ITIL is the most popular library of good practices in IT service management that support the development of the organization and meet the expectations of the company’s customers. What are the main goals of ITIL? How has this global collection changed since the 1980s?
What is ITIL?
ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a collection of best practices for managing an organization’s IT team and using IT services to develop an enterprise in any industry. It is a library that sets global standards for business conduct. ITIL applies to both internal processes (e.g. project management) and external processes (e.g. responding to unexpected disruptions in service reported by customers).
What are the main goals of ITIL?
The main goal of ITIL is to standardize the management of IT infrastructure and services in the context of business. The greatest emphasis is placed on generating service value and increasing work efficiency while reducing risks, including unnecessary expenses. Organizations implementing ITIL organize internal processes, achieving a more secure, stable and efficient infrastructure that helps gain a competitive advantage on the market.
How does ITIL support IT service management (ITSM)?
ITSM (IT Service Management) is a methodology for managing IT services in an enterprise. It includes many stages: design, creation, implementation, operation and improvement of technology. On the other hand, ITIL is an approach to managing the aforementioned processes. The ITIL library provides a certain framework for implementing a personalized ITSM methodology in an organization.
ITIL History and Development
The ITIL library has been developed since the late 1980s. Technological developments and other changes in the business environment require updating the guideline database.
Who developed ITIL and how did it evolve?
The ITIL collection was created in the 1980s by the then CCTA (Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency), a British government agency that was supposed to standardize technology management in the public sector. Modern ITIL is also used in the private sector on a global scale.
What versions of ITIL were published and when?
ITIL v1 saw the light of day in the publication “Service Level Management” in 1989. The entire first version of the library included several dozen manuals published over the next decade. ITIL v2, which came into force in 2001, consolidated the content into several manuals. After 6 years, ITIL v3 was published. The next version of the library was shortened to just 5 volumes. The current version of ITIL 4 is effective from February 18, 2019.
Key ITIL-related organisations
What role does AXELOS play in the context of ITIL?
AXELOS is a company founded by the British government and Capita (an international outsourcing giant) in 2014 and acquired by PeopleCert (a global leader in certification services) in 2021. AXELOS is the owner of ITIL.
How does PeopleCert affect ITIL certification?
PeopleCert allows you to take the course and obtain the ITIL 4 Foundation certificate in 12 languages, including Polish. The PeopleCert offer also includes certified training in the areas of ITIL 4 Leader: Digital & IT Strategy and ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve, which focus on, among others, business strategy, change management and digital transformation.
Who offers ITIL training?
ITIL training in remote or on-site form is offered by various entities on the Polish market, e.g. Sii Polska, Conlea or Comarch. When choosing a provider, pay attention to whether they conduct authorized training and exams.
ITIL versions: from ITIL v1 to ITIL 4
What are the characteristics of ITIL v1?
The first publications within ITIL v1 concerned IT infrastructure management and were used primarily in the public sector.
What changes did ITIL v2 introduce?
ITIL v2 unified previously published guidelines in two publications: “Service Delivery” and “Service Support”, which contained descriptions of 10 processes.
What are the main elements of ITIL v3?
ITIL v3 distinguished itself by introducing a five-stage IT service lifecycle: Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement. This version was updated in 2011. Moreover, the ITIL library was expanded with “ITIL Practitioner Guidance” in 2016, a set of principles facilitating the implementation of ITIL in organizations.
What’s new in ITIL 4?
The latest version of the ITIL 4 library has been released in the “ITIL 4 Foundation” manual. The latest version features the concepts of SVS (The Service Value System) and The Four Dimensions of Service Management.
ITIL 4 and Contemporary Practices
How does ITIL 4 integrate Agile, Scrum, Lean, and DevOps?
ITIL 4 uses elements used in agile methodologies. Thanks to this solution, organizations can efficiently integrate various practices in IT service management. Guiding Principles reflect the characteristics of DevOps, including a focus on value, the key role of feedback in iterations, and a holistic view of the service lifecycle.
What are the key concepts of ITIL, such as the Service Value System (SVS)?
The SVS (The Service Value System) consists of 5 components:
- guiding principles (universal recommendations),
- governance (procedures that ensure proper management of the enterprise),
- service value chain (actions focused on delivering a valuable service to customers),
- ITIL practices,
- continuous improvement (actions that meet stakeholder expectations).
What is the importance of the Four Dimensions of Service Management?
The Four Dimensions of Service Management are based on:
- people and organization,
- information and technology,
- partners,
- value streams.
This structure supports the creation of valuable services for the company’s customers and fulfillment of the organization’s business goals. In addition, the scheme assumes that products and services are created under the influence of external factors: political, economic, social, legal, technological and environmental.
Organizations using ITIL
ITIL is used by NASA, Microsoft, Spotify, HSBC, Deloitte, Grant Thornton, Intel, PwC, Oracle, HCL Technologies and thousands of other international organizations around the world.
ITIL Certification and Training
What are the ITIL 4 certification levels?
ITIL 4 certifications consist of 4 paths (Managing Professional, Strategic Leader, Practice Manager and Extension Modules) and 4 levels (Foundation, Practitioner, Advanced and Extensions). Each person must start from the base, i.e. ITIL 4 Foundation.
What does the ITIL Foundation exam look like?
The ITIL Foundation exam lasts 60 minutes, and participants who take it in a language other than their native or professional language can answer 40 multiple choice questions for 75 minutes. A passing grade is awarded after obtaining 65% of the maximum score, i.e. 26 points out of 40 points. Students cannot use the manual during the exam.
Impact and benefits of ITIL
How does ITIL contribute to creating value in organizations?
Value in ITIL is defined as the benefits, usefulness or specific meaning of a given service for all stakeholders, including the organization itself and its customers. As AXELOS emphasizes, real (final) value is created when the recipient makes decisions based on interaction with the product or service, which confirms its impact on their life. This means that organizations that want to deliver value should focus intensively on end users. The better the understanding of the consumer, the greater the value of the service created.
How does ITIL support compliance and risk management?
ITIL management practices cover many areas, including:
- information security management,
- risk management,
- incident management,
- problem management.
An organization that uses the ITIL library has the resources necessary to identify and prevent risk factors, especially external ones, that could lead to, for example, destabilization of workflow, leakage of confidential data, loss of suppliers, or a decrease in revenue.
The Four Dimensions of Service Management framework uses the PESTEL model, an analysis that is conducted before a company enters a new market. A company that constantly monitors potential political, environmental, economic, technological, legal, and social threats can avoid crises of varying scale.
