The future of IT consulting: Opportunities and challenges of the ITSM platforms paradigm

Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) plays a key role in aligning IT services with business objectives, driving process standardization and enabling cross-functional service delivery in organizations. Modern ITSM platforms have evolved to incorporate cloud-native infrastructures and visual configuration environments, often based on low-code/no-code (LC/NC) principles. These technological advances have facilitated the emergence of new professional profiles, namely ITSM consultants and citizen programmers, who, with the appropriate certification and organizational support, are able to design and implement service solutions without needing in-depth knowledge of traditional programming. A rigorous and systematic analysis of these contextual changes is therefore essential to support an informed and adaptive strategic response. This paper aims to present a set of opportunities and challenges for professionals in the ITSM paradigm. Using an abductive approach, this study starts with an empirical case study, followed by an exploratory literature review, culminating in a survey of experts. The main findings highlight ITSM’s potential for autonomy, solution delivery and fostering collaboration, while being threatened by restrictions on customization, platform dependency and learning time. Thus, this study contributes to understanding this new profile, offering perspectives for organizations wishing to optimize the use of ITSM.