ESM/ITSM is about to undergo radical change – and Microsoft is the catalyst

For years, Enterprise Service Management (ESM) and IT Service Management (ITSM) were a world of "big suites": powerful platforms that can do a lot, but are often complex. Organizations became accustomed to a model in which you start with a basic package and then keep "buying" additional functionality via modules. In practice, this meant growing license costs, complicated roadmap discussions, long implementation processes, and a heavy dependence on scarce (and expensive) specialists. Not because people necessarily wanted this, but because that's how the system was designed.

At the same time, the reality in many organizations has changed. Microsoft 365 has become the digital foundation: Teams as a workplace, SharePoint as a knowledge and content layer, Entra ID for identity and access, and Copilot/automation that is becoming increasingly intertwined in daily operations. And if your work already takes place in Microsoft, why should your service processes run in a separate "silo"?

This is precisely where the shift we are currently seeing in the market comes from: service management is moving to the environment where people already work. Not as a separate add-on or hobby project, but as a mature, "native" solution that lives in your Microsoft tenant and moves with your governance, security, and adoption.

That is why Transitieprofs is bringing the successful ITSM360 (originally developed in Denmark and proven in the US, among other places) to Europe, and is working with investors and Microsoft partners to ensure rapid distribution and scale. Transitieprofs describes this mission very clearly: to help organizations in (highly) regulated environments drastically simplify service management with ITSM360, native on Microsoft 365.

Why the "old" approach is becoming less and less appropriate

Without naming names, many organizations recognize the same pain points with traditional service management suites:

1) Costs that continue to rise

It often starts off reasonably, but as soon as you want mature processes (multiple domains, enterprise reporting, integrations, governance, automation), you end up with a stack of extra modules and licenses. And with that, the TCO grows faster than you would like.

2) Dependence on consultants and scarce expertise

The richer and heavier the suite, the more often you will need external specialists for configuration, upgrades, integrations, workflow design, and changes. That may be fine for a large transformation program, but it makes your agility vulnerable.

3) Long time-to-market

Many organizations do not want a "perfect platform" in 12 months' time. They want one or two work processes live now, to learn from use, and then to iterate. If the implementation only delivers value after a long process, energy is lost and support declines.

4) Silos next to your digital workplace
When service management runs outside your primary workplace, friction arises: users have to "go somewhere else," adoption lags behind, and processes feel like a chore rather than a natural workflow.
That is precisely why the next phase of ESM/ITSM is not just about even more functionality, but about placement: where does the process live, where do people work, and where are your data, identity, and security?

ITSM360: service management "on the shoulders of Microsoft"

ITSM360 positions itself as an ITSM and GRC software package that combines ITSM/ITIL processes with core Microsoft 365 technologies—resulting in higher productivity, better collaboration, high security, and lower costs. Transitieprofs even links this to a solid business case: ROI within one year.

That promise is interesting, but the real game changer lies in the design principle: ITSM360 is Microsoft 365-centric and ready-made for deployment in your tenant. This has a few consequences that you will immediately notice in practice.

The core value: service processes where people already work

1) Adoption becomes easier (and fairer)

Users don't have to learn "yet another tool" if your service processes run through familiar channels. Transitieprofs, for example, emphasizes self-service via Teams (and optionally SharePoint), integrated into the daily workflow.

That sounds simple, but the effect is significant:

more reports and requests via the appropriate channel (instead of email/DMs)
Faster turnaround times because context is already in Teams
fewer "where should I be?" questions
higher satisfaction because the process feels natural

2) Less friction between IT, HR, Facilities, and partners

ESM is all about expanding service management to other departments. When service processes are integrated into Teams, collaboration between IT, internal departments, and external partners becomes much more direct. Transitieprofs points out that tickets, requests, and self-service can be handled directly in Teams, and that collaboration with partners, HR, or Facilities also works from within Teams.

3) Your security and compliance automatically "lift" your processes along with them

When your solution runs in your tenant, you benefit from the identity and governance layer you already have. ITSM Company, for example, describes how apps are secured via Entra AD and how SharePoint permissions determine which data users see.
In many organizations, this is a decisive factor: fewer exceptions, fewer separate accounts, fewer deviating authorization models.

4) Away from customization that does not scale

One pitfall of a "Microsoft-first" approach is that organizations try to build service management with lots of separate Power Apps and customization. ITSM Company explicitly takes a different route: maximum use of standard Microsoft 365, without relying on "costly, non-scalable Power Apps."

The difference: faster start-up, better manageability, and less dependence on individual creators.

Faster live: start small, prove value, scale up

One of the most practical promises of this movement is that you don't have to change everything at once. The reality is that many organizations experience "lock-in" with their current suppliers, or simply don't have the capacity to migrate completely right away.

That is why the approach described by Dennis Daalhuizen (starting new processes early and gradually expanding them) makes so much sense. This philosophy is also reflected at ITSM Company: they explicitly advise starting with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) — limited scope, solving business problems, measuring results — and then expanding.

That is exactly how modern digital transformations succeed:

Select one or two processes with obvious pain points (e.g., requests, incidents, changes, onboarding).
Set it up tightly, measure turnaround time and satisfaction.
Automate step by step.
Expand to other departments and use cases.

And because it falls within your Microsoft foundation, scaling up is usually easier than when you have to integrate a completely separate suite "alongside" it.

What does this mean in concrete terms for customer value?

Here are the key customer values that organizations typically achieve with a Microsoft-native ESM/ITSM approach such as ITSM360:

Lower TCO without "module stacking"

Because you are building on a platform you already use (Microsoft 365), the cost structure shifts. Fewer additional licenses, fewer paid add-ons, fewer "surprise modules" for basic needs. Transitieprofs explicitly positions ITSM360 as a route to lower costs with secure and compliant software.

Shorter time-to-market

Ready-made apps, deployable in your tenant, and starting with MVP: that's a recipe for getting live faster. ITSM Company describes ITSM360 as Microsoft 365-centric and ready to deploy in your tenant.

Better user experience and higher adoption

Self-service in Teams/SharePoint greatly lowers the threshold. Users don't have to "remember" a separate portal; they use the channel they already work in.

Stronger integration with AI, automation, and security

If your processes are in Microsoft, it makes more sense to incorporate Copilot, automation, and security-by-design into your workflow design (exactly as Dennis mentions). And because your identity and permissions are already in Entra/SharePoint, you avoid shadow IT around authorizations.

Cooperation and transparency in the operation

Tickets and collaboration in Teams ensure that coordination, context, and decision-making become less fragmented. Transitieprofs emphasizes full integration with Microsoft products and handling in Teams.

ITSM360 as an ecosystem: apps, practices, and extensions

The movement goes beyond "a service desk." ITSM360 is positioned as a set of Microsoft 365 apps for ITSM and GRC workflows. Think of building blocks for service processes, self-service, operations, and data/configuration management.

One example is their Configuration Management System (CMS), designed to centralize essential IT data and make it usable for multiple use cases, with added relevance for compliance-driven organizations. In addition, there are apps for IT Operations (ITOM) that enable teams to work with operational practices in Teams.

Important to note: these types of extensions do not feel like "yet another separate module in a separate suite," but rather like a growing landscape within the same tenant and the same way of working.

From Denmark to the Benelux — and now across Europe

Transitieprofs brought ITSM360 from Denmark to the Benelux to meet the growing demand for better integration and automation of service processes.

We are now seeing the next acceleration: a consortium of investors, distribution via existing Microsoft partners, initial customers in the Benelux, and expansion into Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and further east. This approach fits with the product DNA: if something really fits with Microsoft, you want to be able to scale it via the Microsoft partner network.

ITSM Company also emphasizes this partner and ecosystem approach: implementation can be done using in-house Microsoft skills or through partners within the Microsoft ecosystem, and they offer services through a partner network.

The big shift: from tool-centric to workplace-centric service management

If you want one sentence to capture this market movement, it is this:

ESM/ITSM is shifting from a standalone platform to an integrated capability in the digital workplace.

That does not mean that processes are becoming less important — on the contrary.

But the way you achieve them is changing:

less focus on "how do we set up the suite?"
more focus on "how can we make work processes smart, secure, and user-friendly in the environment we already have?"

And that is why this development is so disruptive. Not because another tool is suddenly being added, but because the foundation underlying the category is shifting: cost models, adoption, implementation approach, and innovation (AI/automation/security) are coming together in a single ecosystem.

How do you get started in practical terms?

If your organization is curious about what Microsoft-native ESM/ITSM means, this is a realistic route:

Select one process with high visibility and clear KPIs (lead time, first-time-right, satisfaction).
Start with MVP: limited scope, measurable results.
Set up self-service smartly in Teams (and SharePoint where relevant).
Borg security and authorization via Entra/SharePoint permissions.
Scale out to ESM domains (HR, Facilities, Security, GRC) once the foundation is in place.

This allows you to take the step without significant risk—exactly the flexibility Dennis describes: start small, expand gradually, and migrate workflows where desired. And in the meantime, you can build a modern service organization that is aligned with how people work today.

ESM/ITSM will be redefined in the coming years

The world of ESM and ITSM is not going to change "a little"; it is being redefined by the reality that Microsoft 365 is already the backbone of collaboration, security, and automation for many organizations. In that light, it makes sense for service management to move in that direction.

ITSM360—through Transitieprofs and the broader partner ecosystem—shows how you can simplify, accelerate, and reduce the cost of service processes while strengthening security, adoption, and innovation. With self-service and handling in Teams, governance in your tenant, and an MVP approach that makes value visible more quickly, an alternative emerges that is not only attractive to many organizations, but also strategically logical.

And that is precisely why we are seeing so much interest right now: organizations are looking for agility, lower costs, and faster value. They are already familiar with the Microsoft suite. As a result, the move to workplace-centric service management does not feel like a leap, but rather a natural next step.

The oil slick has begun — and the ESM/ITSM market will have to adapt. Are you curious? Contact us and we will be happy to show you the possibilities.