This documentation supports the 21.05 version of BMC Service Level Management. To view an earlier version, select the version from the product version menu.

Defining a service catalog

ITIL v3 defines a Service Catalog as:

A database or structured document with information about all live IT Services, including those available for deployment. The Service Catalogue is the only part of the Service Portfolio published to customers, and is used to support the sale and delivery of IT Services. The Service Catalogue includes information about deliverables, prices, contact points, ordering and request processes.

Related topics

Planning-to-implement-BMC-Service-Level-Management

Creating and managing the service catalog

Creating service request definitions

Best practices
Your service catalog can be paper or spreadsheet based, but ITIL v3 recommends that you store service catalog items in your configuration management database as a configuration item. A service catalog provides a single source of consistent information about all available services. The following relationships can be created:

  • Business services are related to one or more service offerings.
  • Business services are supported by one or more technical services.
  • Both service offerings and technical services have compliance target definitions associated with service expectations or service level targets (SLTs). SLTs define what the customers or users expect from a service offering and how service suppliers deliver and support the service offering.

When service catalog information is linked with customer, service supplier, and contract information, it can create a rich, multi-dimensional picture linking these additional items:

  • Technical services are delivered and supported by one or more service suppliers.
  • Customers or user communities see value in a service offering and enter into a contract with the business to obtain the offering.

Integrated Service Catalog

The service catalog is part of a much larger service portfolio which also includes planned and retired services and service offerings. When defining information in a service catalog, remember that it is a business tool. The information a service catalog contains must be in terms that can be understood by business owners, service users, and service suppliers. You can define a Service Catalog either by using BMC Service Request Management or BMC Digital Workplace Catalog.

Where to go from here

Establishing-agreements