What Are ITIL Courses?
ITIL stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It is a registered trademark of the United Kingdom’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC). It is a system of concepts and practices for Information Technology Services Management (ITSM), Information Technology (IT) development and IT operations. It has been drawn from both public and private sectors internationally and explains how resources typical for the IT sphere should be used to deliver business value.
This approach to IT service management originated in the 1980’s as a collection of books, covering specific areas within IT Service Management. The number of v1 books reached 30 volumes. V2 appeared in 2000/2001 with a view to make ITIL more accessible. It comprised 8 logical ‘sets’ with focus on Service Support and Service Delivery. In May 2007, OGC issued the 3rd version, known as the ITIL Refresh Project. It consists of 26 processes and functions, grouped into 5 volumes gravitating around the concept of Service lifecycle structure.
Together with the launch of v3 a new qualification path appeared. Thus, there are four levels available, each certificate containing a number of credits towards the advanced level positions. Credits are also awarded for qualifications in previous versions. The four levels are the following: Foundation, Intermediate, Expert and Master.
Individuals who need only basic ITIL knowledge and IT professionals working for companies which have adopted ITIL are the main audience targeted for the Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management. The ones who need a deeper understanding of Service Lifecycle elements in order to enhance the quality of IT service management represent the audience targeted for the Intermediate Certificate.
The Expert level can be achieved by collecting credits through the first two above mentioned levels. A minimum of 22 credits are required instead of examination. In order to apply for the Master level, the Expert certification is requested. Moreover, you need to prove practical application experience through a peer evaluation scheme.
What about the ones who have already obtained v2 qualifications? They can either use those certifications as credits towards the Expert, or benefit from current v3 bridging routes. Even those who hold earlier qualifications than v2 can update their knowledge and certification through a series of “bridging” courses.