Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, is a very popular approach that is used in the field of information technology. Many information technology professionals desire ITIL certification as it provides them with a great deal of knowledge which allows them to become more productive and allows for greater job opportunities.

Definition

ITIL, or Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is used by companies to to guide their IT, or information technology, practices. AXELOS, a company founded in 2013 in the United Kingdom, developed this methodology in addition to others that serve as a guide for the best practices in a variety of areas. The aim of creating a set of best practices allows for employees to enhance their skills, competence, and knowledge that allow individuals and organizations to improve their functionality. The aim of using ITIL is so that the IT services that are provided meet the needs of the business by supporting their outcomes, allowing them to change, managing their risk, improving the customer experience, showing value for their money, and allowing the business to continually improve.

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Certification Levels

There are five levels of ITIL certification which, according to AXELOS, are the foundational, practitioner, intermediate, expert, and the master levels. The foundational level certification allows the learner to gain a general understanding of the main concepts and terminology used in the ITIL approach. The practitioner level certification allows individuals to gain the knowledge that is necessary to use and adjust ITIL in their business. The intermediate level certification uses modules with each module focusing on a different aspect of providing IT services. The service lifecycle modules are intended for those who manage multiple areas and include the modules called service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation, and continual service improvement. The service capability modules are for those who want in-depth information about a particular process and these modules are referred to as operation support and analysis; planning, protection, and optimization; release, control, and validation; and service offering and agreements. The expert level certification is for those who desire to have a wide range of ITIL knowledge and want to understand ITIL holistically. The master level certification is for those who have personally used the ITIL approach which required implementing the methods learned and obtaining the projected outcome in a business setting.

Benefits

One of the main reasons individuals pursue this popular IT certification is for increased pay as many employers recognize and appropriately compensate employees for this certification. Another benefit is that receiving the training needed to obtain the certification is actually useful. The knowledge gained from the training allows IT professionals to reach their goals faster and often in a more cost-effective way. Those with ITIL certification are familiar with the terminology used frequently in the field which improves their communication skills with other IT professionals in various settings as ITIL is used in government, universities, and at various sized companies.

ITIL is a very popular approach that many IT professionals use to help them in their day-to-day work to increase their productivity which in turn increases businesses productivity. Obtaining Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, certification can not only enhance an IT professional’s knowledge base, but it also can increase job prospects in this competitive field.