EXIN and ISEB

The Dutch foundation “Exameninstituut voor Informatica” (EXIN) and the UK “Information Systems Examination Board” (ISEB) jointly developed a professional certification system for IT Service Management (ITSM). This was done in cooperation with the OGC and ITSMF. EXIN and ISEB cooperate to offer a full range of ITSM qualifications at three levels:

• Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management
• Prctitioner Certificate in IT Service Management
• Manager Certificate in IT Service Management

The certification system is based on the requirements for effectively fulfilling the relevant role within an IT organization. To date, Foundation Certificates have been awarded to over 250,000 IT professionals in more than 100 countries.

The Foundation Certificate is intended for all personnel who have to be aware of the major activities in IT service support and delivery, and the relationships between them. The practitioner Certificate is aimed at the practical level of how to perform a specific ITIL process and the tasks within that process.

The Manager Certificate is intended for those who are required to control all the ITSM processes, to advise on the structure and optimization of the processes, and to implement them in a way that meets the business needs of the organization.

Posted in ITIL

Information Technology Service Management Forum

The information Technology Service Management Forum (ITSMF), originally known as the Information Technology Infrastructure Management Forum (ITIMF), is the only internationally recognized and independent user group dedicated to IT Service Management. It is owned and operated solely by its membership. The ITSMF is a major influence and contributor to Industry Best Practice and Standards worldwide.

The first chapter of ITSMF was set up in the UK in 1991. The Dutch ITSMF (ITSMF The Netherlands) was the next chapter, set up in November 1993. There are now ITSMF chapters in more than 30 countries over the world, whcih cooperate in ITSMF International, and new chapters of ITSMF are emerging every year.

ITSMF chapters promote the exchange of information and experience which enables IT organizations to improve the services they provide. They organize seminars, conferences, special subject evenings, and other events about current IT Service Management subjects. They also publish newsletters and operate a website for information sharing. Task forces also contribute to the development of ITIL.

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Office of Government Commerce

ITIL is UK Crown Copyright and was originally created by CCTA. CCTA was the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency of the UK government. On 1 April 2001 the CCTA ceased to be an organization in its own right and became part of the OGC (Office of Government Commerce), which is an office of the UK Treasury and now the new owner of ITIL. The objective of the OGC is to help UK government to achieve best value for money in all its commercial relationships, through the use of best pratices. “OGC aims to modernize procurement in government, and deliver substantial value for money improvements.” The OGC promotes the use of “best pratices” in many areas. The OGC publishes several series of best practice material written by UK and international experts from a range of public and private sector user and vendor organizations.

OGC’s ITIL is a coherent set of clear, thorough and proven best practices to provide efficient and effective IT services.

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The A-Team of ITIL

There are four Organizations that are actively contributing to the development of ITIL and they are the following:

1. Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
2. Information Technology Service Management Forum (ITSMF)
3. Exameninstituut voor Informatica (EXIN)
4. Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB)

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Potential Problems and Mistakes with Using ITIL

People who does not understand how to use ITIL best practices in line with the needs of the business that the IT organization is there to support will experience the following list of potential problems and mistakes with using ITIL:

1. The introduction can take a long time and require significant effort, and may require a change of culture in the organization. An overambitious introduction can lead to frustration because the objectives are never met.
2. If process structures become an objective in themselves, the service quality may be adversely affected. In this scenario, unnecessary or over-engineered procedures are seen as bureaucratic obstacles that are to be avoided where possible.
3. There is no improvement in IT services due to a fundamental lack of understanding about what the relevant processes should provide, what the appropriate performance indicators are, and how process can be controlled.
4. Improvement in the provision of services and cost reductions are insufficiently visible, because no baseline data was available for comparison and/or the wrong targets were identified.
5. A successful implementation requires the involvement and commitment of personnel at all levels in the organization. Leaving the development of the process structures to a specialist department may isolate that department in the organization and it may set a direction that is not accepted by other departments.
6. If there is insufficient investment in appropriate training and support tools, justice will not be done to the processes and the service will not be improved. Additional resources and personnel may be needed in the short term if the organization is already overloaded by routine IT Service Management activities which may not be using “best practices”.

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Organization Benefits of ITIL

There are five benefits that your organization will get from ITIL

1. The IT organization develops a clearer structure, becomes more efficient, and more focused on the corporate objectives.
2. The IT organization is more in control of the infrastructure and services it has responsibilities for, and changes become easier to manage.
3. An effective process structure provides a framework for the effective outsorcing of elements of the IT services.
4. Following the ITIL best practices encourages a cultural change towards providing service, and supports the introduction of quality management systems based on the ISO 9000 series or on BS15000.
5. ITIL provides a coherent frame of reference for internal communication and communication with suppliers, and for the standardization and identification of procedures.

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Customer Benefits of ITIL

There are three benefits that your customer will get from ITIL

1. The provision of IT services becomes more customer-focused and agreements about service quality improve the relationship.
2. The services are described better, in customer language, and in more appropriate detail.
3. The quality, availability, reliability and cost of the services are managed better.

Posted in ITIL

A Library in the Information Age - ITIL

The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) was developed in recognition of the fact that organizations are becoming increasingly dependent on IT to fulfill their corporate objectives. This increasing dependence has resulted in a growing need for IT services of a quality corresponding to the objectives of the business, and which meet the requirements and expectations of the customer. Over the years, the emphasis has shifted from the development of IT applications to the management of it services. An IT application only contributes to realizing corporate objectives if the system is available to users and, in the event of fault or necessary modifications, it is supported by maintenance and operational management.

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