The ITIL v3 Intermediate exams (and Managing Across the Lifecycle exam) feature an unusual format that can be tricky to manage at first. While the exams are multiple choice, each exam features only eight questions! The candidate is allocated 90 minutes to complete the exam, so clearly these are not the same type of multiple-choice questions you’ve seen on other exams.
The questions are scenario based, meaning that the exam will include (more…)
The Service Level Management Process represents the heart of any IT Service Management program, as it deals with managing customer expectations and defining – specifically – the level of service to be provided. In cloud based or multi sourced environments this is of particular importance, since accountability for the end to end service still remains with the IT organization even as control and responsibility for the component parts decreases. This paper discusses the challenge of meeting customer expectations and reducing waste while providing actionable (more…)
I had a few conversations with a candidate in an ITIL v3 Foundations Certification Course I was teaching last month. The candidate in question is an IT Operations Manger, and would like to implement ITIL in his organization. He’s been shopping around for Service Desk software, and has reviewed the offerings from the usual suspects in that area. There are two significant obstacles standing in the way at the moment, however:
So… what to do? Can process improvements be achieved without executive buy in and without spending any money? (more…)
As many of you are now aware, Microsoft’s Bing search engine suffered a 30 minute outage yesterday. According to CNET:
A Microsoft representative told CNET on Friday that the problem appears to have come when something being tested was moved onto the live site.
I spent a large portion of my career managing mission critical IT Services at GoDaddy.com, an environment with an absolute “zero tolerance” attitude toward unplanned downtime. So, before I climb up onto my soapbox, allow me to acknowledge that I was not there, and that it’s always easier to play “Monday Morning Quarterback” than to manage these types of situations as they happen. </disclamier> (more…)
Verizon recently ran an ad depicting an iPhone relegated to the Island of Misfit Toys (see the video below). From Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, we know that the Misfit Toys are toys which have been discarded because they have some intrinsic (and fatal) flaw. Residents of the Island include a train with square wheels, an airplane that can’t fly, (more…)
Sorry for the long hiatus, I’ve had a lot of projects underway. Should be back with regular content through 2010, though.
ITIL makes sense in concept: focus IT efforts on the support and delivery of services that meet the needs of the business. Manage risk. Improve. Rinse and Repeat. It’s really a common sense approach, and it’s hard to argue with that.
The CIO who attends a 60 minute talk about IT Service Management likes what she hears, but at 2:00 AM she wakes up with some nagging questions:
So… How do we actually DO this? (more…)
Many IT Organizations have implemented a Configuration Management System to track and control IT Service Assets. As I mentioned in my earlier article “Don’t be Intimidated by ITIL”, this system doesn’t necessarily need to be an elaborate and costly commercial product. It just needs to have sufficient scale, features, and capabilities to meet the current and future needs of your particular business. (more…)
According to a study by TechRepublc, the ITIL Foundations Certification is the 3rd highest paying certification in IT. The two certifications that rank higher (PMP and CAPM) are Project Management based and thus not necessarily specific to IT, making the ITIL cert the highest paying “pure IT” cert on the list. (more…)
A lot of CIO’s are facing the specter of reduced or frozen IT budgets as the US economy slows and pundits toss around the dreaded “R” word. However, a frozen IT budget can actually present opportunities if it encourages a little healthy self examination. Unfortunately, IT divisions are often paralyzed when these things happen. Instead of taking a hard look at processes and asset management, a lot of IT “leaders” exhibit the tendency to simply limp along and wait for the money to return. (more…)
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