We are delighted to announce that the five core publications that together comprise ITIL version 3 will publish on 30th May 2007.
Having undergone a major revision, the new service lifecycle-based guidance incorporates the best from the previous two versions and tested current best practice for ITSM.
The five titles forming the core of ITIL practice are:
* […]
Twelve Tips for Managing Geeks
Those who run the business lack affinity for technology so they need the geeks, but they get frustrated by sloppy procedures, slipped deadlines, tactless communications, mystifying documents, warped priorities, lack of respect, non-compliance and stubborn resistance. Geeks, in the minds of business types, just don’t get it.
I once interviewed a Unix systems programmer in a […]
Very interesting and amusing article in CIO, in which the author manages to characterize six classic errors in offshoring as five of the Seven Deadly Sins (including my personal favorite, Gluttony) and one standard-issue Tragic Flaw (hubris):
Compass analyses indicate that both captive and outsourced offshore projects are often poorly planned, […]
ITIL Must Embrace the Collective
The change that threatens the OGC (the UK’s Office of Government Commerce; owners of ITIL) is the new Internet revolution—Web 2.0, the wisdom of crowds, collective intelligence—call it what you will.
It is so new the world has not settled on a name for it yet. It is an emergent characteristic of the Internet, a rising […]
It’s important to remember that ITIL is NOT a standard. ITIL has no auditing criteria. Contrary to popular belief ITIL tools cannot be officially regarded as ITIL Compliant. ITIL is a framework of best practice that aims to ensure cost effective, appropriate and quality IT services are delivered. But there’s nothing in ITIL to Audit […]
A survey of U.S. IT executives and business managers released in June by Accenture highlighted how far up the ladder [the Geek/Suit] gap exists.
While 73 percent of responding IT executives said they believe they understand their company’s business extremely or very well, 43 percent of general business managers agreed.
Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of both […]
When it comes to parceling out the money, IT is the first to be fired and the last to be hired:
Organisations are not increasing their IT investment at the same rate the business is growing, according to a study by Gartner.
But IT budgets are also harder hit and more negatively affected by a fall in […]
Brian Livingston’s “Windows Secrets” newsletter is one of the few industry publications I subscribe to; he’s a no-nonsense techie who keeps abreast of Developments You Should Know About.
Well, here’s a Development You Should Know About: Microsoft has started cramming spyware into their automatic “security” updates, and concerned users now have a great, free alternative to […]
…EXIN has launched a new Service Quality Management Certificate based on ISO 20000. This Foundation Certificate in Service Quality Management will also become part of a new learning track for the Service Quality Management consultant.
This track consists of ITIL Foundation, Service Quality Management Foundation, a new ITIL Service and Process Improvement certificate and a new […]
…for the reduced volume of blogging over here.
I’ve been working hard, but also taking a lot of training lately.
Last month, I sat for (and passed) the ITIL Foundation certification exam.
I’ve made a couple of quick (and very pleasant) trips to the Bay Area of California for administrative classes conducted by BMC Software, who produce the […]
The fact of the matter is that making a significant change in a product that is in use in your organization can be more difficult to extricate yourself from than a tar pit—particularly if it means a big loss of revenue to a vendor. A perfect example is the state of Massachusetts’ attempt to go […]
Long seen as a method to maximize employment opportunities and salaries in the post-dot-com-bust era, a study released today finds that pay for certified IT skills falls short of the pay for non-certified skills.
The Q1 2006 Hot Technical Skills and Certifications Pay Index, released April 25 by Foote Partners, a New Canaan, Conn., IT compensation […]
Robin Yearsley serves up two terrific posts this morning at the IT Service Blog.
One of them is a pointer to a white paper (in PDF format) called Root Cause Analysis for Beginners. (In a former job, I had to develop and teach a root cause analysis class to our problem resolvers, and I wish that […]
The concept of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is not exceedingly difficult to comprehend, particularly as it applies to the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
However, the actual implementation of a CMDB and clearly demonstrating value can introduce subtle complexities as a result of competing business objectives and internal IT requirements.
But as a standard and trusted […]
An article geared towards tech support staff, but one that most of us who work in technology would do well to read:
You think you’re a good communicator: You keep your users informed and you listen to their problems. So why is it that no one appears to read your e-mails or seems capable of following […]
A group of systems and software vendors (led by BMC, Fujitsu, IBM and HP) are pushing for standards for the databases that track IT assets and how their configurations change over time:
Such a repository, called a Change and Configuration Management Database (CMDB), is called for by ITIL (IT Infrastructure Libraries), a framework that provides terminology […]
Pink Elephant today announced it has become the first organisation to receive worldwide accreditation for a new integrated ITIL® certification course that will enable practitioners to effectively manage, organise and optimise the Support and Restore processes, and minimise the adverse effects of Incidents and Problems, within the Service Desk function.
Pink […]
The IT Service Blog republishes a very useful introductory article, which orients readers to the emerging ISO 20000 standard (based on ITIL.)
Contrary to popular belief, ITIL is not a service management standard, but rather a structured approach or process framework on which a growing number of ITSM standards are based. Most prominent among these ITIL-based […]
A good, brief introductory article on COBIT at IT Manager’s Journal:
In essence, COBIT incorporates the control objectives observed by enterprises in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and other international standards allows for coordination between control requirements, technical issues and business risks. COBIT’s tool sets allow for practices that its developer, the IT Governance Institute (ITGI), believes incorporate […]
The IT Service Today search engine/portal just keeps getting better and better. Site manager Robin Yearsley has added links to ITIL-focused podcasts, sites and articles, and there’s a hidden “Easter Egg” … if you use their “Tell a Friend” feature to help spread the word to your colleagues, your thank-you gift is an e-mail […]
