ITIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Change Management, Service Management

Why a Structured CMDB Is the Foundation of IT Change Management

In modern IT environments, a structured Configuration Management Database (CMDB) has become the foundation of success for Change Management and IT …

Change ManagementCMDBProject Management
Corporate IT
Change Management, Project Management

IT Change Management: Controlling Chaos in Modern IT Environments 

For many years, IT change management for small and mid-sized businesses was tracked with relatively simple processes. A small IT team cou…

Change ManagementCMDB
IT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
ITSM software for IT Directors In Education
Project Management, Service Management

What to Look for in IT Project Management and Integrated Tickets

In today’s digital enterprises, CIOs and CTOs are under constant pressure to deliver more with less — fewer resources, tighter timelines, and risin…

Project ManagementResource ManagementTicketing
Corporate ITIT for Schools and UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
For Corporate IT Directors
Project Management, Service Management, Support Pillar

Why Integrated Ticketing is Critical to IT Project Management

Integrated ticketing aligns execution with strategy by ensuring all IT work — operational or project-based — flows through a shared system of record. 

Project ManagementResource ManagementTicketing
IT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Illustration of an asset management metrics dashboard with charts, checklist, target, and analytics tools
Project Management, Service Management, Support Pillar

The Top 5 Asset Management Performance Metrics for Small to Mid-Sized Organizations

Asset management gets complicated, quickly. But, you don’t need to track everything. The right asset management metrics help you reduce risk, contr…

Resource ManagementTicketing
IT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Two professionals reviewing help desk performance metrics on a laptop during a team planning session.
Project Management, Service Management, Support Pillar

What Are The Best Help Desk Metrics For Small To Mid-Sized Organizations?

As the IT director of a small to mid-sized organization, some days ticketing can feel like chaos: one crisis after another. The right help desk met…

Resource ManagementTicketing
IT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Comparison Startly vs freshdesk
Pillar Article, Project Management, Service Management, Support Pillar

Startly vs. Freshdesk: How to choose the best ticketing and helpdesk software

The goal of using ticketing software and helpdesk software is faster responses and better outcomes. The right software will help resolve problems f…

Resource ManagementTicketing
IT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Comparison Startly vs zendesk
Organizational Governance, Project Management, Service Management

Startly vs. Zendesk: How to choose the best customer service software

In 2026, there are plenty of choices for customer service software. Startly and Zendesk are two of the leading platforms. Which is the better fit f…

Asset ManagementCMDBInsights & AnalyticsResource ManagementTicketing
Corporate ITIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
Comparison Startly vs servicenow
Service Management

Startly vs. ServiceNow: How to choose the right ITSM

In 2026, why choose Startly over ServiceNow? Both are top-performing IT service management platforms. Both have been chosen by experienced IT direc…

Asset ManagementCMDBInsights & AnalyticsResource ManagementTicketing
Corporate ITIT for MSPsIT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses
You Should Use Your Own ITSM Solution - Blog
Blog, Organizational Governance, Project Management, Service Management

Why you should use your own ITSM Solution

Why you should use your own ITSM Solution and not be forced to your vendors solution.
What are Service Management Processes - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Are Service Management Processes?

How can service management processes apply to IT? What is an example of a service process?
What are the 5 stages of ITIL - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Are the 5 Stages of ITIL?

Learn the 5 stages of ITIL processes and different ITIL certifications experts achieve.

What are the 5 stages of the service lifecycle - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What are the 5 Stages of the Service Lifecycle?

The five stages of the ITIL service lifecycle include strategy, design, transition, operation and improvement.

What are the ITIL Service Management Processes blog
Blog, Service Management

What Are the ITIL Service Management Processes?

What are the service management processes in ITIL 3? How does this vary from the practices set forth in ITIL 4?
Which ITSM Tool is best? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

Which ITSM Tool Is Best?

When it comes to IT and related services, it can feel overwhelming to sort out your options. What are your needs, and how do you prioritize them? H…
Service Management Framework - Blog
Service Management, Support Pillar

Service Management Framework

How do you ensure that you are providing top notch services and creating a positive experience for your customers? What’s the best way to put in pl…
ITSM Tools - Blog
Service Management, Support Pillar

ITSM Tools

IT Service Management providers wear many hats for their customer organizations, not the least of which is unifying and streamlining their IT needs…
What are the 4 P's of Service Strategy - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Are the 4 P’s of Service Strategy?

IT service management is always evolving, and ensuring your customers have the most successful journey can be a major challenge. Our new blog break…
What is a service Management Framework? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Is a Service Management Framework?

84% of respondents in a recent survey stated they understood the adverse impact their service issues and failures have on business operations. How …
What are Service Management Processes for IT? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Are Service Management Processes for IT?

How does the ITSM process work to benefit IT services and their customers? Discover how each step in the service management process leads to more e…
What Is the Key Focus Around Service Management Framework? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Is the Key Focus Around Service Management Framework?

Does your business’s service management framework have you hopping all over the place, or does it help you focus on tasks that lead to improvement?…
What are the types of Service Management? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Are the Types of Service Management?

IT service management is growing rapidly, and the right ITSM tools can help vendors improve and streamline the services they offer their clients. …
What is Service in Business and an Example - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What is Service in Business and an Example

Service businesses are nothing new, but now IT services and service management are at the forefront of the service industry.

What are Services in Service Management? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What are Services in Service Management?

Exploring different elements of customer-centric service in ITSM, including asset management and analytics.
What is an ITSM Example? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What is an ITSM Example?

What is IT service management? What’s the point? Which tools should you be using? Find all the answers in our latest blog:
Is Jira an ITSM Tool? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

Is Jira an ITSM Tool?

Jira is a popular service management tool that has been adopted for ITSM purposes. But is it really the most affordable and comprehensive ITSM too…
What are ITSM Products - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Are ITSM Products?

From all-in-one platforms to point solutions, there are a lot of ITSM tools on the market. Selecting the right solution can provide companies with …
ITIL Service Management Processes - Blog
Service Management, Support Pillar

ITIL Service Management Processes

Does your business react poorly to change? Do you keep facing the same issues over and over again? Are you making improvements to your service but …
IT Service Management Examples - Blog
Service Management, Support Pillar

IT Service Management Examples

How does ITSM support IT teams? And what are the different types of ITSM tools?
What Is a Service Management Role? - Blog
Blog, Service Management

What Is a Service Management Role?

There is a wide range of roles and responsibilities associated with ITSM. Learn how they work in this blog.