What is ITIL? And is it relevant to you?

Of Marina Kirkegaard
February 1, 2023
Reading time: 5 minutes

What is ITIL? And is it relevant to you?

In the IT world, ITIL has been talked about for a long time, and in many organizations it has been a bit of a buzz word. And today it is almost impossible to say IT Service Management without mentioning the word ITIL.

But what exactly is ITIL? And how do you get the most value out of working with it? This is what we will try to clarify in this blog post.

What is ITIL?

ITIL is an abbreviation for IT Infrastructure Library, which is described as best practice within Service Management. The concept of ITIL was formed and developed in the late 1980s by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), which was later merged into the OGC in England. At that time, there was a need for a structured approach to how to operate, support and develop IT solutions. This came on the back of an increase in outsourcing. Therefore, ITIL was formed with the aim of creating a better connection between IT and business, and today ITIL is a common technical language within support and IT operations in particular.

ITIL is defined as a framework for organizations to achieve quality, service and operations. It is a methodological framework that gives you a framework to create ideas, assess the value of services and to achieve specific objectives for the business. ITIL is therefore not defined rules within IT Service Management, but rather it can create an understanding of which processes the organization should select and implement for their specific business needs. The principles can help organizations to continuously adapt their IT Service Management solution, as well as to strengthen understanding in terms of processes, roles and recommendations within the IT department.

ITIL is an important tool within IT Service Management

Today you cannot say ITIL without mentioning Service Management. The term Service Management covers handling the services that a given organization offers and delivers, in order to create value for themselves, their users and possibly customers. These services primarily operate within IT, which means that it can be a good business idea to create, expand and improve the IT Service Management area.

ITIL is considered to be the most widespread method within IT Service Management. IT Service Management refers to the structures and processes that best support operation, support, security and infrastructure in the interaction between the IT department and its users and customers.

ITIL therefore helps to identify, plan, deliver and support IT processes that take place in and around the IT department, and contributes to meeting the business goals

What is IT Service Management?

IT Service Management is a strategy designed to ensure that the organization's IT services are delivered in a reliable and efficient manner. It covers systems and processes an organization uses to deliver effective IT services. The benefit is a more efficient everyday life and problem solving for the benefit of users, customers and employees.

The purpose of an IT Service Management system is to support the operation and delivery of IT processes and services in the organisation. At the same time, an IT Service Management system can automate the manual and repetitive IT processes, which helps promote uniformity every time an IT problem arises and needs to be fixed.

Read e.g. our blog post about 9 advantages of a modern IT Service Management solution here.

ITIL today

ITIL has gone through a major development over time, and when the concept was created in the 80s, it aimed to provide organizations with specific rules for processes for the IT department. Thus, organizations surveyed the market and looked for the specific ITIL processes that came in an ITSM tool.

Today, the purchasing process takes place differently, as one examines whether the ITSM tool is ITIL compliant. Here, several ITSM suppliers use Pink Elephant to assess whether they are ITIL compliant. When an IT process in an IT Service Management tool is Pink Verified, the process meets Pink Elephant's definition of how a given IT process should be.

Click here for the latest version of Pink Elephant's list of verified solutions.

The ITIL concept has undergone a rapid change, and every time there is a new interpretation and understanding of the concept and the processes involved, the version of ITIL is updated.

ITIL 3

In ITIL 3, the concept had a process-oriented approach with specific phases that all work together to enable service organizations to design, agree, deliver and support IT.

ITIL 4

In the latest version ITIL 4, the concept has changed character to a more holistic approach, which is linked to a value concept. In ITIL 4, the focus is on how processes create the most and best value for both your stakeholders, customers and users. ITIL will therefore always be in flux, as the concept changes character on the basis of organizational, human, cultural and societal trends

The implementation of ITIL - how?

There are no golden rules in connection with the implementation of ITIL in organizations. Introducing processes in organizations from the ITIL area is often a slightly larger change project that can help mature an organization. To avoid too many problems during the implementation, it is important to adopt and adapt to the primary challenges of organizations and to meet the business needs. Therefore, ITIL is intended as best practice, and not as regulations or standards, because it also always depends on the structure, processes and culture of the organization.

What now?

Today, most IT Service Management solutions contain many verified ITIL processes. It is therefore important to examine and reflect on which processes you need and which processes you think provide the most value for you and your users. When you choose a solution that is ITIL-verified, you know that the solution supports the given process in a way that has met Pink Elephant's verification of what is required. Therefore, there are no golden answers when it comes to ITIL. It is up to you whether it makes sense to implement the specific processes.

We offer ITIL 4 verified ITSM solutions

Our goal is that you succeed with IT & Enterprise Service Management. Our wish is for you to get as much out of your ITSM solution, which will ultimately add more value to your everyday life, thus freeing up time for developing your business.

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM

Ivanti's leading IT & Enterprise Service Management solution, Ivanti Neurons for ITSM, contains 11 ITIL 4 verified processes.

It is a web-based solution that suits the more advanced and unique needs and wishes. With Ivanti Neurons for ITSM, it is possible to configure much of the solution yourself, so you have the opportunity to scale and adapt the solution to the specific business needs.

Matrix42 Service Management

Matrix42 offers a user-friendly IT & Enterprise Service Management that contains 11 ITIL 4 verified processes. This allows you to digitize and automate your IT and business processes in accordance with ITIL. This creates structure, an overview and you avoid the time-consuming and manual work tasks. Matrix42 Service Management is a web-based solution that has a modular design, based on Matrix42's low-code platform.

Let us help you

We are experts in IT & Enterprise Service Management, and we meet our customers at eye level. We believe in a good relationship, where an open dialogue is the way forward to a successful collaboration.

Our focus is on top-shelf solutions, which we know have a good balance between diet and value.