Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) has soon become the existent standard for IT service management. It is a system that helps an organization no matter what the industry to offer services in a more economical and quality driven way. In the most recent version of the system which was published in 2011, there is just a progressive update that refines the existing body of IT service management.
Irrespective of if you are already on the certification journey or if you are just researching IT services it is helpful to learn the basics of ITIL such as the terms and concepts. This will help you gain better familiarity with the core concept before you need to give the actual certification exam.
Basic ITSM terminology and important concepts
Services: this is a means of delivering value to customers without the customer having to own a specific risk of cost.
Service management: this is a set of getting the specialist capabilities that help businesses deliver more valuable get customers in terms of service.
Service assets: a service asset or just assets refers to the capabilities and resources that a service provider must allocate to offer that particular service.
Value, utility, and warranty: the value of service can be calculated using two components; utility and warranty. I saw this should be able to offer utility as well as warranty to have value. The utility is also known as the fitness for purpose refers to the service’s ability any constraints our increase the performance for the customer. The warranty also known as fitness use allows the service to operate in a reliable manner.
Processes: a process is a structured set of activities which is designed for the achievement of the specific Objective. It process consists of four essential characteristics Number one they transform the input into output. Secondly, they deliver the results do only a particular stakeholder or customer. They are measurable and can be triggered by specific events.
Function: a function is a self-contained subset of an organization that intends to accomplish a specific task. It can be in the form of a group or a team and the tools that they use.
Roles: overall is defined as a collection of responsibilities and privileges, a role can be held by an individual or a team.
Resources: these are the raw materials that make up a service, for example, the equipment, time, staff, money, etc.
Capabilities: the specialized skills or abilities of an organization that applies to the resource to create value is known as capabilities.
Some details about ITIL v3
ITIL started in the 80s with close to 40 publications
When v2 following in 2000-2002 it was still large and complex and consisted of eight books in total. These Books talk about what needs to be done for good IT Service management.
The latest version, ie ITIL v3 released in 2007 is a much-simplified version shortened to just five books. This gives businesses more explicit guidance as to how to provide their service. It has got a more modular accredited path that is easier to navigate and understand. It also provides tactical and operational guidance. ITIL v3 gives more prominence to the strategic ITIL guidance which is more relevant to the senior staff. This version of the system is aligned with the ISO20000 standard made for IT service management.
Differences between v2 and v3
ITIL v2 is very process oriented while ITIL v3 is more, ie it has a lifecycle approach to service management.
ITIL v2 is more about the linear process flow from business to infrastructure, whereas ITIL v3 offers a more hub-and-spoke structure that enables it to have more flexibility.
ITIL v2 has close to 700 different pages of key publications where the newer version has 1400 pages distributed through 5 critical books of the service lifecycle, ie the service strategy, service transaction, service design, service operation, and continual service improvement.
ITIL v2 is positioned around the support and delivery of IT services while ITIL v3 focuses on the full lifecycle of services that cover the entire IT firm.
V2 offers very little help to ITSM people so that it gives its message more clearly and articulates benefits of more professional service management. This was rectified in the later version v3 that clearly defines the roles and responsibilities as well as the reasons why communication has a leading role in the entire lifecycle.
ITIL v2 aims to find an answer to the question “What” that is it asks “What should be done to improve your IT process.” On the other hand, ITIL v3 takes care of the question “How” this explains to the businesses how they should go about doing what needs to be done.
ITIL v3 offers businesses a framework that unifies and integrates different IT groups to work together. It contains useful insights to businesses from the latest business management theories and research. It also incorporates a strategic, innovation-focused, and integrated view of the process of service management that not only gives more structure to your business but ensures that you are able to bring about changes for the good for your business.
