Quintica, the Bryanston-based provider of best practice enterprise management solutions, this week announced that two of its senior IT service management (ITSM) professionals had received ISO 20000 accreditation. They are believed to be the first executives in Africa, and perhaps the Southern Hemisphere, to achieve the distinction.
The consultants to receive Africa's first ISO 20000 certificates are J"urgen M"uller, Director of Professional Services at Quintica, and Ingo Tuschardt, its Director of Business Services.
Previously, the global yardstick for ITSM excellence was compliance with the ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) framework for IT infrastructure, architecture, services and business processes. The new ISO 20000 standard not only defines what constitutes best practice, but how it shall be implemented while adding the rigour of verifiable, audited delivery.
Quintica offers Africa's most comprehensive set of end-to-end service management solutions. It already implements ITSM projects that satisfy ITIL, CBIT and ETOM criteria and meet Six Sigma quality practices.
"ISO 20000 sets the bar even higher," says Quintica CEO Charles Osburn, "we're delighted to oblige. J"urgen and Ingo are to be congratulated on a tremendous achievement. They are among the first industry professionals worldwide to participate in this programme."
The standard is applied to the co-ordinated integration and implementation of service management processes across business enterprises of any size and type in a manner that facilitates a full audit.
The Quintica professionals were invited to the UK to participate in one of the first courses on the newly published standard. They were the only consultants from Africa on the invitation list.
At the end of March, they were notified of their success in the subsequent examination. Their certificates were presented at a ceremony in Sandton by Don Page, co-author of the ISO 20000 standard.
Tuschardt commented: "It was a great privilege to take part at such an early stage in the international accreditation process. The new standard is a major step forward. For the first time, it is possible to audit and test IT processes against strict international standards.
"The standard enables you to assemble the evidence that validates the process. Alternatively, you can demonstrate non-delivery."
M"uller noted: "Because of our work for major organisations inside South Africa and internationally, we appreciate the growing pressure on clients to comply with rigorous governance protocols.
"Major companies will be delighted to learn that IT is now auditable. Best practice guidelines and frameworks have been superseded by a standard you can't evade."
M"uller consults and lectures in business management and IT service management to IT organisations and user organisations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He holds a Master's degree in technology and as an ITIL trainer has contributed to IT skills transfer across Africa. M"uller is a former chairman of the IT Service Management Forum International.
Tuschardt has over 20 years' experience in management and consulting, with special focus on restructuring and process implementation to ensure strategic corporate objectives are realised in practice. Tuschardt was an early champion of ITIL-compliant service management and was instrumental in bringing key best-of-breed technologies and practices to market.
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