The Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management comprises of:
One hour closed book examination
40 multiple-choice questions
Pass mark is 65% (26/40)
Results in 2-3 weeks
Pre-requisite for further ITIL® qualifications
ITIL® has been continuously developed and used internationally with success for more than 20 years, embracing a practical approach to service management- do what works. And what works is adopting a common framework of practices that combines all areas of IT service provision towards one aim: adding value to the business. ITIL’s success is drawn from these attributes:
Vendor-neutral: not based on a particular technology platform or designed for a specific industry
Non-prescriptive: applicable to any type of service organization
Best-practice: built on the learning experiences and thought leadership of the world’s top service providers
ITIL is owned by the UK government and is not tied to any proprietary practice. It provides robust, time-tested practices applicable to all types of service organization: in public and private sectors; small, medium and large enterprises; internal and external service providers; within any technical environment.
Companies that successfully implement ITIL practices achieve benefits including:
Increased value and availability of services to customers
Improved return on investment for IT services
Changed organizational structure that enables the achievement of sustained success
Better utilisation of IT assets
Increased risk management capabilities, reduced incidents and less fire-fighting
Improved planning capabilities, better staff knowledge and skills ITIL Text
The ITIL® framework is based on the five stages of the service lifecycle, as shown in Figure 1.1, with a core publication providing best-practice guidance for each stage, from the initial definition and analysis of business requirements in ITIL Service Strategy(SS) and ITIL Service Design(SD), through evolution into the real environment within ITIL Service Transition(ST), to live operation and constant improvement in ITIL Service Operation (SO) and ITIL Continual Service Improvement (CSI).
This guidance includes key principles, processes and activities, organization and roles, technology, associated challenges, critical success factors and risks. Every stage of the lifecycle has an influence on the others and is influenced through inputs and feedback. This ensures that if business demand changes due to different business needs, a set of checks and balances throughout the service lifecycle ensures that services can adapt and respond effectively.
ITIL Text
Services, unlike products, do not have much intrinsic value. One way to define the value of a service is the level to which that service meets a customer’s expectations. Therefore, the value of a service is determined by the person who receives it, not by the provider.
From the customer’s perspective, value consists of achieving business objectives. The value of a service comprises two elements: utility (fitness for purpose) and warranty (fitness for use). Together, they achieve the outcomes upon which the customer and the business base their perceptions of a service.
Utility answers the question “what does the service do?”, describing its functionality to meet a particular need. It determines whether a service has the ability to meet its required outcomes.
Warranty answers the question “how is the service delivered?”, acting as assurance that the service will meet its agreed requirements. Warranty refers to any means by which utility is made available to users and includes assuring customers of certain levels of availability, capacity, continuity and security.
The value of a service can not be delivered if a product is fit for use but not fit for purpose, and vice versa.
ITIL Text