IT Service Management

ITSM Software | ISO/IEC 20000 | ITIL v3 2011 Update | ITIL Qualifications | SLA's

What is on this page:

What is IT Service Management (ITSM)?

IT Service Management is about more than ITIL^®. While ITIL is the basis of IT Service Management, the development of an international standard for IT Service Management - ISO/IEC 20000:2005 has been crucial to the long term take up of IT Service Management around the world.

For those new to ITSM we recommend the following books and courses:

ITSM Resources

This site has a comprehensive range of information and guidance for the ITSM practitioner, plus

Books,
ITSM toolkits/software (including an ITSM toolkit and a CMDB) and
ITSM qualifications - training/distance learning - options

The fact that organisations are now able to achieve an externally accredited certificate of compliance to an internationally recognised IT Service Management standard enables them to position themselves much more competitively. Foundations of IT Service Management, based on ITIL V3 captures this relationship clearly.

Accredited IT Service Management qualifications - such as Practitioner and Manager - can be achieved and there is a wide range of classroom seminars and distance learning products that are designed to assist individuals prepare for them. Read more about IT Service Management qualifications, training courses and distance learning options here.

IT Service Management Toolkits

IT Service Management Toolkits provide practitioners and IT professionals with proven, developed methodologies and tools that will enable them to accelerate their IT service management projects. We have a range of toolkits available to help you whatever stage you are at with your implementation.


ITSM Toolkit, based on ITIL	ITSM, ITIL® & ISO20000 Documentation Toolkit	ITSM Excellerator Toolkit	ITSM Toolkit Multi-user, download

Configuration Management databases (CMDBs) are at the heart of any successful ITSM deployment and are therefore one of the key tools. Others include templates for measurement and for service support and delivery assessments. You can find out about the full range of ITSM Toolkits here.

ISO/IEC 20000:2005

ISO/IEC 20000 is the international service management standard. ISO 20000 enables organisations to ensure that their IT service management processes are aligned with business needs and international best practise. You can read more about ISO 20000 here, and we recommend the following ISO 20000 titles:

Pocket Guide to ISO 20000 - offers an excellent overiew of the Standard and is a great starting place for someone new to ISO 20000
Achieving ISO 20000 Series - written by the authors of the Standard this is essential reading for those implementing ISO 20000
IT Service Management Self-assessment Workbook - assess your current services against the standard with this workbook

Service Level Agreements

Service Level Agreements (or SLAs) are at the heart of IT Service Management and are used to describe agreed levels of service between a service provider and a customer - and are applicable both inside and outside an organisation.

IT Service Management and Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement, a cornerstone of an effective IT Service Management environment, is fundamentally dependent on gathering and using meaningful measurements. Metrics for IT Service Management provides comprehensive, current guidance on how best to tackle this critical subject.

Six Sigma for IT Management takes IT process improvement to a new stage. As six sigma gains ground across the business sector, so its use to improve IT processes has become inevitable. This book gives organisations an opportunity to understand and adopt this latest competitive approach.

Capability Maturity Models

The concept of a Capability Maturity Model is common to most IT Service Management frameworks, and the CMM is described in the IT Service CMM Pocket Guide. Understanding the CMM model is fundamental to any long term service improvement strategy.

There are a number of other frameworks that organisations find useful in addressing their IT Service Management strategies.

The Microsoft Environment

The Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) provides operational guidance that enables organisations to achieve mission-critical system reliability, availability, supportability, and manageability of Microsoft products and technologies. This is clearly described, together with additional useful guidance, in the MOF Pocket Guide.

The Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF), now in version 3.0, is a comprehensive project management methodology which integrates with MOF and is described in the MSF Pocket Guide.

Application Services Library

The Application Services Library (ASL) is a public domain application management standard that was developed to provide best practice guidance for application design and development, something not included within ITIL, but which is ultimately important for effective IT Service Management. The ASL Foundation website is in Dutch, and ASL, a Management Guide, and ASL, a Framework for Application Management, provide comprehensive English information on this important subject.

Information Services Procurement Library

Procurement of services is a core function within IT Service Management. The Information Services Procurement Library (ISPL) has emerged to provide very focused best-practice guidance that helps both supplier and customer organisations in any information technology-related acquisition to achieve their desired quality. ISPL covers risk management, contract management and planning issues, and helps with monitoring the delivery phase. It is well described in IT Services Procurement based in ISPL - a Pocket Guide.

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