What is Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)? It has been around for 20 years, but interest within the United States has only increased in the last five years. ITIL is becoming the next big thing in Information Technology. It is the new industry buzz-word, the new certification, the new conference, and the new idea that the IT world feels it needs. This paper will describe the origin of ITIL, who controls the ITIL contents, who are the biggest users of ITIL, and why you should care about it. Throughout this paper, it will be important for you to remember that ITIL describes a framework of processes for the management of IT. Because it is a framework, ITIL does not describe in great detail how any particular process should be implemented.
Where did ITIL come from?
ITIL started in the late 1980s when the British Central Computer and Telecommunication Agency (CCTA), now called the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), made a decision that there should be a better way for Information Technology to function. The CCTA commissioned a study group to develop a new approach to managing Information Technology. From this group came Version 1 of ITIL, which was called GITIM, Government Information Technology Infrastructure Management. Version 1 of ITIL was a great deal different from the present-day version. Part of this difference is due to the gradual maturing of ITIL and changes in the Information Technology industry.
Between the development of Version 1 and the year 2001, the number of documents (books) used within ITIL grew to more than 32. In the year 2000, Microsoft used ITIL as the basis for development of their proprietary Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). The year 2000 also saw the CCTA merge into the Office of Government Commence (OGC).
Version 2 of ITIL was released in 2001. The present day version contains just 8 books:
- Service Support
- Service Delivery
- Business Perspective
- ICT Infrastructure Management
- Applications Management
- Security Management
- Planning and Implementation
- Software Asset Management
Two of these books, Service Support and Service Deliver, are the heart of ITIL and the focus of the present drive for ITIL adoption.
Because ITIL had its start in the British government, ITIL adoption began there; It then quickly spread to non-government organizations within Britain. From Britain, ITIL moved to Europe and Canada, where it has seen heavy adoption. From Canada, ITIL finally made its way to the United States. The adoption of ITIL, by both government and non-government organizations within the US, is gaining momentum. ITIL truly is the next big thing. If ITIL is new to you, then now is the time to learn more.
Who are the players in ITIL?
The following is a list of organizations and companies that have successfully implemented ITIL. (A list of organizations that have implemented ITIL is several sections down. The groups listed in this section are the ones that control ITIL.)
Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
The Office of Government Commence, whose web site can be located at http://www.ogc.gov.uk/, is the owner of ITIL. The mission of the OGC is to work with the public sector as a catalyst to achieve greater efficiency, increase value in commercial activities, and improved success in the delivery of programs and projects. When you look at the OGC, you will see that the scope of their concern for standards is much broader than just the improvement of IT, extending to other diverse areas (even including plumbing standards).
The Stationary Office (TSO)
The Stationary Office (http://www.tso.co.uk) is the largest publisher by volume in the UK, publishing over 15,000 titles a year and providing a comprehensive range of document and publishing services. TSO is the official publisher of the ITIL documentation. The downloadable PDF versions of the old ITIL books can be obtained through TSO's website.
EXIN and ISEB
Within ITIL there are a number of certifications for individuals. The owner of the certification and the certification testing is the Dutch foundation Exameninstituut voor Informatica (EXIN) (www.exin-exams.com) and Britain's Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB) (www.iseb.org.uk). EXIN and ISEB jointly developed the professional certification system for ITIL. This was done in close cooperation with the OGC and Information Technology System Management Forum (itSMF described below).
