Seven critical risks threaten IT Service Management operations today, yet many leaders continue to overlook their growing impact on business continuity and security.
Excessive AI dependence creates the first major vulnerability. Organizations implementing automated decision-making systems often miss contextual factors and business priorities that human oversight would catch. Automated decisions lead to incorrect actions during complex incidents, while teams experience reduced accountability during high-impact events. Samsung’s decision to ban AI for staff illustrates growing security concerns, as generative AI platforms introduce significant data exposure risks. Modern integration platforms require careful API management to prevent insecure data flows and misconfigurations.
AI systems themselves present new attack surfaces in ITSM platforms. Compromised models, poisoned data, and insecure integrations expose sensitive service information to potential breaches. Without strong controls, these systems risk automated incorrect actions and privilege escalation. Analysts predict legal claims for AI-caused harm will exceed 2,000 globally by 2026 due to insufficient guardrails.
Governance gaps compound these challenges as AI acceleration intensifies from 2025 through 2026. Regulated markets in finance, healthcare, government, and retail face mandatory data security and transparency requirements. ITSM maturity in multi-tenant environments demands robust governance frameworks that many organizations lack. Seventeen ITSM experts consistently highlight people, process, and value challenges that leaders underestimate. Security and ITSM teams must lead the enforcement of authorized AI tool usage to prevent data privacy leakage comparable to Shadow IT on steroids.
The convergence of cybersecurity and ITSM workflows creates additional complexity. Global security-sensitive regions require unified incident response and compliance management, with Zero Trust security embedding deeply into ITSM operations by 2026. This integration increases technical debt and operational complexity that hinder transformation efforts. Predictive analytics shifts IT teams toward prevention rather than constant incident resolution, yet many organizations continue reactive firefighting practices.
Staffing burnout reaches crisis levels as 90% of service agents predict corporate IT will become more difficult over the next three years. The well-being impact has increased dramatically, with 74% reporting negative effects compared to 61% in 2024. Organizations face average monthly ticket volumes of 10,675, with each user contacting help desks 1.25 times monthly.
Automation pitfalls emerge when organizations deploy fragmented tools that cost IT professionals seven hours weekly. Over-automation without human-centered design deepens disconnection, while 50% of organizations acknowledge their ITSM capabilities need improvement.
Resilience receives insufficient attention despite becoming a board-level priority. Outages simultaneously impact customers, employees, revenue, and reputation, requiring stronger architecture frameworks that many leaders fail to implement.
