20 Common ITIL Misconceptions

ITIL Misconception
[PHOTO] - Kevin Miller

Posted by Kevin Miller
September 9, 2016
     


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What is ITIL?

Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, is a widely accepted approach to IT Service Management (ITSM), which has been adopted by individuals and organizations across the world. ITIL provides a cohesive set of best practice, drawn from the public and private sectors internationally.

Click on each misconception to see if it is true or false.

FALSE! A common language is provided, which can reduce misunderstandings and risk.
FALSE! In addition to internal IT, benefits of ITIL can be seen in relationships with other departments and partners/vendors and in the final product or service provided to the organization’s customers.
FALSE! While the service desk is a great place to start, ITIL can bring value throughout your entire IT department.
FALSE! When implemented properly, ITIL adds a lot of value to the business.
FALSE! Adopt and Adapt is one of ITIL’s guiding principles.
FALSE! The applications/projects side of IT will also benefit from applying ITIL properly.
FALSE! While the certifications are important to reduce the risk of an improper implementation, in the end they are only pieces of paper. Knowledge and experience are what counts.
FALSE! While ITIL was created for IT, other service-oriented departments will benefit from its guiding principles.
FALSE! While ITIL cannot answer every challenge in IT, following its nine guiding principles will reduce the number of challenges IT faces.
ABSOLUTELY FALSE! Any organization can apply ITIL to their IT department.
FALSE! There are no processes, but there are nine guiding principles.
FALSE! While ITIL originated in the UK, it is used throughout the entire world and certification exams are taken in more than 150 countries.
FALSE! Many IT departments are “lean” on human resources and expect many of their team members to wear multiple hats. ITIL is well aware of this dynamic.
FALSE! No one wants to start over and ITIL does not encourage you to. It takes what you have and makes it better.
FALSE! Managing risk is the name of the game for every IT manager and ITIL provides tools to assist with risk management.
FALSE! ITSM is the practice of managing IT operations as a service, while ITIL is a framework that provides guidance and best practices for ITSM.
FALSE! In fact, ITIL is easy to implement in any size company with the right people at the helm.
FALSE! One of ITIL’s guiding principle’s is to adopt and adapt. Even applying just a small portion of ITIL to your IT department will yield positive results.
FALSE! Because ITSM (IT Service Management) is driven both by technology and the huge range of organizational environments in which it operates, ITIL is constantly evolving.
FALSE! Delta Technology focuses on solving complex problems. Sometimes that means introducing and implementing ITIL to strengthen an IT department, while sometimes it does not.

Quick Takeaways

Summary:  There are many misconceptions about ITIL. It is not large and rigid, hard to implement, only for large companies, only used in the UK and can bring value to just about any IT department, to name a few.

Link:  Axelos