What are enabling services in the ITIL service model?

Enabling services in the ITIL service model are defined as services that are crucial for delivering core services. These services create the necessary conditions and infrastructure needed for the effective delivery of core services to customers and stakeholders. Essentially, enabling services play a supportive role, ensuring that core services can function smoothly and efficiently.

For instance, an organization's IT support, network management, and database management might be considered enabling services because they facilitate the delivery of primary services like email hosting, customer relationship management, or transaction processing. Without these enabling services, the core services could fail to operate effectively or deliver the intended value to customers.

In contrast, services that have no impact on business operations, those provided only during emergencies, or those limited strictly to internal stakeholders do not fit the definition of enabling services within the ITIL framework. These options fail to align with the conceptual foundation that emphasizes the importance of enabling services in facilitating and enriching the delivery of core organizational functions.