Getting up to speed on ITIL

I need to get up to speed on ITIL, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. Where should I start?

At the official ITIL Web site, you can find overview information, links to order the ITIL publications and links to the ITIL knowledge center and information about how to earn credits towards ITIL qualification and ITIL certificates. Version 3 of the ITIL was published in May and is an evolution of the standards and practices embodied in ITIL Version 2. There are five core volumes in the Official ITIL Lifecycle Publication Suite, which is available for purchase from a number of vendors, including this one.

You can find general information about Versions 2 and 3 of ITIL and links to additional resources on Wikipedia or by searching on ITIL in a search engine. ITIL is a framework of best practice guidance for information technology service management and like other best practice frameworks needs to be viewed through the lens of your own organization and requirements. As ITIL adoption continues to spread, becoming familiar with the concepts and vocabulary can enable more productive discourse with others grounded in the same terminology. ITIL claims to not be prescriptive about implementation details or to have all the answers, but rather provides guidance and structure for integrating and expanding best practices in the organization’s information technology service delivery and management. There are forums dedicated to ITIL discussions, here and here. 

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I need to get up to speed on ITIL, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. Where should I start?

At the official ITIL Web site, you can find overview information, links to order the ITIL publications and links to the ITIL knowledge center and information about how to earn credits towards ITIL qualification and ITIL certificates. Version 3 of the ITIL was published in May and is an evolution of the standards and practices embodied in ITIL Version 2. There are five core volumes in the Official ITIL Lifecycle Publication Suite, which is available for purchase from a number of vendors, including this one.

You can find general information about Versions 2 and 3 of ITIL and links to additional resources on Wikipedia or by searching on ITIL in a search engine. ITIL is a framework of best practice guidance for information technology service management and like other best practice frameworks needs to be viewed through the lens of your own organization and requirements. As ITIL adoption continues to spread, becoming familiar with the concepts and vocabulary can enable more productive discourse with others grounded in the same terminology. ITIL claims to not be prescriptive about implementation details or to have all the answers, but rather provides guidance and structure for integrating and expanding best practices in the organization’s information technology service delivery and management. There are forums dedicated to ITIL discussions, here and here. 

Read more about infrastructure management in Network World's Infrastructure Management section.