The Relevance of Information Technology as an integral part of every growth-oriented organization cannot be overstated. Appropriate use of IT positively impacts daily operations, communications across locations, workforce productivity, sales, revenue generation, customer services, the formulation of business strategies, and fosters innovation. It influences your ability to build trust with end-users.

Effectively delivering, implementing, or managing IT services requires well-defined activities, processes, and policies known as ITSM (Information Technology Service Management). More than 84% of all executives in decision-making roles acknowledge ITSM as a must-have skill for their workforce to achieve digital transformation.

No discussion around ITSM frameworks is complete without Itil (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and the globally-recognized ITIL certifications.

Let’s briefly go through ITIL, ITIL v4, and ITIL certification advantages for your teams and for the business and explore all there is to know about these certifications.

ITIL

• ITSM framework, a collection of vendor-neutral best practices, and a highly-sought-after certification.
• Helpful for managing and delivering efficient IT support services.
• Pays attention to IT services’ standardization, selection, planning, delivery, and maintenance.
• The most recent version: ITIL 4.

ITIL v4

• ITIL’s latest variant.
• Comprises of 34 practices.
• Service Value Chain: Plan, improve, engage, design, transition, obtain, build, deliver, and support.
• Introduces an end-to-end operating model for the delivery and operation of technology-based products and services.
• Integrates ITIL guidance with DevOps, Agile, and Lean best practices.
• Streamlines ITSM processes and identifies improvement areas.
• Enhances the flexibility for staying competitive.
• Lets you adopt inventive approaches per the evolving digital ecosystem.
• Facilitates superior Cloud and Big Data strategy executions.
• Advances collaboration through a shared language for all, regardless of experience and certification levels.
• Clear communication amongst certified users.
• Builds up your risk management abilities.
• Reduces training expenditure.

ITIL & ITIL Certification Benefits

• Provides detailed knowledge of ITIL frameworks, processes, and a common language for ITSM.
• Acts as evidence of the workforce’s subject matter expertise.
• Improves their contribution to ITSM.
• Alignment with international quality standards such as ISO/IEC 20000 global standard for ITSM points towards certified professionals’ abilities for applying their skills to a variety of businesses across industries.
• Adds to their skills for identifying, planning, and supporting IT services.
• Promotes a systematic best-practice methodology.
• Increases focus on user experiences and your customers’ needs.

ITIL Certifications and ITIL Certifications Training: ITIL v3 and ITIL v4

[ ITIL v3 ]

• Five certification levels: Foundation, Practitioner, Intermediate, Expert, and Master.
• ITIL has evolved from v3 to v4.
• All training and certification exams will be discontinued in a phased manner.
• Definite transition journey to the latest framework.
• ITIL v3 Foundation (English) to be discontinued from July 1st, 2021.
• ITIL v3 Intermediates from January 1st, 2022.

ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition examination (allowed practitioners to transition to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation on accumulating sufficient certification credits for qualifying for the transition examination) from July 1st, 2022.

[ ITIL v4 ]

• Four certification levels: Foundation, ITIL 4 Managing Professional, ITIL 4 Strategic Leader, and Master.
• ITIL v3 Foundation qualified candidates may move directly to ITIL 4 Foundation and keep their skills updated.

Intermediate candidates can choose to collect 17 v3 credits to transition to ITIL 4 with one course and exam.

ITIL 4 Foundation Certification

• Preferred by those looking for a basic understanding of the ITIL framework and how it can improve IT service management.
• Potential Candidates: Anyone interested in IT service management and professionals working in organizations that have adopted ITIL.
• Closed-Book Exam Details: 60-minutes long with 40 multiple-choice questions and 65% or 26 marks for passing.

ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certification

• Consists of 4 modules: ITIL 4 Specialist Create, Deliver and Support, ITIL 4 Specialist Drive Stakeholder Value, ITIL 4 Specialist High-velocity IT, and ITIL 4 Strategist Direct, Plan and Improve.
• Suitable for those interested in practical and technical knowledge of running successful IT-enabled services, teams, and workflows.
• Potential Candidates: Practitioners working within technology and digital teams. 
• Exam Details: All modules must be cleared. 

ITIL 4 Strategic Leader Certification

• Contains 2 modules: ITIL 4 Strategist Direct, Plan and Improve and ITIL 4 Leader Digital and IT Strategy.
• Validates your understanding of how IT affects and directs business strategies.
• Potential Candidates: Those who have earned the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation and only need to secure ITIL 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy module for finalizing the ITIL 4 Strategic Leader designation.
• Exam Details: All modules must be cleared.

ITIL Master Certification

• Verifies your ability to apply ITIL principles and techniques at your workplace.
• Potential candidates: Those with ITIL Expert certificate and at least 5 years of ITSM experience in managerial, leadership, or senior management advisory roles.
• Exam Details: Could vary as per the situation every candidate chooses. No fixed syllabus or training. However, one should explain and justify how they have personally selected and applied various principles, methods, and techniques from the ITIL Framework, and supporting procedures, for achieving the desired business outcomes in at least one practical assignment. 

Essential Takeaways

ITIL is drawn from top practices followed not only by the private sector but also public enterprises.

It is an established entity within the ITSM field, utilized by 90% of Fortune 500 organizations, and has 2-million+ certified practitioners.

ITIL prepares organizational IT capabilities for addressing future challenges. Certified ITIL practitioners with the necessary IT experience are indeed appreciated worldwide. They are more knowledgeable, confident, proficient, and reliable. Businesses employing ITIL-trained staff or getting their teams certified can bring IT operations in accordance with ITIL’s proven practices, resulting in better efficiency, higher productivity, and favorable consequences for their reputation.

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