Friday, November 11

Thoughts on 'ITIL IT Service Management Essentials'

By Dipendra Bantawa.

In October 2005 I attended the two day workshop on “ITIL IT Service Management Essentials (Certification Course)” conducted by Pink Elephant at the “IT Infrastructure Management Conference” in Orlando, Florida. The course is divided into two days with an exam at the end of the second day. It introduces ITIL terminology and concepts and prepares students for the “Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management” exam, the pre-requisite for other ITIL certifications.

While I passed this exam on my first attempt, the teacher warned us that there is a not insignificant failure rate. The most honest tip I can offer for passing this exam is to put aside your career experiences and familiar terminologies and instead immerse yourself with ITIL concepts and terminology--unless, of course, you have participated in an ITIL-based project and are already well versed in the framework. I would also advise you to read some official ITIL materials such as the “itSMF Pocket Guide” in advance of the training.

After a thorough introduction to ITIL definitions, the focus of the workship becomes ITIL’s five operational processes and five tactical processes. The course invites attendees to imagine how they might utilize ITIL to fill gaps in or reshape their current IT processes, and our breaks were marked by lively exchanges on the differences between ITIL and other approaches.

Many organizations around the globe have adopted and implemented ITIL processes successfully, and I highly recommend this workshop as a good starting point. For general information on ITIL activities and certification, check out the IT Service Management Forum. I also recommend The ITIL Community Forum as a peer resource.