For business owners, it is important to hire skilled professionals to protect their IT investments. As a result, many organisations will be looking for someone who has ITIL® certification, and it can offer an exciting and lucrative career path. If you’re a business owner, you might even be considering training members of your team so you have an in-house professional at hand. Whichever of these apply, you can find out all you need to know right here.
What does itil stand for?
Since the latter half of the 80s, ITIL® has been the framework standard regarding IT delivery and service management. However, what does itil stand for? It stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library.
This is a set of the best IT practices put together to help businesses align IT services with the needs of customers and businesses. Some of these practices include accessibility, IT-related assets and resources offering benefits and value to customers.
During the very early days, information technology departments were seen to be the cost centre of the business. However, when IT was first implemented, collaboration and communication between the business and those in the IT department were poor. Thanks to firms lacking formalised processes, the perception was that IT didn’t add value and wasn’t effective in serving the goals and needs of the business.
However, things have drastically changed with maturity as businesses recognised the need to show off value when they catered to the specific needs of the organisation. This saw the emergence of IT Service Management.
Today the ITIL® framework has become the most widely accepted and has become the standard in the management of the lifecycle of IT services along with the delivery.
The origins of ITIL®
The CCTA, Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency in Great Britain, were the first to develop the ITIL® framework in 1986 when the government realised its IT was becoming increasingly costly. They recognised the need to create a methodology for IT service management to enable cost savings and ensure resources were used more efficiently.
Compared with later versions of itil, the first ever version was unrefined and was released in 40 different volumes giving guidance on such as:
- Service level management;
- Change management;
- Help desk management;
- Problem management;
- Cost management;
- Contingency planning;
- Configuration management;
- And more.
The first and most significant itil evolution and the way forward
The first biggest evolution of ITIL® came in 2001 when v2 was released, and in 2005 the ITIL® V2 glossary was released to clarify terms within the framework that had previously been poorly defined.
In 2007 ITIL® V3 was released by way of five publications. These were:
- Service strategy;
- Service design;
- Service operation;
- Service transition;
- Continual service improvement.
This set went on to become known as ITIL® 2007 and described the processes and functions that were comprehensive and supported various aspects of IT service delivery. In addition, it covered all of the required steps of IT service management.
In 2014 AXELOS took over the ownership of the ITIL® framework; this was a joint venture of Capita PLC professional services firm, and the UK government. The framework continued to be updated and refined, along with them overseeing the accreditation of ITIL® certification and training institutions worldwide.
In 2019 ITIL® 4 was released and saw changes to how IT organisations did ITSM. It is also the most significant update to the framework since 2007. This was thanks to the new four dimensions model identifying four factors critical to a successful value delivery with ITIL®. These were organisations, people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and processes.
With the release of ITIL® 4 came a new certification scheme, and the very first certification, ITIL® Foundation, was released in 2019/2020. AXELOS identified four certification levels for ITIL® 4, which were:
- ITIL® Foundation;
- ITIL® 4 Managing Professional;
- ITIL® 4 Strategic Leader;
- ITIL® Master.
What are ITIL® courses and service management training?
Taking an itil course is an option for anyone who works in the IT services industry or within a project management role. Courses provide individuals with further knowledge of IT, which helps them progress through their IT careers.
Service management courses are greatly sought after by businesses as they show knowledge of IT services and show a solid understanding.
ITIL® training options
There are many choices of
ITIL courses and IT service management training to choose from, with courses being available for all skill levels.
The ITIL® V4 Foundation Course
The ITIL® V4 Foundation course is the starting point for anyone who wants to gain accreditation. This course is an introduction and allows candidates to take a look at IT service management via an end-to-end operating model for the creation, delivery and continual improvement of tech-related products and services.
The course takes the candidate through numerous aspects and key points for three days. After that, you can take the exam (included within the course with TSG Training) to test your understanding and to achieve your qualification. Find out more about the
ITIL® V4 Foundation course with TSG Training.
The ITIL® Specialist High-Velocity IT Course
The
ITIL® Specialist High-Velocity IT Course is at the middle of the spectrum of courses, and before taking this course, you must have passed the Foundation examination.
The HVIT qualification, as the course is called, gives an understanding of ways in which digital organisation and digital operating models function in high-velocity environments. The course focuses on the rapid delivery of services and products to get maximum value. It gives the candidate an understanding of working practices, including Lean, Agile and technical practices, along with technologies, including The Cloud, Automation and Automatic Testing.
ITIL® 4 Strategist Direct, Plan & Improve Course
The
ITIL® 4 Strategist Direct, Plan & Improve Course is offered by TSG Training, and to be able to sit the exam, the candidate needs to have passed the Foundation exam.
The course gives practical skills that are needed to create learning and improving IT organisation which has a strong, effective strategic direction. The course teaches a practical and strategic way to plan and deliver continuously with the necessary agility. It is split into 12 modules, and it is an intensive course taken over three days.
ITIL® can be a fantastic certification for both your individual career and to benefit the wider organisation. However, with many courses available, it can be hard to know which is the right option for you. If you’re unsure, please contact the TSG Training team for a free consultation. Our friendly advisors will talk you through the different options and find the right choice for you depending on your expertise, career and business needs.
