Who actually owns ITIL?

…That would (now) be the Cabinet Office, under direction of the OGC (which is also a division of the UK government)

Back in 2010 (and leading up until then as well), there was a slight controversy in the IT community concerning who has the precedent to control / manage the rights to the ITIL.  Detractors tend to view any intervention of the government or mandated copyright ownership(s) is without precedent.   However, we must also be able to look past ongoing squabbles over control issues in order to gain true clarity of understanding; the truth is, whoever owns (and has been controlling the progress and development of) the ITIL has done a satisfactory job.  This is evidenced by the fact that it is widely known and used.  Just look at the large number of businesses that are utilizing / have utilized ITIL to bring their long term goals to fruition.
Many people actually don’t realize that the ITIL is held under a “Crown Copyright”.  This is to say that Her Majesty’s Government actually owns the rights to all ITIL materials, and they are not public domain, as many tend to think.  However, despite copyright issues / concerns, the UK government is actually very gracious in the manner in which they allow virtually anyone to participate in the ongoing development of ITIL.

In fact, it could be said that if this government body had not elected to allow for worldwide participation and distribution, the ITIL wouldn’t be the powerhouse that it is today.  Once you realize that along with claim of ownership comes enormous responsibility (including investing large financial sums to ensure sustainability), it becomes apparent that this arm of the UK government might actually be doing us all a favor.

Here are the goals outlined by the OGC concerning how they manage materials and personnel:  (information taken directly from the UK national archives site – webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110822131357/http://www.ogc.gov.uk)

• Delivering value for money from third party spend
• Delivering projects to time, quality and cost, realising benefits
• Getting the best from Government estate
• Delivering sustainable procurement and sustainable operations on the Government estate
• Supporting the delivery of Government policy goals
• Improving central Government capability in procurement, project and programme management and estates

On the other side of the argument, it could be considered somewhat dangerous to allow governmental institutions to perpetually own industry-infrastructure critical intellectual copyright materials / resources such as the ITIL.  This is because such a large portion of the inherent material(s), including ongoing additions, actually comes from public sources.  However, once again, to say that the people responsible for managing the ITIL aren’t doing a satisfactory job is ludicrous.  Perhaps a better long term strategy for appeasing all involved parties would be to allow for gradual transfer of copyright to the public domain over an extended period of time?

Once again however, we must go back and examine how ITIL got started in the first place.  It was actually the UK government who approached the CCTA (central computer and telecommunications agency) in the 1980’s with the idea of developing a more consistent, efficient and thorough methodology resource for the use of IT assets.  At the time, this was done for the benefit of British-based (public sector) organizations; however, over time, the ITIL has been disseminated across the entire globe.

So, in many ways, the OGC is right to claim ownership over ITIL, simply because it was an idea born of a governmental organization.  Detractors have their valid points too however, because it is clear that the ITIL cannot remain inexorably attached to any one government forever.  On the other hand, virtually everyone in the IT community owes a debt of gratitude to this branch of the UK government which had the foresight to envision such a thing as ITIL in the first place.

If you’re reading this piece, it is likely that you are either already an ITIL initiate, or interested in becoming one, right?  The latest edition / release of ITIL (2011) is not only more comprehensive than ever, great care has also been put forth to ensure that it is the most organized and coherent as well.  For instance, the release of ITIL 2011 has marked the establishment of consistent terminology across multiple volumes.  This latest ITIL release is arguably the most readable and study-friendly of any previous release, and should make attaining certification a much more streamlined process.

Why should you certify in ITIL?  
In spite of world’s economic and employment troubles, the IT job market is fairly untouched and quite healthy.  While this is good news right now, it also means that more and more individuals are going to be pursuing careers in IT as well.  Regardless of whether or not these incoming candidates have experience in ITIL, you need it to “differentiate yourself from the pack”, so to speak.

Likewise, employers are turning to ITIL in droves to aid in providing solutions to tech-related business problems and servicing long term goals.  Additionally, many organizations see ITIL as an excellent system for measuring and maintaining a sensible cost-to-profit ratio.  Aside from remaining relevant and absorbing the best methodologies for use in servicing IT infrastructure, ITIL is also a gateway to an even greater understanding of one’s duties within any IT department.

If you want to get certified in ITIL 2011, click here for one the top e-learning programs around.

ITIL certification & interviewing for a job
How knowledge of ITIL can help you ace questions during an interview

When most people think of ITIL, the tendency is to envision it as something that only reveals its usefulness “on the job”, so to speak.  However, the truth is that your accumulated knowledge of ITIL is also extremely useful during a job interview or employment meeting.  This is assuming that you are an IT professional and have completed some type of certification program (in ITIL) of course.

First off, let’s try to imagine things from the point of view of the individual who is conducting the employment proceedings.  Their goal is not only to find a candidate that is motivated, intelligent, and a team player; today’s employers want specific examples of how you can improve and / or maintain their operation(s).  This is actually very good news for those who have really absorbed the foundational / fundamental concepts of ITIL.

You have to keep in mind that the ITIL itself is a representation of a staggering amount of personal, private and public research.  Likewise, one could say that the ITIL is nothing more than a collection of the best cutting edge concepts and proven processes.  To make an illustrated comparison – if you were studying art, who would you rather learn from, a master painter who changed the way we think about things, or your local professor?  (This is not to say that academics are not valuable, they certainly are, only that you can expand your understanding considerably by immersing yourself in the knowledge of the truly great.)

Engaging an ITIL training / certification program is an affirming experience for IT careerists.  You see, ITIL isn’t merely a collection of the best methods for maintaining, managing, improving, or initiating IT infrastructure, it is kind of like a living constitution.  It’s living in the sense that newer and better concepts and practices are being added to it all the time; herein resides the power of ITIL.

Let’s examine some common questions that one might encounter on an IT-related job interview.  Conversely, IT personnel and managers can use there questions to determine whether or not their team might require additional ITIL training:

• Can you outline the stages of the ITIL/IT lifecycle(s)?
• Can an entire IT organization become certified in ITIL?
• How can ISO 20000 reinforce ITIL?
• Please elaborate on various testing methods / procedures.
• What is normally included in a Service Level Agreement?
• Elaborate on how ITIL can add value to any business model.
• Explain how an IT department steeped in ITIL can speed up the delivery and production of new services.
• Please provide specific examples of IT “services”.
• How might peripheral services be used to better this organization?  Can you provide examples?
• Can you name a risk that might occur whilst designing a service?
• Describe the purpose of service management.
• Detail how ITIL works to eliminate significant or perceived risks.
• Please detail various varieties of Service Level Agreements.

While undertaking an ITIL certification course you will gain a much better understanding of how specific elements of IT infrastructure (and individual duties) fit into the grand scheme of things; in other words, you’ll learn to look at things from the “big picture”.  For instance, acceptable solutions for certain situations might be presented, but only those with a broad understanding of ITIL might be able to ascertain if they are long-term compatible with other components and goals.

ITIL wasn’t created to sell certification test vouchers or educational materials; it was created to facilitate forward-thinking worldwide change and continuous improvement in IT.  Through ITIL, various IT departments around the globe are stepping up to meet the challenges of business and industry.  New solutions to serious issues are being shared amongst everyone thanks to reference tools like the ITIL.  The cumulative effects of this “shared knowledge” are new emerging standards and the implementation of fresh ways of conducting business.  Arguably, ITIL is significantly contributing to the stability of world markets in that more and more organizations are coming to depend on automated services and IT technology to perform daily business.

Those who have truly absorbed the foundation elements of ITIL are not only prepared to respond to virtually any line of questioning that an interviewer might throw at them, they’re also empowered from a career perspective.  The latest and most up-to-date version of the ITIL, the 2011 edition, has addressed many of the issues laid out by the training community.  ITIL 2011 is more complete, thorough, and organized than ever before; whether you are just discovering ITIL for the first time or perhaps updating your knowledge base, ITIL 2011 is the way to go.

What is an “ITIL interview”?

Although the words “ITIL interview” might conjure up images of an intense session of detailed scrutiny, you shouldn’t worry too much.  There are essentially two different, or rather separate, meanings that can be attributed to the expression “ITIL interview”.  The first meaning would refer to the segment of one’s certification examination in which they are asked to answer a series of questions that are perhaps based on pertinent real-life situations / issues.  The second reference to an ITIL interview could be attributed to a series of questions posed by a potential employer during a job interview.

While it might seem as if a subject like ITIL would be relegated to the background during the hiring process, many employers (who regularly interview IT personnel) might be inclined to test the mettle of potential applicants by posing ITIL-based questions to them.  In fact, those who are employing IT professionals might want to consider utilizing an ITIL interview-style tactic during follow-up meetings (i.e. – meeting with the “short list” of candidates).

However, a majority of individuals are going to associate the idea of an ITIL interview with that of a certification test, and rightly so.  During such an interview, the person conducting that particular portion of the test (likely to be a certified expert in their own right) will attempt to ascertain how much you actually understand with regards to the application of ITIL methods / practices.  The goal here is to determine how you would be able to apply your knowledge to professional situations, as well as your understanding of ITIL methodology and programming skill(s).    It could be said that it is the duty of the ITIL interviewer to determine whether or not a certification candidate is worthy of receipt.

The Questions
The actual content of the questions  of an ITIL interview will (obviously) vary from interview to interview, but it is extremely likely that it will range from general attitudes and goals, to specific examples of implemented knowledge.

Here are some examples of generalized questions:

• How can ITIL be used to solve diagnostic issues?  Can you give me an example?  .
• Can you see ITIL being used to help revamp an organization’s operation?
• How has your ITIL certification progress attributed to your overall professional development?
• What are your duties in relation to that of the IT manager?
• What assets are needed to facilitate the management of IT resources?
• Provide examples of specific benefits with regards to the use of ITIL within an organization.
• How does ITIL promote efficiency?
• Has your experience with ITIL prompted further interest in more advanced study of the subject?
• What do you perceive to be the daily objectives of someone possessing ITIL certification?
• What are your career goals / objectives relative to attaining ITIL certification?
• When you speak with customers, how do you determine what their base IT needs and requirements are?  How do you meet or exceed them?

The above examples are likely to be asked by either an ITIL testing official or a potential employer.   Though these examples are very open and deceptively simplistic, they actually provide a great platform for showing off one’s knowledge of the subject matter at hand (given that you took the time to really absorb the basics of ITIL during your training period).

The following examples / sample questions are of a more intricate or complex variety and should be considered as well:

• What are ITIL service strategies?  Can you provide examples?
• How might ITIL be leveraged to calculate a specific long-term return on investment (ROI)?
• In what ways does ITIL aid an organizations financial element?
• Elaborate on the relationship between KPI’s, ITIL, and IT services.
• What does a service level manager actually do?
• How can ITIL ensure that any service design is effective (from the customer’s viewpoint)?
• Can you detail the stages of the IT / ITIL lifecycle?
• How can ITIL be used to manage / maintain / utilize Enterprise architecture(s)?
• How does ITIL affect / interact with / reinforce the service culture mentality?
• Why is SoC (separation of concerns) important for service operation security?
• What is the purpose of CSI?
• What are the roles of the service desk?
• What is a SLA, what function(s) does it perform?
• Compare and contrast serviceability with maintainability.
• In ITIL service operation, how are cost and reliability related?
• What is the purpose of a service portfolio – what function does it provide?

In order to truly gain a more complete grasp over the material in any area of ITIL it is necessary to find a quality e-learning program.  It is imperative that your certification course not only provide all the relevant information required, but also do in a manner which truly facilitates comprehension / learning.  This excellent program covers everything one needs to achieve certification in the latest build of ITIL (2011).

Here’s to ITIL certification and future career opportunities!

What you won’t learn about ITIL from a Wiki page…
How ITIL training has positively impacted the IT industry

If you’re just discovering and/or researching ITIL for the first time you’ve probably stumbled across a great deal of information detailing the IT methodology resource (like this wiki page, for example).   Most of the top search results for ITIL deal with fairly straightforward topics / subject matter, like what ITIL is, and of course, what ITIL does.  However, while it is certainly necessary to grasp these (simple) ideas, you should also be made aware of the many ways that ITIL has influenced the IT industry at large.  When you step back and look at the big picture it’s clear that, through the influence of ITIL, new possibilities are emerging, infrastructures are more organized / standardized, and IT groups are able to help businesses achieve specific goals.

ITIL bolsters emerging technologies, concepts & methods
One of the great things about ITIL, and the system that is used to perpetuate it, is its inclusive nature.  Let’s say that someone creates a revolutionary new IT infrastructure-based application (perhaps by way of cloud computing technologies / or a deployed service), if it is truly functional and offers direct benefit(s) for managing or maintaining IT infrastructure, ITIL will include references to this application in subsequent releases.

The exact same thing can be said for ITIL user-derived solutions and methods, if they work, the ITIL board will probably include them as well.  You see, unlike other organizations which might only collect resources from academics or bureaucrats, the group that publishes the ITIL has a reputation of actively listening to its user and training communities.  This means that they are also introduced to emerging concepts and practices before they become widely known.  In many ways ITIL is acting like an aggregate for the absolute best concepts of utilizing IT infrastructure and then judiciously distributing this golden information to the public.

IT departments are becoming more organized thanks to ITIL
ITIL, by its very nature, also seeks to organize the way IT professionals work and think individually, as well as in groups.  In this way, ITIL is contributing to an increasing drive to organize one’s IT assets (which we’ll expand upon in the next heading).    Thanks to ITIL, entire systems of operation are becoming more standardized from location to location.  This means that, as an IT worker, you could basically switch employers and situations and jump almost immediately back into standard career duties.

This is also excellent news for employers and IT managers, as their IT departments are more efficient and “transparent” than ever before.  Use of the term, “transparent” is made in reference to the fact that (because of standardized methodologies like ITIL) it is much easier to differentiate between what is working and what is not.  Likewise, increased transparency means employees are more likely to enact better personal strategies and practices while on the job.

Through the use of ITIL, businesses can better leverage their IT departments
In addition to being able to better understand how their IT assets are being utilized, businesses can also use ITIL to initiate more complex, yet solid, planning.  In the business world, decisions are often made upon timetables which factor multiple items across the long-term.  Simply put, all tangible assets are measured and given tasks based upon their abilities and in turn, expected to deliver.  For instance, if an organization begins to see increased revenue coming from online transactions, greater emphasis will be placed upon developing, maintaining and perhaps increasing potential in this area.  An area like online customer interaction and sales will likely fall under the responsibility of IT, or at the very least, IT will be used to facilitate this.   In this situation, the IT department will be tasked with ensuring functionality, and perhaps even improving upon systems / products / services where applicable in order to increase productivity and sales.   Since ITIL is essentially just a big book of methods and specific solutions for managing / regulating IT infrastructure, employees can use the knowledge it contains to meet the goals and demands of their employers.

IT professionals need ITIL training and certification
For the reasons mentioned above, as well as many others not mentioned here, IT careerists need to strongly consider ITIL certification, and as soon as possible.  Employers are now showing a great deal of interest in job candidates who possess knowledge of ITIL and are even offering salary bonuses / perks to those who can demonstrate its use in real situations which benefit their organization(s).    But you shouldn’t approach ITIL simply because of the supposed perks it might offer, remember, this is extremely useful professional knowledge we are talking about here (ITIL).  The ideas, concepts and practices from hundreds, if not thousands of IT gurus are included in the pages of the ITIL; why would any serious professional not want to be privy to this information?

To get certified in the most recent up-to-date version / build of ITIL, check out this affordable certification course.

Why paid ITIL courses and materials are superior to Free ITIL materials (that are pirated copies)

Unless you’re completely new to the internet, chances are, you are familiar with file sharing (otherwise known as pirating).  While music and movies tend to be the products that most choose to illegally share, there are those who also do the same with a variety of books and other written works as well.  Books are apparently scanned and then transferred to PDF format, in order to cut down on file size.  The world of professional supplementary education has also been affected (attacked) by these self-labeled Robin Hoods.

But enough about the reprehensible actions of these pirates; let’s examine why it is good idea to (legally) purchase your ITIL materials, and what additional hidden benefits might also be up-for-grabs.  

First off, in case you didn’t know, all ITIL materials are actually copyrighted by the royal UK crown (which is facilitated through a branch of the UK government).  While this might not matter to some, you should realize that quite a lot of investment capital has gone into the development of ITIL.   Unlike other organizations which might make it exorbitantly expensive, difficult to undertake/study, or add one’s own experience to the knowledge base, ITIL remains open to all.

How the ITIL community is making a positive impact on the world
One should realize that the individuals who are responsible for maintaining and disseminating the ITIL are actually performing a service to everyone in the global IT community, and should be rightly compensated as such.  With every passing month and year, new methodologies are added to subsequent releases of the ITIL.  These releases in turn, will educate (and update) those who are in a position to best use this knowledge; this in turn improves the quality, speed and capabilities of the entire global IT infrastructure!

“Hollow certification syndrome”
Once some people hear the words, “ITIL certification can increase your salary”, they are instantly motivated to seek it out.  However, if you are the type of individual who is seeking ITIL certification in order to boost your pay without actually taking the time to truly understand and absorb the material, you are doing yourself a disservice.  This is especially true if you are trying to attain certification with pirated educational materials.  The methods and practices contained in ITIL 2011 for example, can transform your understanding of your career and duties, but you have to make an active effort toward gaining this knowledge (and then properly utilizing it).  Those who treat ITIL as if it were simply another hollow certification, are not only missing the point, they are in many ways a danger to the entire IT community.

Specific benefits of paid courses and programs
Aside from simply “doing the right thing”, there are actually benefits to purchasing an ITIL certification course.  For starters, when you buy a program you can rest assured that you are actually receiving all of the necessary materials required in order to help you pass your certification exam.  Likewise, most legitimate certification programs are designed to help you prepare for the most recent version of the cert exam.  In addition to this, paid programs might also incorporate certain discounts, or certification vouchers, which will further cut down or eliminate testing costs.

However, the biggest benefit of purchasing an ITIL certification program has to be access to additional online materials, expert assistance and interactive learning.  That’s right; some ITIL certification programs incorporate online site-specific interactive learning programs which are designed by experts in order to further facilitate your learning experience and aid in comprehension.  Additionally, some organizations might even offer limited remote study assistance.  Why take a chance on some random pirated learning materials when you the real thing is affordable, readily available, and offering useful perks?

…and of course, the legal ramifications
When you download illegal PDF copies of ITIL course materials, you are violating laws that are in place to protect copyright holders.  What do you say to the people administering your certification exams when they ask “what company / study program you used to prepare for your test?”  Perhaps your supervisor or boss is suitably impressed with your drive, initiative and new qualification(s) and asks for you to provide them with the details of the educational package you used.  The bottom line is that you should simply “bite the bullet” and legally purchase a package; there are numerous courses available which are priced to suit any budget.

The supplementary professional development industry exists in order to help organizations like ITIL to distribute their materials.  When a person decides to sidestep these e-learning providers they are removing a link in the value chain, so to speak.  The cost of ITIL certification and training is paltry in comparison to the benefits it offers, and with each package purchase, the growth and quality of future releases are assured.

If you’re looking for a dynamite program covering certification for the latest release / version of ITIL (2011), then click here.