For many enterprises, changes in information technology service management are par for the course. But ITSM migration to the cloud still depends on complex implementation cycles that push out time to value.

The need to balance enterprise-grade capabilities with implementation simplicity has led organizations to seek platforms that minimize external dependencies. Yet legacy on-premises systems and technical debt still make those transitions challenging, especially for companies established before cloud infrastructure became standard. Against this backdrop, TaylorMade Golf Comany Inc. began its seven-year partnership with Freshworks Inc. through a pre-pandemic request for proposal process that prioritized deployment speed over feature breadth, according to Ali Chitsaz (pictured, left), associate director of global ITSM and digital workspace at TaylorMade.

TaylorMade’s Ali Chitsaz and Freshworks’ Jason Aloia speak with theCUBE about cloud ITSM workflows, automation and reducing reliance on outside consultants.

“We went through an RFP right when I came on board to try to find a new ITSM tool. We have been around since 1979 and had some legacy systems, and we wanted to find something that was more modern and ready for what we wanted to do,” he said.

Chitsaz and Jason Aloia (right), vice president of product management at Freshworks Inc., spoke with theCUBE’s Bob Laliberte at the Refresh North America 2025 event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how TaylorMade moved its ITSM game to the cloud, cutting reliance on consulting ‘caddies’ with self-service workflows. (* Disclosure below.)

How cloud ITSM migration reduces workflow configuration time

What TaylorMade wanted to do was replace the traditional scope-and-deploy model. The IT team now builds workflows in real time during stakeholder workshops instead of relying on extended development cycles, according to Chitsaz.

“I can have my app owners and business owners come into a room and rather than give me a scope, do a little literal workshop with me right there and get their workflows built out right when they walk out of the room,” said Chitsaz. “We could literally go from person to person and rather than taking in a huge scope and saying, ‘Oh, now I got to go work with professional services and work through all these things to get these things out,’ it’s like, ‘No, I actually built out the workflows right with you. My team is right there, and as you walk out you’re ready to go.'”

TaylorMade’s ITSM migration story reflects a broader pattern: Enterprises want cloud platforms that their own teams can configure, without long consulting projects every time a workflow changes. That tension between enterprise-grade outcomes and day-to-day simplicity now shows up in most customer conversations, according to Aloia.

“It’s the nature of technology that it grows in complexity and there’s usually more and more point solutions that come into an ecosystem over time,” Aloia said. “The way we like to think of it as delivering a fully enterprise-grade platform for IT, unified with all of the capabilities you would expect, but keeping that ethos of an uncomplicated, quick time to value that doesn’t require an army of consultants. You can get it up and running with yourself or your modest team.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Refresh North America 2025 event:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Refresh North America 2025 event. Neither Freshworks, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE