The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a very widely accepted approach to IT service management and comprises a set of concepts and practices for Information Technology Services Management (ITSM), Information Technology (IT) development and IT operations. The ITIL framework has been drawn from both the public and private sectors internationally.The names ITIL and IT Infrastructure Library are registered trademarks of the United Kingdom's Office of Government Commerce (OGC). Due to growing dependence on IT, the UK Government's Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) developed a set of recommendations in the 1980’s. It recognized that without standard practices, government agencies and private sector contracts were independently creating their own IT management practices. In April 2001 the CCTA was merged into the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), which is an office of the UK Treasury.
The earliest version of ITIL was called GITIM, Government Information Technology Infrastructure Management. Then, in 2001, version 2 of ITIL was released. Finally in May 2007, ITIL Version 3(ITIL V3) was launched.
The Changes brought about in ITIL V3:
1. ITIL V2-V3 has 4 high level evolutions identified
a. Alignment To Integration
b. Change Value Management To Value Service Desk Integration
c. Linear Service Catalogues - Dynamic Service Portfolios
d. Collection of Integrated Processes - Service Management Lifecycle
2. The key concepts of Service Support and Service Delivery processes have been preserved in ITIL v3. They have, however, been augmented with 12 new processes.
3. A consolidation of the library into five books, comprising-
a. Service Strategy
b. Service Design
c. Service Transition
d. Service Operation
e. And Continual Service Improvement
4. Emphasis on creating business value versus simply improving the execution of processes.
5. ITIL v2’s Service Support book identified the service desk as the lone function. Three other functions in addition to the service desk are identified in ITIL v3:
a. Technology Management,
b. IT Operations Management
c. Application Management
6. Amongst the key changes you’ll see in ITIL V3 is a wholesale shift towards a service-driven lifecycle approach and guidance which aims to be more prescriptive. Emphasis on service management through the entire service lifecycle. Continual Service Improvement (CSI) explains the use of process improvement models and identifies metrics to support improvements. Where ITIL V2 outlined what should be done to improve processes, ITIL V3 explains clearly how you should go about doing it.
7. Another key ITIL V3 addition is demonstrating return on investment to the business. This was one of the most frequent requests from the industry consultations, carried out as part of the version three projects.
Conclusion:
Although a significant amount has changed, there’s no reason to abandon the ITIL v2 just yet. If your organization is in the middle of an ITIL v2 implementation, it is not required to switch midway. Yet again, if your organization has not yet embarked on its ITIL journey, there is no reason not to start with the latest.
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