A new set of
IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) core books, version 3, has
been released, and the accompanying qualifications are due
soon.
ITIL is a set of best practices that has expanded to become a
widely adopted global framework for service management.
"The most important reason for the change to ITIL version 3 was
based on research that found that the service lifecycle is how
services are managed today," said Sharon Taylor, ITIL Refresh chief
architect and chief examiner.
"The current version of ITIL is 10 years old there has been a
huge progression towards different types of services in the market,
such as
outsourcing,"
Taylor said. "What were best practices 10 years ago are current
practice now, so the entire library of best practice needed to be
brought up to date."
The ITIL philosophy grew up around the guidance contained within
the ITIL core books and the associated professional qualifications
scheme. These qualifications were developed by examination bodies
Iseb and
Exin in agreement with the
official accreditor, the Office of
Government Commerce (OGC) and the
IT Service
Management Forum (ITSMF).
About 35% of organisations in northern Europe have adopted at
least part of the ITIL philosophy, according to estimates by the
ITSMF. Almost 450,000 people have taken ITIL examinations with Iseb
and Exin since they started running the exams in the early
1990s.
In line with the quickly developing nature of the industry, the
OGC began the ITIL Refresh project in November 2004 with the
intention of improving the usefulness and applicability of ITIL,
and to clarify the link between employment of best practices and
business benefits.
The consultation phase of the project took place in 2005 and
authors were then chosen to write five new core ITIL books based
around a lifecycle approach to service management best
practices.
The titles are:
● Service Strategy
● Service Design
● Continual Service Improvement
● Service Transition
● Service Operation
Each of the five books was reviewed by almost 50 representatives
from the IT industry, drawn from different sized companies and
various sectors, in public and private enterprise. A sixth book has
also been published as an introduction to the core lifecycle. This
volume is aimed at anyone who wishes to understand the changes that
have been made to the approach or who wants an overview of
ITIL.
Other complementary publications will follow these core books.
There will be an official study aid for each element of the
syllabus, and "key element" guides will replace current pocket
guides. There will also be an ITIL book for executives, complete
with arguments intended to convince them to invest in ITIL.
BCS information on ITIL
version 3 >>
General information on ITIL >>
Comment on this article:
computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk