IT Service and Governance - how do they all fit together?

There is often confusion about the scope and role of different frameworks and practices within IT Service Management and Governance. ITIL® and which version? COBIT®, agile, Devops, SIAM, ISO/IEC 20000 or VeriSM... to say the least.

What on earth do they all do and which one should we be practicing?

If you are looking for a simple one size fits all solution then there really isn't one. Your choice of framework or practice is wholly depandent upon the culture and management practices of the organisation you are working for, the business objectives and the 'where are we now' factor? The good news is that there is a solution, but each one will be unique to its own organisation. To help make a start on this, lets take a look at the very basic objectives of each framework or practice...

ITIL 4 - ITSM for the 4th Industrial Revolution

When thinking about any form of IT Service Management approach, the go-to framework has to be ITIL. It is the most globally recognised and has roots that run 30 years deep. With its origins in software devlopment, ITIL has always very much been seen as the approach that has it's focus on the IT department and the job that it needs to do to provide service excellence.

But things have changed. IT is no longer just the role of a single department sat in silo, delivering a service to its customers. It is 'critical' to the sucess of the business and its impact affects every department. Now ITIL has another string to its bow. With the recent development of ITIL 4, it acknowledges the fact that we are in the 4th Industrial revolution and this affects how our Service Management is conducted. It now gives a nod to other complementary practices sush as Devops and agile. It has redeveloped the 'service lifecycle' into the 'service value system' approach. In essence, it incorporates IT into the 'business whole.' So, when considering any form of IT Service approach ITIL is generally the first port of call.

ISO/IEC 20000 - The international gold standard for ITSM accreditation

So, your ITSM aproach is in place and is being practiced and you're pretty proud of it as an organisation. You think you are doing a good job and want to prove it to your customers. Or, you want to do better and find out where you are falling short. Introducing ISO/IEC 20000 the go-to certificcation standard that shows you are taking your ITSM seriously. While ITIL is your roadmap to continual service improcvement, ISO is the seal of approval. Among other things, it will specifiy requirements for your ITSM, produce a gap analysis and give guidance on scope and definition. In short, it is the measure of your ITSM.

COBIT® 5 - IT Governance and its impact on the enterprise

You are practicing some form of ITSM, it's fairly restricted to your IT department but you recognise that there is a bigger impact to consider. The IT decisions that are being made are going to affect the whole business so why on earth should we offload this responsibility on the IT department? Welcome COBIT® the practice that actually sits very well with ITIL. COBIT is the practice that enables top management to understand the impact of IT services and enables an organisation to align its IT and wider buisness objectives. In essence, it is 'Enterprise IT.'

Devops - the integration and automation

Often seen almost as a competitor to ITIL, Devops, (DEV - elopment OP - erations) with its focus on collaboration and automation is actually in sync with ITIL. ITIL's focus on continual service improvement can be the perfect accompaniment. Unlike ITIL it is not an ITSM framework, but its roots lie in agile software development. It sees its role as integrating the relevant teams such as testing and operations, so that they can collaborate and provide transparency to each other to achieve the business objectives.

SIAM - Synergy for your multiple supplier and service provider relationships

In this digital age and era of cloud computing, our volume of suppliers has increased tenfold and produced its own set of challenges. SIAM is the layer of management of 3rd party supplier relationships and the practice of producing a seamless outcome for your customers. It incorporates much of ITSM, but is targeted specifically at large organisations with multiple and complex supplier relationships.  

VeriSM - the glue that holds it together

In additional to acknowledging our presence in the digital age, VeriSM recognises that we need a solution that helps us to work with what we are already doing. We don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater and start all over again but we need something that has moved along with technology and tells us how we can enhance what we are already doing as an organisation. VeriSM is the glue that holds ITSM and Governance frameworks and practices together. It is the place to start if you want to make a decision on 'what' and 'how' to adopt and adapt a variety of frameworks and practices that will suit the culture and working practices of your organisation. IT is seen as part of the larger whole, working with other departments in the 'management mesh' to achieve the ultimate in customer staisfaction.

If you have any questions about ITSM and Governance frameworks and practices or would simply like to ask more about one of our courses, why not contact our team on 01202 736 373, enter 'live chat' or email sales@spoce.com