Introduction
IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) provides a framework of Best Practice guidance for IT Service Management and since its creation, ITIL has grown to become the most widely accepted approach to IT Service Management in the world.
This compact guide has been designed as an introductory overview for anyone who has an interest in or a need to understand more about the objectives, content and coverage of ITIL. Whilst this guide provides an overview, full details can be found in the actual ITIL publications themselves.
This guide describes the key principles of IT Service Management and provides a high-level overview of each of the core publications within ITIL.
What is an ITIL?
ITIL is a public framework that describes Best Practice in IT service management .It provides a framework for the governance of IT, the ‘service wrap’, and focuses on the continual measurement and improvement of the quality of IT service delivered, from both a business and a customer perspective. This focus is a major factor in ITIL’s worldwide success and has contributed to its prolific usage and to the key benefits obtained by those organizations deploying the techniques and processes throughout their organizations.
Some of these benefits include:
increased user and customer satisfaction with IT services
improved service availability, directly leading to increased business profits and revenue
financial savings from reduced rework, lost time, improved resource management and usage
improved time to market for new products and services
improved decision making and optimized risk.
It was originally developed in the late 1980s by Britain’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), now known as the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
Rather than a rigid set of rules, ITIL provides a framework that companies can adapt to meet their own needs. Organizations need not implement every process, just those that make sense and fit into the way the organization wants to do business in the future. Some processes may be abandoned later when post-implementation reviews show limited value, while others may be implemented as gaps are uncovered or needs change.
ITIL breaks down IT functions into discrete, full-function components that span the enterprise, called services. These services have been designed in a building block manner so they can be provisioned easily either internally or through the use of an external service provider. In each case, best practices for the delivery of the service are identified and they are addressed at three different levels:
Strategic - Long term goals of the particular service and high level activities needed to accomplish them.
Tactical - Specific processes that guide the tasks and activities needed to perform and provision the service.
Operational - Actual execution of the processes to provide the service to the customer and end users. Successful completion of the Operational tasks means that Strategic goals are accomplished within the expected time frames.
ITIL Versions
ITIL was published between 1989 and 1995 by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) in the UK on behalf of the Central Communications and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) – now subsumed within the Office of Government Commerce (OGC). Its early use was principally confined to the UK and Netherlands. A second version of ITIL was published as a set of revised books between 2000 and 2004.
The initial version of ITIL consisted of a library of 31 associated books covering all aspects of IT service provision. This initial version was then revised and replaced by seven, more closely connected and consistent books (ITIL V2) consolidated within an overall framework. This second version became universally accepted and is now used in many countries by thousands of organizations as the basis for effective IT service provision. In 2007, ITIL V2 was superseded by an enhanced and consolidated third version of ITIL, consisting of five core books covering the service lifecycle, together with the Official Introduction.
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