For a long time I was honestly a bit confused by all the different “IT manager” titles—operations manager, infrastructure manager, service desk manager, and then you throw in service delivery manager and it’s like… what’s the deal with all of these managers? In this video I break it down in plain English: what an IT Manager is, what a Service Delivery Manager (SDM) is, where they sit in the org, and why the day-to-day feels similar but the pressure and focus can be totally different. I’ve been both, so I walk you through it from experience. An IT Manager is usually internal—employed by the business—owning IT strategy, budgets, and the day-to-day across things like service desk, infrastructure, security, and operations (especially in smaller companies where you wear all the hats). A Service Delivery Manager is typically external, working for an MSP/consultancy and delivering IT as a service to one or many clients. The big takeaway: the skills transfer, but SDMs need to be extra strong in client communication, negotiation, and time management because your inbox and priorities can explode when you’re juggling multiple businesses at once.