ITIL is easily one of the most popular frameworks of best practices in service management. No wonder then, that some of the cream organizations the world over have adopted ITIL practices. How would ITIL benefit you or your organization you may ask! Here’s how:
1. ITIL is scalable and flexible. This means any organization, irrespective of its size of operations, can implement it with ease to deliver business benefits. Both the organization and the individual adopting ITIL practices are enabled with more confidence in taking actions.
2. ITIL is an integrated set of best practices that evolves to meet the needs of the market. It is well designed to enable individuals to focus on customer needs rather than technical issues. This leads to better consumer loyalty and trust building.
3. Faster service, reduced downtime, little or no disruption while meeting contractual, regulatory, and legal compliance requirements are just some of pros of adopting ITIL practices.
With a host of benefits that it provides, ITIL clearly is one certification you SHOULD go for. It will open up windows of opportunities for you once you are armed with the knowledge on how to successfully transform businesses and increase its competitive advantage over others.
How to prepare for an ITIL certification?
Step 1: You first begin with an ITIL Foundation certification which gives you a general awareness of all the key concepts, elements, and technologies used in an ITIL service lifecycle. You will also study the links between the stages of the lifecycle, the processes used, and their ultimate contribution to service management practices.
This certification is meant for individuals who:
• Require a basic understanding and outline of the ITIL framework
• Wants to know how the framework can be used to enhance IT service management and contribute to ongoing service improvement.
Once you hold this certification, you may require further guidance before being able to apply ITIL practices for IT service management to professional projects.
Step 2: You then aim for the Intermediate level certification which comprises a modular structure giving you insights into modules on IT service management. These modules are in more detail than in the foundation level and it is up to the individual to decide how many or how few intermediate qualifications he needs. Selecting modules from both service lifecycle and service capability streams to combine management and technical knowledge is the best idea.
This certification is meant for individuals who:
• Have an exposure to basic concepts of IT and have at least 2 years of IT Service Management experience.
• Can access accredited training organizations (as intermediary modules cannot be cleared by self-study alone)
Step 3: You can choose to directly aim for the Expert level after the Foundation course, or go through step 2 depending on what suits your needs. This level gives you comprehensive knowledge and skills based on IT Service Management best practices. This certification helps advance your career in the field and will open doors for the ITIL Master level if you so aim.
This certification is meant for individuals who:
• Who hold the ITIL foundation certificate or a Bridge certificate.
• Who have enough credits from their foundation and/or intermediate modules.
• Who have a balanced knowledge across the entire ITIL service lifecycle.
This certification will not just advance your career prospects but also heighten the success prospects of the organisation you choose to make a difference to.
If you are in IT Service Management, why wait? Get a certification now and see the difference it makes.