People, processes, technology and information are the essential building blocks for creating a successful IT infrastructure in today's fast-paced, service-focused marketplace. ITIL which is recognized as the de facto standard for service management is a process based approach. ITIL focuses on a set of integrated processes which run the gamut from highly interactive and dynamic processes such as problem determination to highly repeatable processes such as patch deployment which are best handled in a fully automated, non-interactive fashion. The ability to support and integrate the full spectrum of interactivity for these processes with the appropriate level of automation is crucial for the service provider. Also key is the ability to identify opportunities to increase the level of automation as maturity and technology permit.