Information Technology Infrastructure Library (Itil)

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
Shalini Sasidharan
ITIL is a framework to implement ITSM. ITIL standardizes IT operations within a firm, using technology driven processes to achieve business goals, rather than technology being the primary focus. Implementation of ITIL requires a certain extent of technical backing but it is wrong to assume that it is completely cutting edge technology dependent. Although, ITIL implementation streamlines functions, aligns people to specific processes making business operations transparent, ITIL in itself should not become a goal.5
Keywords: ITIL – relevance, structure, advantages and flipsides

Introduction: In today’s service industry, where every organization is trying to outdo the other – the organization that makes an impact on the market significantly is the one who is able to map business goals to customer needs. This is effectively done only if the company can work with a framework where in the business goals are driven by IT. This is where ITIL and ITSM call the shots. ITSM is Information Technology Service Management and ITIL helps to achieve ITSM. ITIL aims at an invisible penetration of Information Technology at every level into the organization for process improvements to optimize man power, technology and money.
So why ITIL? Well the rules of business world especially in the troubled economic scenario dictates only profits and cost - cutting. Cost Cutting comes with process efficiency which is where ITIL with its checklists, tasks and procedures can be tailor made to any industry that needs IT support to drive its business. Technology dominated businesses are slowly becoming extinct and ITIL continues to grow in popularity permeating into businesses of every type and size.3

Literature Review:
ITIL Then and Now
In the 1980’s the UK Government 's Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) realized the growing dependence of business operations on IT. They also were quick to realize that if a standard framework with defined procedures were not in place, then private players and government agencies would create their own rules and stick to them to manage their business. This need to introduce the element of homogeneity in business process gave birth to ITIL. ITIL could perhaps be thought of as the ISO standards for the IT Sector and is predominantly modeled on Deming’s PDCA Cycle. ITIL began as a set of books published first between 1989 – 1996 and version 1 of ITIL soon expanded to 30 volumes. This is how the ITIL revolution was born.1
Further down the line by around 2006, it was accepted that the 30 volumes that ITIL comprised has to categorize into 8 logical compartments that put together congruent processes so that they could be better used. This was the beginning of ITIL v2 .In May 2007 ITIL version 3 has been used where in these 8 volumes have been reduced to 5 volumes.
ITIL 2 versus ITIL 3:
ITIL 2 when released had the following components1: * Service Support * Service Delivery * ICT Infrastructure Management * Security Management * The Business Perspective * Application Management * Software Asset Management * Planning to Implement Service Management - published on Apr 9, 2002 * ITIL Small-Scale Implementation - published on Jan 26, 2006

ITIL 3 when released in May 2007 had the following components1: * ITIL Service Strategy * ITIL Service Design * ITIL Service Transition * ITIL Service Operation * ITIL Continual Service Improvement
What makes ITIL 3 so different from ITIL 2? ITIL V2 stresses more on process improvement ITIL V3 makes the clear cut step towards a service driven lifecycle. Also V3 is able to show a Return on Investment towards the business which is leading to its increasing popularity. In layman parlance while V2 stressed on what V3 is able to show how.2
What wonders can ITIL achieve?
Implemented carefully ITIL can maximize process efficiency and save the big bucks. Some examples in the recent past are, in 2000 Caterpillar had an incident response time of 30 minutes that ate into their goals by 30 per cent. Post ITIL implementation they always touch more than 90 per cent of their goals. Same story in Liberty Mutual, where in pre ITIL implementation, a critical network application kept failing affecting business. Post ITIL, constant monitoring and tracking of the application has helped them reduce outages.4
What can ITIL lead to?
ITIL is not a wonder pill whose implementation is going to lead to overnight profits and capture market shares. ITIL can certainly add more disorderliness to an organization that has no proper IT definition. ITIL can also lead to certain inertia in the organization, post implementation. It also forces a routine that the workforce comfortably settles into and this may lead to innovation and creativity being smothered.5
Discussion
ITIL is here to stay considering its focus is in the direction away from technology centric processes. As an MIS graduate I believe it vital for all IT professionals to understand ITIL. ITIL is all about service delivery - once we understand ITIL, we will not think only in terms of a server going down but it will be more about a service going down. For the customer it is the service that matters. Effectively, if the failover server has taken up the role of the main server but the original server has just crashed it is classic case of a service being up although a server is down. ITIL is all about service delivery and provides best practices which have a deep operational impact in organizations.
References
Electronic Sources: 1. Web Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Technology_Infrastructure_Library 2. Web Site: http://www.itiltraining.com/itil-v2-v3-differences.asp
Journal Article: 3. R A Steinberg & M Goodwin (2006) ITIL Crash Course INFOWORLD -FRAMINGHAM THEN SAN MATEO- 28, no. 43, (22-30) 4. David L Margulius (2004) IT by the Book – INFOWORLD - 26, no. 39, (49 – 53)
Book Chapter: 5. Addy R. (2007) Effective IT Service Management to ITIL and Beyond! ITIL – Holy Grail or Poisoned Chalice?, (1): 1- 7.

References: Electronic Sources: 1. Web Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Technology_Infrastructure_Library 2. Web Site: http://www.itiltraining.com/itil-v2-v3-differences.asp Journal Article: 3. R A Steinberg & M Goodwin (2006) ITIL Crash Course INFOWORLD -FRAMINGHAM THEN SAN MATEO- 28, no. 43, (22-30) 4. David L Margulius (2004) IT by the Book – INFOWORLD - 26, no. 39, (49 – 53) Book Chapter: 5. Addy R. (2007) Effective IT Service Management to ITIL and Beyond! ITIL – Holy Grail or Poisoned Chalice?, (1): 1- 7.