ISO20000 - the IT Service Management standard
ISO/IEC 20000 ('ISO20k') is the new international IT Service Management standard that enables IT organizations (whether in-house, outsourced or external) to ensure that their IT service management processes are aligned both with the needs of the business and with international best practice. It is based on, and replaces, BS15000, which has now been withdrawn.
This site gives you access to a wide range of information, ISO20k books, the Achieving ISO20k library, and other tools related to ISO20000.
The implementation of ISO20000 should ensure a proactive approach that delivers high levels of customer service and meets their business needs.
The ISO/IEC 20000:2005 IT service management standard
ISO/IEC 20000:2005 was jointly published by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO/IEC 20000 helps organizations benchmark how they deliver managed services, measure service levels and assess their performance. It is broadly aligned with, and draws strongly on, ITIL®. Sign up on our ITIL page for the free Briefing Paper and FAQs on ITIL, ITSM and ISO 20000.
ISO 20000, which has two parts both with the general title Information technology - Service management, enables IT service providers to identify how to enhance the quality of service they deliver to their customers, both internal and external.
- Part 1: Specification (ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005) provides requirements for IT service management and is relevant to those responsible for initiating, implementing or maintaining IT service management in their organization.
- Part 2: Code of practice (ISO/IEC 20000-2:2005) represents an industry consensus on guidance to auditors and assistance to service providers planning service improvements or to be audited against ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005.
ISO 20000 uses the process-based approach of other management system standards such ISO 27001:2005, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004, including the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and requirement for continual improvement.
Organizations can have their IT service management systems independently certified as conforming to the requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005.
ISO 20000 Books and Tools
There is a growing range of books and tools designed to help organizations that wish to tackle ISO 20000. The most useful, at the moment, is Achieving ISO 20000, the series of ISO 20000 management guides authored by the writers of the new standard.
The Pocket Guide to ISO 20000, the itSMF Pocket Guide to Achieving ISO20k Certification, and the Manager's Guide to Service Management are all very useful texts for IT practitioners and project managers looking to implement an ISO 20000 management system. Guidance on integrating ISO 20000 with ISO 27001 (the information security management standard) and other management systems (such as ISO 9001) will be available soon.
ISO 20000 Certification scheme
Organizations can be externally audited against the requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005. Certification Bodies that have been accredited for ISO 20000 can offer this service.
There is also an accreditation scheme for ISO 20000 training providers and consultants, and accredited qualifications for both auditors and consultants. More details are available here.
ISO 20000 scope
ISO 20000 itself is not clear on scoping. It says, simply, that it defines ‘the requirements for a service provider to deliver managed services of an acceptable quality for its customers.’ This statement is so broad that it might appear that virtually any organization that delivers managed services to customers would be eligible for ISO 20000 certification.
It is necessary to turn to the additional, published guidance on ISO 20000 scoping to clarify the requirements. Clause 1 of these guidelines says: “in order for a Service Provider organization to achieve certification under the ISO/IEC 20000 scheme it must be able to demonstrate that it has ‘management control’ of all the processes defined within the ISO/IEC 20000 standard. For this purpose, ‘management control’ of a process consists of:
· Knowledge and control of inputs;
· Knowledge, use and interpretation of outputs;
· Definition and measurement of metrics;
· Demonstration of objective evidence of accountability for process functionality in conformance to the ISO/IEC 20000 standard; and
· Definition, measurement and review of process improvements.”
The ISO/IEC 20000 scoping guidelines then go on to provide a number of worked examples that help clarify what ‘management control of a process’ consists of, and the circumstances under which a service provider might, or might not, be eligible for certification under the scheme.
ISO2000 and ITIL
There is an important and close relationship between ISO2000 and ITIL, the IT Infrastructure Library. You can read all about ITIL, and the relationship between ITIL and ISO20000 in the web's largest library of ITIL and IT Service Management books, tools, training and learning resources.
