ITIL:

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is the documentation and management of consistent and comprehensive best practice for IT Service Management. Used by many hundreds of organisations around the world, a whole ITIL philosophy has grown up around the guidance contained within the ITIL books and is supported by a professional qualification scheme.

Objectives when using ITIL best practice:

The objective of using ITIL is to ensure end-to-end quality of IT service delivery. Implementing ITIL allows organisations to maximise their ability to prescribe, predict, action and audit any changes to operating environments.

ITIL and Quality Standards:

ITIL can't be used on its own, it has to sit within a structured approach to quality standards and accreditation such as ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 20000 (IT Service Management) and ISO 27001 (Information Security).

ITIL implementation:

ITIL depends on a structured approach with all personnel in a service organisation being fully trained and conversant in their role within the service organisation.  This must include their interface points with others in the overall service management process.

Incident and Problem Management:

Incident and Problem management includes the single point of ownership to accurately track all incidents that are received at a Service Desk even if they are resolved elsewhere through reallocated, escalated or resolution by a third party.

Service Management Software:  

Service Management Software tools are tools used to track each incident from inception through resolution and ultimate closure.  This will include all escalation to relevant parties and reporting on service management information at timely intervals.

Change and Release Management:

A core process within ITIL is 'Change and Release Management' to maintain the integrity and security of the IT infrastructure in care.  All implementation activities are governed by strict management controls ensuring that changes are successfully executed.  All Change plans also contain back-out steps allowing for roll-back to the previous state with minimal disruption to the provision of the standard service.

The Change Management process encompasses the following elements:

• Receiving and analysing change requests
• Assessing and prioritising the impact of each change
• Reviewing of back-out and test data
• Implementation planning and scheduling
• Organising strategic change reviews
• Provision of technical authority for change approvals
• Recording all changes

• Conducting post-change reviews through an administration Change Management System

Changes that are deemed to resolve a major business issue and require an increased level of urgency will be viewed as being an Urgent Change.  This may result in a change being implemented even though a full test may not have been completed.  In such cases, authorisation and communication procedures must remain in place to maintain the integrity of all records.

Configuration Management:

Configuration Management manages all hardware and software details in a centralised Configuration Management Database (CMDB), to provide accurate information in support of other Service Management processes.  The CMDB should be viewed as business critical data and is regularly backed-up to ensure the ongoing integrity of decision making processes.  Changes in hardware or software components are recorded and managed by means of the formal Change Management process and reflected within the asset repository.

Capacity Management:

Capacity Management is another area where there is a reliance on advanced software management tools to capture server performance data metrics.  The data gathered by these tools is used for capacity analysis and planning as well as for proactively monitoring the ongoing performance of critical components.  Capacity threshold criteria are determined in accordance with the component type and are designed to facilitate peak loads and foreseeable requirements.

Availability Management:

ITIL Availability Management processes provide IT platforms and support processes that deliver an agreed level of service without wasteful and expensive over-engineering. Availability Management encompasses the future business demand and this will be discussed as part of the regular Service Review Meetings.  The process will require the continued monitoring and reporting on the key service elements, highlighting potential resource constraints and predicting the expected required levels of service.  In determining the future requirements it is imperative to understand the future business activities and drivers.

Service Improvement Programme: 

All service situations must have a constant service improvement programme.  Optimisation and Transformation programmes cater for the reality of change on any organisation.

Do you have question about ITIL - let us know at the IT Sanctuary at tellus at theitsanctuary.com 

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