INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY –
GUIDE TOWARDS PROGRESSIVE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS
SUMMARY
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library is a set of concepts and policies for managing information technology (IT) infrastructure, development and operations. ITIL is the most widely accepted approach to IT Service Management in the world. It promotes a quality approach to achieving business effectiveness, economy and efficiency in the use of information systems. The ethos behind the development of ITIL is the recognition that organizations are becoming increasingly dependent on IT in order to satisfy their corporate aims and meet their business needs. ITIL is a cohesive best practice framework, drawn from the public and private sectors internationally. It describes the organisation of IT resources to deliver business value, and documents processes, functions and roles in ITSM. ITIL is to be adopted and built upon by an organisation as per its purposes and needs. ITIL is supported by a comprehensive qualifications scheme, accredited training organisations, and implementation and assessment tools. In today’s competitive market, being ITIL complaint is a definitive edge over the competitors.
The latest generation of the ITIL is titled “ITIL v3“. This version represents an important evolutionary step in ITIL’s life. ITIL has transformed the guidance from providing a great service to being the most innovative and best in class. In general, ITIL v3 makes the link between ITIL’s best practice and business benefits both clearer and stronger. The main development is that ITIL v3 guidance takes a lifecycle approach, as opposed to organising according to IT delivery sectors.
This article focuses on giving readers a brief understanding of the ITIL.
INTRODUCTION
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a series of books that are used to aid the implementation of a framework for IT Service Management (ITSM). Being a framework, it is completely customisable for application within any type of business or organisation that has a reliance on IT infrastructure. The ITIL originated as a collection of books each covering a specific practice within ITSM. ITIL books are developed by Office of Government Commerce, U.K. (OGC). It is the world’s de-facto standard best practice framework for ITSM. OGC also has qualification certification program for ITIL followers.
ITIL is cornerstone of good quality ITSM and a necessity for quality assurance. It provides a systematic, process-based approach, supported by procedures for key IT service management processes. ITIL is Technology independent. ITIL gives a detailed description of a number of important IT practices with comprehensive checklists, tasks and procedures that can be tailored to any IT organization.
The ITIL series consists of several books providing guidance on the planning, delivery and management of quality IT services to support business needs comprising issues pertaining to Service Support, Service Delivery, IT Infrastructure Management, Application Management, Business Perspective, Security Management. ITIL has clear definition of various terms used in ITSM in a concise yet comprehensive manner.
UTIILTY OF ITIL
ITIL provides a comprehensive set of guidance to link the technical implementation, operations guidelines and requirements with the strategic management, operations management and financial management of a modern business. Among the benefits associated with adopting the ITIL which have been identified by the users are improved customer satisfaction with IT services, better communications and information flows between IT staff and customers, better management control over ITSM and reduced costs in developing and implementing procedures and practices within an enterprise. ITIL improves the performance of processes which are being followed in an organization leading to high quality output.
It goes into great detail regarding the process, implementation and the content of the key deliverable of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and Service Level Requirements (SLRs).
ITIL contains tried and tested processes. It has a quick-start approach to help in making the best use of time and resources available and see quick results. It led to improved productivity of the organisation itself and also of delivery of third party services through the specification of ITIL. The well defined ITIL processes also minimizes duplication of efforts, dropped hand-offs and unapproved work. Additionally, individuals gain a better understanding of roles and responsibilities and how they each contribute to the success of IT and the business. It separates administrative tasks and technical tasks to help in assigning the most appropriate resources.
In short, ITIL improves efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the ITSM.
ITIL – ITSM
ITIL describes the management of IT Services in the context of the lifecycle of those services. The focus of ITIL today is integration of IT into the business, assuring the delivery of business value and the treatment of services as business assets. ITIL describes the life of a service from conception to retirement, within a Service Portfolio detailing aspects of planning and development as well as objects, specification, description and requirements of the services in use or being offered for use through means of the processes. Each process has a home in the lifecycle stage book where it is most active. The lifecycle approach gives an improved, holistic structure within which to describe all the functions, processes, roles and responsibilities that constitute ITSM Best Practice.
ITIL Reference Model
Planning to Implement Service Management
Service Management
Service
Support
Service
Delivery
T
H
E
B
US
I N
E
S
S
The
Business
Perspective
Applications Management
ICT
Infrastructure
Management
T
H
E
TECHNOLOGY
Security Management
The two basic requirements of ITSM are:
(a) Service Delivery: ITIL’s Service Delivery component includes tactical processes necessary for planning and delivering quality IT services, which is defined in SLA. Service Delivery best practices address Availability Management, Capacity Management, Service Level Management, Service Continuity Management (contingency planning) and Financial Management for IT Services.
(b) Service Support: ITIL’s Service Support component focuses on the operational processes that enable companies to provide IT Support and maintenance activities on a day-to-day, around-the-clock basis. Service Support disciplines include Change Management, Configuration Management, Problem Management, Incident Management and Release Management (including software and hardware control and distribution). This includes service desk facility as single point of contact and disaster recovery mechanism. The objective is to minimize disruption to the business by proactive identification and analysis of the cause of service incidents and by managing problems to closure.
ITIL Structure
IT SERVICE
CONTINUITY
MANAGEMENT
AVALABILITY
MANAGEMENT
CAPACITY
MANAGEMENT
INCIDENT
MANAGEMENT
PROBLEM
MANAGEMENT
CHANGE
MANAGEMENT
RELEASE
MANAGEMENT
FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT
SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT
CMDB
One of the primary elements of ITIL is Configuration Management Database (CMDB). CMDB is a database, which contains all relevant details of each Configuration Item (CI) and details of the important relationships between CI’s. CI is a part of an IT infrastructure or an item associated therewith which is under control of configuration management for ITIL implementation.
The ITIL goal of Configuration Management is to keep records of all IT data, IT processes and IT policies and to provide information to the other processes. Critical steps are the population of the CMDB and building the relationships between all the populated elements. The captured data can be used for decision support, for change impact analysis, release management verification identifying rogue changes and any number of other information processing and analysis purposes. CMDB helps in keeping track of all ITIL processes.
Deming Circle
For quality improvement W. Edwards Deming proposed the Deming Cycle (or Circle). The four key stages are Plan, Do, Check and Act after which a phase of consolidation prevents the ‘Circle’ from ‘rolling downs the hill’ as illustrated:-
ITIL is built around a process-model based view of controlling and managing operations often credited to Mr. Deming. ITIL helps in achieving the Deming Circle. ITIL is a process led approach. Quality management for IT Services is a systematic way of ensuring that all the activities necessary to design, develop and implement IT services which satisfy the requirements of the organization and of Users take place as planned.
Implementing the change
Besides having human resource having knowledge and experience of ITIL, business needs a Change Advisory Board (CAB) so that ITIL is implemented with commitment and efficiency. CAB approves and controls the required changes within the acceptable level of risk.
Change Manager
(Chair)
Finance
Manager
Software Control
& Distribution Manager
Problem Manager
Senior Business
Representation
Others as required
Application
Manager
Service level
Manager
CAB
SLA
One of the important components of service delivery is the service level agreement. A SLA is fundamental to service provision, from the perspective of both the supplier and the recipient. It documents and defines the parameters of the relationship itself. The quality of the SLA is therefore a critical matter.
SLA is a legal document which ensures that the proper elements, understanding, commitments and deliverables are in place to provide consistent service support and delivery as per SLR. SLR indicates the expected customer specifications, requirements and characteristics of the service delivery. The intent of SLA is to specify the detailed levels of services to avoid future differences on deliverables. Typical SLA sections include: Introduction, Scope of Work, Performance, Tracking and Reporting, Problem Management, Compensation, Customer Duties and Responsibilities, Warranties and Remedies, Security, Intellectual Property Rights and Confidential Information, Legal Compliance and Resolution of Disputes, Termination and Signatures.
ITSM warrants that SLAs are drafted, negotiated and contracted as per the underpinning contracts and management’s expectation of available IT resources and mapping resources to customer services. SLM ensures that management can deliver the required level of service before any agreement is signed. This is done in discussion with the internal IT departments and the external IT suppliers.
The primary task of SLM is to ensure continuous identification, monitoring and reviewing of the optimally agreed levels of IT service as required by the business, in close co-operation between IT services providers and customers. The goal of SLM is to maintain and improve IT Service quality, through a constant cycle of agreeing, monitoring and reporting upon IT Service achievements and instigation of actions to eradicate poor service in line with business or cost justification. During the course of business, SLM ensures building adequate capacity for meeting SLRs.
ITIL v3
Recently, OGC has introduced new version of ITIL called as ITIL v3. ITIL v3 is a part of a process to enhance and improve the ITIL best practices. This is the essence of “Current best practice” – defining the frontiers and industry practices, which continuously shift as organisations compete to meet the evolving demands of customers. ITIL v3 is written with a broader context and scope of thinking for best practices. The input for the books, reviews and changes comes from a collective global community of IT Service Management professionals and stakeholders during a three-year period. The new approach is termed the ‘lifecycle’ approach, much the same as an IT service in reality.
Significant portion of ITIL v2 (earlier version of ITIL) content has been refined and included in ITIL v3. Besides the overall new architecture of ITIL ITSM Practices, there are new topics covered in ITIL v3, that haven’t been a part of ITIL in past like strategic aspects, service design aspects, supplier management, outsourcing, service knowledge management system, application design and management, technology architecture design and management, service measurement, event management, request fulfilment, access management.
ITIL Books
ITIL v3 comprises five distinct volumes: ITIL Service Strategy; ITIL Service Design; ITIL Service Transition; ITIL Service Operation; and ITIL Continual Service Improvement. The contents of two most commonly used sets within the previous release, Service Delivery and Service Support, are broadly still present. These were as follows: Incident Management; Problem Management; Configuration Management; Change Management; Release Management; Service Desk; Service Level Management; IT Financial Management; Capacity Management; Availability Management; IT Service Continuity Management; IT Security Management.
A sound service strategy is essential in the creation of high quality IT services. It provides a base upon which to build a successful service management function and ensures that best value is delivered to business customers. Service Strategy is a major strength of the new ITIL library. It introduces the service lifecycle and encourages the development of a business perspective. Whether you are a service provider or a business customer, this book guides you through the choices that you need to make to achieve service excellence. It helps focus upon understanding, and upon translating business strategy into IT strategy, as well as selection of the best practices for the particular industry in question. It encompasses a framework to build best practice in developing a long term service strategy. It covers many topics including: general strategy, competition and market space, service provider types, service management as a strategic asset, organization design and development, key process activities, financial management, service portfolio management, demand management, and key roles and responsibilities of staff engaging in service strategy.
Well-designed services play a vital role in realizing a sound service strategy. Effective design contributes towards the delivery of quality services that meet or exceed customer expectations. Service Design shows how to create valuable IT service assets for your organisation, but within business constraints, such as time and money. It provides a framework for service design that considers customer requirements, both now and in the future, while keeping the business view firmly in sight. Service Design provides guidance on the creation and maintenance of IT policies and architectures for the design of IT service solutions. The design of IT services conforming to best practice, and including design of architecture, processes, policies, documentation, and allowing for future business requirements. This also encompasses topics such as Service Design Package, service service level management, designing for capacity management, IT service continuity, Information Security, supplier management, and key roles and responsibilities for staff engaging in service design. This also embraces outsourcing, insourcing and co-sourcing.
Successfully bringing a well-designed service into the live environment takes efficient planning. It is necessary to deliver new or changed services with the appropriate balance of speed, cost and safety while ensuring minimum disruption to operations. Service Transition provides and supports the ‘business as usual’ delivery of the organisation’s requirements from IT. Service Transition provides guidance on managing the many aspects of service changes, preventing undesired consequences while allowing for innovation. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to deliver IT change with the best possible benefit to the business. Service Transition volume covers the longer term change management and release practices. It provides guidance for the transition of IT services into the business environment. Fundamentally, it covers how to create a transition strategy from service design and transfer it to the production (business) environment.
Once services have been successfully delivered into the live environment they need to be managed effectively on a day-to-day basis. It is here, at the customer interface, that perceptions about your performance as a service provider are created, and your success will be judged. Service Operation introduces and explains delivery and control activities that support high quality service operation. Use of the guidance will help to ensure a balanced and flexible approach, setting you firmly on the road to achieving excellence as a service provider. Service Operation covers delivery and control processes with a view to ensuring service stability. Also the monitoring of problems and balance between service reliability and cost etc are considered. It embraces the familiar basics of how to manage services in the production environment, including day to day issues and fire fighting. Best practice for achieving the delivery of agreed levels of services both to end-users and the customers are provided herein. This book guides through balancing conflicting goals (e.g. reliability v. cost), event management, incident management, problem management, request fulfilment, asset management, service desk, technical and application management, as well as key roles and responsibilities for staff engaging in Service Operation.
Even with a successful service operation in place, there is still a need to consider improvements at every opportunity. This will help protect against losing your competitive edge and will ensure that the best possible outcomes are being achieved. Continual Service Improvement focuses on the process elements involved in identifying and introducing a cycle of service management improvements. It provides structure for your approach to assessing and measuring services and helps you to avoid short-terms fixes in favour of a continual improvement in quality that truly benefits your business customers. Continual Service Improvement covers the processes involved in improving service management within the business, in addition to the issues related to service closure or retirement. It basically describes how to improve a service after it is deployed. The goal of Continual Service Improvement is to align and realign IT Services to changing business needs by identifying and implementing improvements to the IT services that support the business processes.
Topics included in each book:
ITIL v3
The latest IT success formula!!!
Service Strategy
— Strategy and value planning
— Roles / responsibilities Planning and implementing service strategies
— Business planning and IT strategy linkage
— Challenges, risks and critical success factors
Service Design
— The service lifecycle
— Roles and responsibilities
— Service design objectives and elements
— Selecting the appropriate model
— Cost model
— Benefit and risk analysis
— Implementation
— Measurement / control
— Critical Success Factors & risks
Service Transition
— Managing change (organizational and cultural)
— Knowledge management
— Risk analysis
— The principles of service transition
— Lifecycle stages
— Methods, practices and tools
— Measurement and control
— Other best practices
Service Operation
— Principles and lifecycle stages
— Process fundamentals
— Application management
— Infrastructure management
— Operations management
— Critical Success Factors and risks
— Control processes and functions
Continual Service Improvement
— The drivers for improvement
— The principles of CSI
— Roles and responsibilities
— The benefits
— Implementation
— Methods, practices and tools
— Other best practices
CONCLUSION
ITIL defines the organisational structure and skill requirements of an information technology organisation and a set of standard operational management procedures and practices to allow the organisation to manage an IT operation and associated infrastructure. The operational procedures and practices are supplier independent and apply to all aspects within the IT Infrastructure.
ITIL is ultimately concerned with aligning IT with the business through the whole planning to support lifecycle – that means that the business is ultimately the driver, not IT. ITIL is a quality process that is based on continual improvement based on Business needs.
Implementing ITIL is not a quick fix nor will it be easy to implement. It takes a lot of thought, commitment and hard work to successfully change the way the IT organization does business. There needs to be upfront planning, training and awareness, ongoing scheduling, roles created, ownership assigned, and activities identified in order to be successful. Implementation and credentialing the ITIL in ITSM requires knowledge and training. ITIL is intended to be non-prescriptive, expecting that organizations will have to engage ITIL processes with their existing overall process model.