The latest buzz in the IT service management arena is ITIL version 3, officially being released on 30 May 2007.
Foster-Melliar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Simeka BSG Limited and leading local provider of ITIL and ITSM training and consulting services is once again standing on the forefront of this much anticipated release.
Russell Steyn, Principal Consultant with Foster-Melliar and ITIL subject matter expert, has been appointed as one of the reviewers for ITIL3. When asked what he thought of ITIL3, he simply said: "It's fantastic!
"One obvious difference is the writing style. Where Version 2 was written by different authors which hampered the flow of the books, the books in Version 3 are virtually identical in look and feel, effortlessly combining the knowledge of the 10 authors in a workable format," explains Russell.
"ITIL version 2 was focused on the disciplines within the ITSM bouquet such as Service Support, Service Delivery, Planning to Implement SM, ICT Infrastructure, Business Perspective Vol I and II, etc," says Russell. "ITIL3 still contains the same content but with a profound shift of focus from discipline based to that of a service lifecycle. ITIL3 comprises of five parts depicting the service lifecycle steps: Service Strategies, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement."
"ITIL may have undergone a 'face-lift' so to speak, but the qualifications and information that have been derived from version 1 and 2 still remain valid and recognised," says Russell.
"From a consulting point of view, the release of ITIL3 does not make any significant changes to the current Foster-Melliar offering. Our consulting approach has always been centred around the elements of a service life cycle as it is an existing and fundamental part of the infrastructure within any IT service management department or company," says Russell.
The launch of ITIL3 also brings with it a change of structure around the governing of the library. ITIL is the intellectual property of the UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) which developed the library in the late 1980s as a structured guideline for effective IT service management (ITSM). OGC is currently in the process of distancing itself from the maintenance of the library effectively giving the IT Service Management Forum (itSMF) the reigns as the official custodian of ITIL. APM Group (APMG) will step up as official examination and certification body for the library.
Another significant change is the empowerment of APMG to license other examination institutes that meet international or equivalent local standards as official ITIL examination bodies. In the past only EXIN and ISEB were licensed as ITIL examination providers. "Foster-Melliar's offerings are accredited by ISEB and EXIN and we intend to maintain the partnerships with them as we are comfortable with the standard and the prestige that is synonymous with them," says Russell.
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Foster-Melliar, a wholly owned subsidiary of black owned Simeka BSG Limited, is the leading local provider and pioneer of ITIL and IT service management in South Africa since 1994. Driven towards optimising IT services within organisations, Foster-Melliar offers a host of solutions to assist companies capitalise on their IT investments. Foster-Melliar focuses on an end-to-end service management solution in the form of training and consulting services. FM Software, a division of Foster-Melliar, boasts a broad range of software products that assists organisations to manage and control their infrastructure and in doing so, dramatically improve the efficiencies and effectiveness of their IT services while proactively managing costs.
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