*By Luciano Costa
The Brazilian service desk market is at a turning point. While until a few years ago simply stating that a tool was "ITIL compliant" was enough to build a solid sales pitch, today the requirement is different: formal proof. Recent public tenders have begun to include tool certifications as a technical requirement, establishing minimum quantities of evaluated processes and demanding verifiable evidence. In parallel, the maturity of IT departments themselves has raised the bar for comparison between suppliers. What was once a competitive advantage has become an entry filter.
This movement occurs within a context of ITIL's consolidation as the common language for service governance. The IT Service Management 2023 survey, developed by the OTRS Group, indicated that 65% of Brazilian companies already used ITIL as the basis for their ITSM processes, and approximately 30% plan to expand this adoption in the short term. The direct consequence is the standardization of expectations: if the majority operate under the same framework, the software needs to be objectively compatible, not just declaratively.
From compliance to execution: the new competitive standard
This new standard profoundly alters the competitive dynamics. When ITIL becomes a minimum requirement, the debate shifts to execution. The comparison between vendors begins to consider depth of integration, CMDB maturity, workflow consistency, automation capabilities, adherence to SLAs, change traceability, and the quality of management reports. In other words, the discussion moves to a higher level.
The evolution of ITIL itself reinforces this change. Version 4, released in 2019, broadened the focus from isolated processes to integrated practices and value creation. The Service Value System requires a systemic vision, integration with DevOps, automation, data governance, and alignment with strategic objectives. Thus, a service desk tool that is limited to logging calls no longer meets the expectations of organizations operating in complex digital environments.
For domestic suppliers, this represents both pressure and opportunity. Pressure because the absence of formal certification can lead to exclusion in more rigorous selection processes. Opportunity because the maturity of the buyer also values proximity, flexibility, and understanding of the local context—provided that the methodological basis is well established.
This transition also affects how IT departments structure their teams. Tenders and contracts now require certified professionals, especially for coordination and supervision roles. The combination of certified tools and a qualified team creates a dual maturity criterion. Governance ceases to depend exclusively on technology and begins to reflect organizational competence.
There is also a less visible, but equally relevant aspect: certification functions as a tool for mitigating contractual risk. In administrative disputes and bidding appeals, the presence or absence of formal certification has been used as a technical argument. This reinforces the role of documentary evidence in the legal support of contracts.
The result of this set of factors is a redefinition of what it means to be "aligned with ITIL" in Brazil. It's not just about adopting terminology or designing processes based on the framework. It's about demonstrating, with documentation and external validation, that the tool supports established practices and that the operation can execute them consistently.
For the buyer, the benefit is predictability. Tool certification offers a verifiable starting point. For the supplier, the challenge is balancing compliance and differentiation. Compliance guarantees access to the process. Differentiation determines the choice.
The Brazilian service desk market has matured. The phase where simply claiming adherence was enough is over. Now, the benchmark is technical, documented, and comparable. ITIL has ceased to be a trophy and has become a standard. And, on that standard, the competition is now about operational efficiency, integration capabilities, and generating measurable value. This is the new selection criterion.
*Luciano Costa, co-founder of Setrion and Milldesk Help Desk Software
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
