fbpx
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure LIbrary
The edilume team

The edilume team

Understanding ITIL
Information Technology
Inforastruture Library

The ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a framework designed to standardize the selection, planning, delivery, maintenance, and overall lifecycle of IT (information technology) services within a business. The goal is to improve efficiency and achieve predictable service delivery.

What is ITIL?

Simply put, ITIL 4 Foundation provides the fundamentals to embed ITIL into your day-to-day work practices.

What is ITIL used for?

ITIL® is a set of practices that imparts practical and strategic ITSM guidance. (The latest version is ITIL 4.) ITIL is used as a guide to help groups improve the value of their services by focusing on co-creating business value and solving business issues, rather than just improving IT capabilities.

Who owns ITIL?

Since 2013, ITIL is owned by Axelos — a joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Capita. Axelos gives businesses the license to use the ITIL framework, while managing updates and process changes. They are behind developing and maintaining world-renowned best practice methods, frameworks and certifications including ITIL® 4, PRINCE2® and MSP®

Who is ITIL for?

ITIL 4 Foundation is for anyone who needs to understand the key concepts of IT and digital service delivery, and who is interested in helping their organization embrace the new service management culture. It is for professionals at the start of their ITIL 4 journey or people looking to update their existing ITIL knowledge.

What are the Five Components or Stages of ITIL

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a framework of best practices for IT service management (ITSM) that is composed of five components or stages, which are:

  1. Service Strategy: This component is focused on helping organizations develop a strategy for delivering and managing IT services that aligns with their overall business goals and objectives. This includes identifying the services that the organization will offer, understanding the needs of the customers, defining service level agreements (SLAs), and determining the resources required to deliver the services.

  2. Service Design: This component is focused on designing IT services that meet the needs of the customers and are sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective. This includes defining the service requirements, designing the service architecture, creating the service portfolio, and developing the service level agreements (SLAs).

  3. Service Transition: This component is focused on transitioning new or changed IT services into the production environment. This includes planning and managing changes, testing and validating the services, and deploying the services into production.

  4. Service Operation: This component is focused on managing and delivering IT services on a day-to-day basis. This includes managing incidents, problems, and requests, monitoring the services, managing service levels, and conducting continuous improvement activities.

  5. Continual Service Improvement: This component is focused on continuously improving the IT services that are delivered to customers. This includes identifying areas for improvement, defining metrics and measurements, conducting service reviews, and implementing improvement initiatives.

Each of these components is interconnected and builds upon the previous one to create a continuous cycle of service management improvement.

Ads

End of ads

What are ITIL processes?

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a framework of best practices for IT service management (ITSM) that includes a number of processes that are designed to help organizations deliver high-quality IT services. Here are some examples of ITIL processes:

  1. Incident Management: This process is focused on restoring normal IT service operations as quickly as possible following an incident. It involves identifying, logging, categorizing, prioritizing, and resolving incidents, and then closing them once they have been resolved.

  2. Problem Management: This process is focused on identifying the root cause of IT problems and preventing them from recurring. It involves identifying, logging, categorizing, prioritizing, and resolving problems, and then documenting and communicating the results.

  3. Change Management: This process is focused on managing changes to the IT environment in a controlled and predictable way. It involves assessing, planning, authorizing, and implementing changes, and then reviewing and closing them once they have been implemented.

  4. Release Management: This process is focused on managing the release of new or changed IT services into the production environment. It involves planning, designing, building, testing, deploying, and reviewing the releases, and then closing them once they have been implemented.

  5. Service Level Management: This process is focused on ensuring that IT services are delivered to customers at the agreed-upon level of quality. It involves defining, documenting, monitoring, and reporting on service level agreements (SLAs), and then conducting service reviews and implementing improvement initiatives.

  6. Capacity Management: This process is focused on ensuring that IT resources are available to meet current and future demand for IT services. It involves analyzing, monitoring, and predicting resource usage, and then optimizing resource capacity to meet business needs.

There are many other ITIL processes, but these are some of the most commonly used ones. Each process has defined inputs, outputs, roles, and responsibilities, and is designed to help organizations deliver high-quality IT services that meet the needs of their customers

What are jobs requiring ITIL?

There are several job roles that require ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) knowledge and certification, including:

  1. IT Service Manager: IT service managers are responsible for managing the delivery of IT services to customers. They use ITIL best practices to design, implement, and improve IT service management processes and procedures, and to ensure that the services meet the needs of the customers.

  2. IT Operations Manager: IT operations managers are responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of IT infrastructure and services. They use ITIL best practices to manage incidents, problems, and changes, and to ensure that service levels are met.

  3. Service Desk Analyst: Service desk analysts are responsible for providing first-line support to customers who have IT issues or requests. They use ITIL best practices to manage incidents and service requests, and to ensure that customers are kept informed about the status of their issues.

  4. Change Manager: Change managers are responsible for managing the process of making changes to IT infrastructure and services in a controlled and predictable way. They use ITIL best practices to assess, authorize, and implement changes, and to ensure that the changes are communicated to all stakeholders.

  5. Problem Manager: Problem managers are responsible for identifying the root cause of IT problems and preventing them from recurring. They use ITIL best practices to manage the problem lifecycle, to investigate and diagnose problems, and to implement solutions that prevent the problems from happening again.

  6. Service Level Manager: Service level managers are responsible for managing the level of service that IT provides to customers. They use ITIL best practices to define, monitor, and report on service levels, and to ensure that the services meet the needs of the customers.

  7. IT Project Manager: IT project managers are responsible for managing IT projects from start to finish. They use ITIL best practices to manage project risks, issues, and changes, and to ensure that the project delivers the expected outcomes and benefits.

Having ITIL certification can be a valuable asset in these and other IT roles, as it demonstrates that the individual has a solid understanding of IT service management best practices. Check out edilume’s exclusive course on preparation of ITIL certification exam.

Ads

End of ads

Understanding Problem Management in ITIL

Watch this short video from our course on ITIL that explains how  a problem is managed using ITIL framework.

Implementing ITIL

Implementing ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) can be a complex and time-consuming process, but here are some general steps that organizations can follow:

  1. Conduct a current state assessment: Before implementing ITIL, it is important to understand the current state of IT service management within the organization. This includes assessing the current processes, policies, and procedures, as well as identifying areas of strength and weakness.

  2. Define the scope: Determine which ITIL components and processes will be implemented and the scope of the implementation effort. This includes defining which services will be covered, which teams will be involved, and which stakeholders need to be engaged.

  3. Develop a plan: Develop a detailed implementation plan that includes timelines, milestones, and resources required for each stage of the implementation process.

  4. Obtain buy-in and support: Gain buy-in and support from key stakeholders across the organization, including senior management, IT staff, and end-users.

  5. Develop ITIL processes: Define and develop the ITIL processes that will be implemented, based on the current state assessment and the defined scope. This includes creating process documentation, procedures, and policies.

  6. Train staff: Provide training and awareness programs for IT staff and end-users to ensure they understand the ITIL processes and how to use them effectively.

  7. Test and pilot: Test the new processes and procedures in a pilot environment before rolling them out to the entire organization. This will help identify any issues or challenges that need to be addressed before going live.

  8. Roll-out and continuous improvement: Roll-out the ITIL processes and continuously monitor and improve them over time, based on feedback and performance metrics.

  9. Maintain and review: Continuously maintain and review the ITIL processes to ensure they remain effective and efficient, and to identify opportunities for further improvement.

It’s important to note that ITIL implementation is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of improvement. Therefore, it is important to approach it as an ongoing journey rather than a one-time project

Ads

End of ads

Comparing ITIL with other frameworks in IT domain

There are several IT frameworks available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a comparative overview of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) with other popular IT frameworks:

  1. COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology): COBIT focuses on the governance and management of IT. It provides a framework of governance, control, and assurance practices for IT processes, and is focused on the alignment of IT with business objectives. While ITIL focuses on IT service management, COBIT takes a broader view of IT governance.

  2. ISO 20000: ISO 20000 is a standard for IT service management that provides a framework for the design, implementation, and management of IT services. It is based on ITIL best practices, but is more prescriptive and formalized in its approach. ISO 20000 also includes requirements for the certification of IT service providers.

  3. DevOps: DevOps is a methodology that focuses on the collaboration and integration of development and operations teams to improve the speed and quality of software delivery. While ITIL focuses on IT service management, DevOps is focused on the integration of development and operations teams.

  4. Lean IT: Lean IT is a methodology that focuses on the elimination of waste and the continuous improvement of IT processes. It is based on the principles of Lean manufacturing and is focused on increasing efficiency and reducing costs. While ITIL provides a framework for IT service management, Lean IT focuses on process improvement and waste reduction.

  5. Agile: Agile is a methodology that focuses on delivering software in an iterative and incremental manner. It emphasizes collaboration, flexibility, and continuous feedback. While ITIL focuses on IT service management, Agile is focused on software development and delivery.

What's next?

ITIL certified professionals are in high demand. All companies who are providing IT services to their customers or have IT department need such professionals. 

There is never a better time than now to earn this prestigious IT credential.  We have just the right resources here on edilume to help you learn ITIL 4 fundamentals and pass ITIL certification exam.  

Increase your competitiveness, boost your employability and stand out from the crowd.

Liked the post? Share It.

Avail special offer on ITIL course.

Related Posts

Ads

End of ads

Job, Career Planning & Support

Ads

End of ads

FETTAHI Career Services

Our award-winning writers can help craft your CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile to the most modern style using the latest techniques to get you the job you deserve

Click Here

Special Offers on Courses

Visit our special offers page to avail discount up to 70% on various courses in IT, Language, Data Science, Project Management, Technical Writing and more 

Click Here

Dive into Project Management

Ads

End of ads

Course Library

Come on in. We have a nice course collection on edilume and some of them are completely free.  Check it out. Sign up to receive 10% discount on your first purchase.

Click Here
0
Wanna ask a question or say something? Go aheadx
()
x
Scroll to Top