Delivering Effective IT Support Adopting ITIL to fit your IT Business Model

Delivering Effective IT Support Adopting ITIL to fit your IT Business Model A discussion paper from Numara Software Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. The Relevance and Irrelevance of ITIL 3 What is ITIL? Why is ITIL considered to be important? Who is adopting ITIL? Getting the balance right A case example 3. Checks and Balances 6 Why would you want ITIL? Why would you not want ITIL? 4. Fit for Purpose 7 How do I know where my organisation fits? Understanding the true cost ‘versus’ the opportunity 5. Moving on Up 8 What’s the difference between ITIL V2 and V3? First steps 6. Brave New World 10 7. Key Findings 11 Research précis Key findings 8. ITIL Do’s and Don’ts 14 1. While ITIL works brilliantly on paper, it is difficult to implement into all IT support procedures, especially if people are not familiar with ITIL best practice. 1. Introduction In our fast paced commercial world, companies face a multitude needs and historical technology investments, and how this might of challenges and are heavily reliant on IT in order to keep fit or adapt to recognised industry standards. It is also worth abreast of these demands. Today technology is a given, and noting that there are substantial overheads associated with ITIL. the more forward thinking companies already understand that For example, some of the companies interviewed to compile this their focus must move away from the nuts and bolts of ‘doing guide, who were adopting ITIL best practices, cited two to three IT’, towards a more business service-oriented approach. IT no years worth of time investment alone. longer just fixes problems, IT needs to think strategically. In today’s competitive environment, companies want processes For many organisations ITIL, a customisable framework of best that enable them to take control of their IT infrastructure in a practices, is actually enabling this service culture. The most pragmatic way. They want technology, policies and procedures recent version (V3) was released in June 2007 and a staggering that empower them, rather than be handcuffed to rigid systems 50,000 copies were sold within the first few weeks. Version 3 which take years to implement or change. presents a rigorously updated source of best practices on IT Service Management and introduces the Service Lifecycle as Does ITIL provide all the answers? the main structure for its guidance. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions! This ‘ITIL without the handcuffs’ guide offers readers a very practical and concise summary on ITIL, with examples of how organisations are adopting best practice – either by following ITIL to the letter or by incorporating the elements of ITIL that are most applicable to specific business needs. Shirley Lacy, ITIL V3 author, provides an overview of the differences between V2 and V3 as well as an introduction to the five new core books. Andy White The consensus is that ITIL V3 meets the needs of today and Managing Director for EMEA & APAC tomorrow better than previous adaptations have done and is more aligned to the business – but it is no panacea. In reality the mainstream market has only just begun to explore the concept of managing IT resources against specific business requirements. In recent research commissioned by Numara Software, we actually found very low awareness of ITIL, in fact only 10 percent of those organisations questioned had adopted or were in the process of adopting ITIL. In our experience, when looking at best practice approaches most companies need to acknowledge their own unique starting points. Culture and a service mindset are also critical to exploring how technology and the business can become more closely integrated, as is a good understanding of your internal 2. Delivering Effective IT Support Adopting ITIL to fit your IT Business Model The metaphor I use is changing the tyres on a moving vehicle. We’re still supporting the business while we are trying to implement ITIL. 2. The Relevance and Irrelevance of ITIL What is ITIL? ITIL is very simply what it stands for – the Information being a mechanism to allow them to remove or automate Technology Infrastructure Library - a set of books that provides the mundane IT processes, releasing them to think more guidelines on the best practice to use to deliver IT services, strategically. However it should be noted that in some cases, addressing core issues such as problems, incidents, changes the implementation of ITIL in an organisation can actually cost and request management. Over the course of the last 5 years the organisation more and slow process down in return for strict ITIL has grown into a globally accepted set of best practice and specific process control and compliance requirements. The guidelines within the world of IT Service Management. ITIL latest version of ITIL has built on the solid foundations of the first outlines an extensive set of management procedures that are two versions and delivers a more business focused set of best intended to support businesses in achieving both quality and practices for delivering IT Services. value in IT operations. The diagram below shows a high level view of how the five These procedures are supplier-independent and have been books in ITIL version 3 (Service Strategy, Service Design, developed to provide guidance across the breadth of IT Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service infrastructure, development, and operations. ITIL is published in Improvement) sit together. It also shows the consideration taken a series of books (hence the term Library), each of which covers in the new version for standards and other recognised best a core area within IT Management. The names ITIL and IT practice techniques. The idea of the lifecycle approach builds on Infrastructure Library are Registered Trade Marks of the United the concept in version 2 that for Service Management to work all Kingdom’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC). processes need to be embraced. By showing how each part of In these days of shrinking IT budgets, ITIL is a means by the lifecycle follows on, we will be able to see how fluid Service which IT directors can leverage best practice to meet the Management can be and how this can benefit an organisation. relentless challenge of doing more with less. As well as 3. I’m not 100 percent sure what ITIL is, but I don’t think we are busy enough to be adopting these sorts of standards yet. We simply don’t have the resources or the manpower. Why is ITIL considered to be important? Today, everything we do needs to add value to the organisation It also requires top management endorsement because in we are part of and IT Service Management is no exception - many cases, implementation of best practices will require ITIL has evolved to help organisations do this. ITIL has been organisational and cultural change. described as the equivalent of the Bosch management system, fitted as standard to most cars, but invisible to the driver. You Let’s look at why organisations have started to implement ITIL wouldn’t try and adapt it because it’s the most widely used set of best practices. ‘standards’ available. Once it’s in place, the driver concentrates his skills on driving the car, just as the IT department looks after This research, carried out by Forrester on behalf of the itSMF, its customers within the business. highlights the underlying reason for investing in IT Service Management. We can see that the level of service that an ITIL is actually not a standard, though it is frequently labelled organisation gets is of paramount importance – coupled as such. Nor should firms gain a misconception that they need alongside number two in the list, transforming IT into a business to comply with it. ITIL is no Sarbanes-Oxley-like compliance services unit - demonstrating that there is a move within the agenda, but a best practice guide that should only be followed marketplace towards IT becoming a unified part of the business. in areas applicable to individual organisations.