What best describes the role of IT Service Management?

The role of IT Service Management (ITSM) is best described as delivering services through a structured framework. This encompasses the processes and practices that organizations utilize to design, deliver, manage, and improve the way IT is used within the business. ITSM focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of the business while promoting efficient and effective service delivery.

By adopting a structured framework, such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), organizations can establish best practices for managing IT services, ensuring consistency, quality, and continual improvement. This approach enables IT departments to meet both operational and strategic goals while enhancing user satisfaction.

The other options, while related to IT, do not encapsulate the broader purpose and methodology behind IT Service Management. Providing hardware solutions, selling software applications, and managing hardware inventory are specific tasks or functions rather than a holistic framework for service delivery. Thus, the focus of ITSM on comprehensive service management is what distinguishes it in the realm of IT operations.