ITIL Understanding and Using IT Service Management
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ITIL: Mastering IT Service Management
Introduction
ITIL is often mistaken for IT governance, but on its own, it isn’t. Instead, ITIL is a collection of best practices designed to help companies foster an IT Service Management culture. Its growing popularity is due to the significant impact it can have on a company’s IT and business performance. When combined with other frameworks, it becomes a vital part of creating true IT governance.
What is IT Service Management?
In today’s world, businesses heavily rely on information technology. IT Service Management is a concept that guides businesses on managing IT infrastructure to improve functionality and quality cost-effectively. It focuses on the customer’s perspective, offering IT as a coherent service composed of hardware, software, and communication facilities.
Understanding ITIL
ITIL, or IT Infrastructure Library, is at the core of IT Service Management. It provides guidance on managing IT infrastructure to align services with business expectations, drawing from global organizational experiences to offer a best-practice framework.
Originally developed by the UK's Central Computer and Technology Agency (CCTA) in the 1980s, ITIL has evolved and is now part of the Office of Government Commerce. Its widespread adoption in both public and private sectors underscores its effectiveness in managing diverse IT services.
Components of the ITIL Library
The ITIL documentation includes seven volumes:
1. Service Support
2. Service Delivery
3. ICT Infrastructure Management
4. Security Management
5. Planning to Implement Service Management
6. The Business Perspective
7. Applications Management
Service Support, Service Delivery, and Security Management are central to ITIL, addressing key areas like Incident Management, Configuration Management, Change Management, IT Service Continuity Management, Availability Management, and IT Security Management.
Learning About ITIL
The ITIL volumes are published by The Stationery Office, accessible at [IT Governance](http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/catalog/23). There are several recommended introductory texts to navigate ITIL, including:
- Foundations of IT Service Management Based on ITIL: An Introduction - A widely accepted self-study guide.
- Implementing Service and Support Management Processes: A Practical Guide - A comprehensive handbook.
- itSMF Pocket Guides - Overviews of each ITIL component.
These can be found at [IT Governance](http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/catalog/7).
Achieving Certification
The rise in ITIL awareness is partly due to the 2005 publication of ISO 20000, a global standard for IT Service Management, rooted in the British standard BS15000. This standard is available in two parts:
1. ISO/IEC 20000-1 - The specification for certification.
2. ISO/IEC 20000-2 - A code of practice detailing best practices.
BS15000 was widely used and adopted internationally, enabling seamless transitions to ISO 20000 for existing certifications.
Certification pathways include:
- ITIL Foundation Certificate
- ITIL Practitioners Certificate
- ITIL Managers Certificate
Examinations are managed by independent bodies like EXIN and ISEB in Europe, and HDI in the USA, ensuring consistent quality and independence in certification.
ITIL and IT Governance
ITIL significantly contributes to effective IT governance when paired with other frameworks. It aligns well with CobiT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology), where ITIL best practices offer delivery solutions for CobiT’s control framework instructions. ITIL also integrates effectively with ISO 17799 for managing information security processes.
By leveraging these frameworks, organizations can establish IT governance that provides lasting competitive advantages.
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