Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a globally recognized framework composed of best practices for IT service management. Originating in the 1980s from the UK government's Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency, ITIL aims to enhance the efficient and economically responsible use of IT services and resources within organizations. The framework has evolved significantly, moving from an initial thirty publications to a more consolidated format featuring five core books that cover service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation, and continual service improvement.
These publications provide structured guidance on aligning IT services with business goals, managing changes and software releases, ensuring effective service delivery, and fostering ongoing service enhancements. ITIL is widely adopted by both governmental and corporate entities, including major tech firms like Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. In recent years, ITIL has been updated with the introduction of ITIL 4, which retains the foundational principles while modernizing the approach to fit contemporary IT landscapes. Certification programs have been established to help individuals understand and implement the ITIL framework, offering various levels of recognition from foundational to advanced expertise. Overall, ITIL serves as a comprehensive tool for organizations striving to improve their IT service management practices.
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Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is an internationally recognized set of best practices for information technology (IT) service management. ITIL was created in the 1980s by the UK government’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (later the Office of Government Commerce) as a tool to facilitate efficient and financially responsible use of IT services and resources among businesses seeking to enhance service quality and accommodate IT system growth. The ITIL framework of IT best practices was rapidly embraced by government agencies and major companies across Europe and the rest of the world, including IT industry behemoths Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. ITIL has been revised several times since its launch.
Overview
The ITIL framework presents an integrated set of best practices and IT lifecycle recommendations designed to help governments and businesses organize their IT systems and network management operations around consistent, documented, and repeatable processes that support improved IT service delivery and lifecycle effectiveness. The ITIL recommendations are divided into a series of books, or sets of documents, that describe various disciplines covering individual subjects for IT operations and management. There were originally thirty books, but these were consolidated down to seven in a 2000 revision (ITIL 2) and to five in 2007 (ITIL 3). The five modern ITIL books focus on one key area each: service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation, and continual service improvement.
The service strategy volume provides information designed to help organizations align their business goals and information technology capabilities. It emphasizes that each stage of the service lifecycle must remain focused on the business objective and be founded on clearly defined business goals, requirements, and service management principles.
ITIL’s service design book provides guidance on the production and maintenance of information technology policies, architecture, and documentation. The service transition documents are centered on how to manage change and how to roll out software releases. They offer guidance on activities to help transition IT services into the overall business environment. The service operation volume targets delivery and control processes based on a selection of service support and service delivery control points. The book on continual service improvement covers the process elements associated with identifying and introducing service management improvements and tackling issues tied to service retirement.
Collectively, the five core guides map the complete ITIL service lifecycle. They cover everything from the identification of customer needs and IT requirement drivers to the design and implementation of IT services into business operations to the final phase of ongoing monitoring and improvement of service delivery. In addition to the books, ITIL products and services include training opportunities, software tools, and a widely utilized ITIL toolkit designed specifically to help individuals understand and deploy the ITIL framework.
In 2014 the UK government partnered with the professional services company Capita to launch a joint venture called AXELOS, which took over ownership of ITIL. It oversaw the launch of ITIL 4 in 2019, which included some revisions for modernization while maintaining much the same framework. The exam and certification management company PeopleCert acquired AXELOS in 2021.
Several organizations have administered certification programs in ITIL over the years. Under ITIL 4, AXELOS offered an ITIL Foundation exam as a basic level, followed by distinct ITIL Managing Professional (MP) and ITIL Strategic Leader (SL) certifications. A further ITIL Master certification was available after completing both tracks.
Bibliography
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