Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) provides a comprehensive, public-domain process framework for IT Service Management (ITSM) to achieve improved Business IT alignment. ITIL originated in the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), UK; and over the years, has been upgraded for general applicability in all types of organizations. ITIL has been a key influence in the definition of the British StandardBS 15000, covering ITSM. With the increasing worldwide interest in streamlining IT services for better value and business focus, ISO 20000 has gained prominence. It has formally replaced BS 15000 as the certification standard for ITSM from June 2006. This article provides an introduction to ITIL, and its relation to ISO 20000.
IT
service is a set of related functions provided by IT systems in support of one
or more business areas. This service can comprise of hardware, software and communication
components; but from the perspective of business, represents a self-contained,
coherent entity. To illustrate this, let us look at e-mail as a service. Provision
of this service depends on servers, routers, mail servers, virus protection tools
and cabling - all working together to e-mail service to the business, as per agreed
service levels (such as being available 24x7, and supported by a Help Desk 9am-5pm
on business days). A key principle of ITIL is that IT service providers should
view IT services from the standpoint of the business that they support rather
than view it as supporting just a collection of IT infrastructure components.
Hence, in the e-mail example, it is the responsibility of the IT service provider
to translate the service level to aspects such as capacity and availability across
infrastructure components and ensure that service levels can be met. In addition,
day-to-day support for e-mail in terms of addressing user problems and queries
needs to be provided through a robust set of operational processes.
Information
Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) provides such a process framework and
best practices. ITIL has its origin in the UKOffice of Government Commerce (OGC),
part of Her Majesty's Treasury. Over the years, the ITIL framework has been made
generic, to cater to non-government organizations as well. OGC and IT Service
Management Forum (ITSMF) seek periodic `refreshes', engaging with industry to
continually keep the framework and best practices updated for adapting to changes
in the environment. |
