One of the most important (yet overlooked) facets of ITIL is its glossary
While there’s certainly no question that the ITIL is a treasure trove of information for IT professionals, digesting the content of it might require some additional assistance in the form of a glossary. The ITIL glossary is free to download and is available in multiple languages as well; it contains concise definitions for all the terms contained in the ITIL itself. This is of course what all glossaries do – define things, right? The ITIL’s glossary is slightly different however in that it can quickly and completely clear up any discrepancies that one might have while engaging in an ITIL certification program. The bottom line is, regardless of your level of expertise, skill or perceptiveness, if you’re studying ITIL; you are going to encounter terminology that you won’t understand. In this way, the ITIL glossary functions as a sort of key to unlocking the potential inherent in the ITIL itself.
While it is true that many in the IT community are intuitively resourceful and intelligent, approaching ITIL 2011 without the glossary, for example, would still be a mistake. For instance, misinterpreting just one term can skew one’s understanding of an entire volume.
Below are a few of the most commonly misunderstood / misidentified terms found and used in the ITIL:
- Service catalog
- Major incident
- Service desk
- Operating level objective
- Service
- SLA
- Incident
- Workaround
- CAB
- Operating level agreement
- RFC
- SLM
- Known error
- Solution
Failing to understand the true meaning behind any one of these terms (or a host of others) essentially causes one’s overall understanding of ITIL to break down. For example, if one doesn’t learn to differentiate between terms like Known error, Major incident, or Incident, one will not be able to apply effective solutions. The difference between an Incident and Major incident is substantial; with the major incident being one that involves and / or compromises multiple departments / areas within an organization. An incident, by comparison, is simply any event that happens which wasn’t supposed to, is perhaps counter-intuitive, or affects other elements / components. If you were attempting to apply ITIL methods, naturally, you would want to address the major incidents first. But this is of course, a simplistic example.
Aside from its obvious usefulness as a study aid however, the ITIL glossary is (arguably) also a necessary fixture of any ITIL-laden operation. Sure, if one’s ITIL training is of a high enough quality (like what you will find here) you probably shouldn’t require a glossary once you’ve attained certification, but why take chances? In fact, the ITIL glossary is a perfect compliment to most IT operations, whether their entire team is well-versed in ITIL or not. Unless you become an ITIL fanatic and begin incessantly and tirelessly studying it, there will be gaps in your knowledge (this is only natural of course). Perhaps the best way to visualize the importance of the glossary is to envision a trapeze show at a circus. In this illustration, the act of studying and applying ITIL knowledge is the trapeze act / performance, given this comparison, the glossary could be equated with the safety net. Do you need a safety net to put on a trapeze show? No, you don’t, but it certainly makes much more sense to have one, and definitely facilitates practice and learning.
If you have yet to even begin exploring ITIL certification, there’s never been a better time to jump in. Right now, ITIL e-learning and certification is extremely in demand, couple that with the fact that it is also very affordable and it’s clear that now’s the time to start looking for organizations that are offering certification in it. One of the most highly recommended places to find your perfect certification package is theartofservice.com. There, you will find a wide variety of supplementary professional development courses and materials covering an extensive set of topics which should appeal directly to those in the IT community (and their potential employers). If you’re looking for a top-notch ITIL program, why not purchase one of their 2011 certification packages?
This particular package contains everything you need to ace your certification exam on the first attempt as well as prepare for various modern career challenges. From 3 months of access and online exam preparation to receiving your own copy of the text and free testing voucher (cost of exam included in package price), you’ll be hard pressed to find a better or more sensible deal. Additionally, the course itself is expertly designed to truly facilitate comprehension of material and understanding; everything you need to become certified is included.
To browse the entire list of ITIL 2011 e-learning products, click here.