IT Operations Manager

Individuals specializing in application support provide support for the live application software that business users are dependent on.

Responsibilities vary, but typically a support specialist will concentrate on a specific application, or group of applications. They may be responsible for advising and guiding users directly, but more usually they are responsible for diagnosing the root cause of issues referred from the service desk, and either fixing the problem or managing it through to resolution within defined service levels.

Application Support Analysts are also responsible for identifying known errors and problem trends and for finding permanent solutions. They frequently help with training of new staff and providing expert advice to the business, and to staff on the service desk.

They will be responsible for planning application system upgrades, installation of new releases, and migration to new systems, and may also get involved in writing specification for business requirements.

Typical Tasks

  • Investigate, diagnose and solve application related problems
  • Install and upgrade software
  • Schedule installation work to meet priorities and minimize disruption
  • Maintain security and functionality through application of program temporary fixes.

Potential Next Steps

IT Project Support, IT Project Manager, Security Analyst

How to get there

AXELOS professional certifications are recognized worldwide by employers as an indicator of your skills and commitment as an ITSM professional.

The following certifications are aimed at practising Application Support Specialist and will support your development into more senior ITSM roles:

Service Operation / Operational Support and Analysis

  • Support service components
  • Execute operation control activities to manage and deliver services
  • Maintain user satisfaction with IT services
  • Determine the appropriate control action for events
  • Ensure actions for events are communicated to the appropriate functions
  • Automatically detect incidents before an outage occurs
  • Enhance business perception of IT through use of a professional approach.

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Learn More About Operational Support and Analysis

Service Strategy

  • Align the IT strategy with business goals and outcomes
  • Investigate and decide on which services to provide
  • Analyze which services are no longer viable and when they should be retired
  • Identify, manage and communicate the cost of providing services
  • Evaluate the financial impact of new or changed strategies
  • Secure funding to manage the provision of service
  • Manage and report expenditure on service provision
  • Account for money spent on the creation, delivery and support of services.

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Continual Service Improvement

  • Identify opportunities for improving services, processes and tools
  • Reduce the cost of providing services
  • Ensure that IT services enable the required business outcomes
  • Identify what needs to be measured, analyzed and reported for improvement.

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ITIL Practitioner

  • Apply the nine ITSM guiding principles in a real world context
  • Apply the Continual Service Improvement (CSI) approach as a way to structure improvement initiatives
  • Enhance continual service improvement activity through:
    • Organisational Change Management
    • Improved communication
    • Better use of Measurement and Metrics

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RESILIA™ Foundation

  • Introduction to cyber resilience.
  • How decisions impact good/bad cyber resilience.

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RESILIA™ Practitioner

  • What does effective cyber resilience look like?
  • What are the risks and issues that can easily hit cyber resilience?
  • How to get the best balance of risk, cost, benefits and flexibility within an organization.

Learn More About RESILIA™ Practitioner