IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

ITIL  Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

ITIL, formerly known as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is a set of practices for IT service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business. In its current form known as ITIL 2011 edition

ITIL describes processes, procedures, tasks, and checklists which are not organization-specific, but can be applied by an organization for establishing integration with the organization's strategy, delivering value, and maintaining a minimum level of competency. It allows the organization to establish a baseline from which it can plan, implement, and measure. It is used to demonstrate compliance and to measure improvement.

Since July 2013, ITIL has been owned by AXELOS Ltd, a joint venture between HM Cabinet Office and Capita Plc.

The best practices for Change and Configuration management provide general means of reaching Network Infrastructure Management targets. Those general processes have to be modified to a more specific approach for individual enterprises using them

The IT Information Library, ITIL, was initially developed during 1980’s by the British Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency, CCTA

The wider adoption of ITIL version 2 has led to a number of standards, including ISO/IEC 20000, an international standard covering the IT Service Management elements of ITIL  

ITIL version 2

In order to make ITIL more accessible to those wishing to explore it, one of the aims of ITIL v2 was to consolidate the publications into logical ”sets” that grouped related process guidelines into the different aspects of IT management, applications and services
ITIL version 2 books are:

The IT Service Management:
1. Service Delivery
2. Service Support (Includes ITIL Change and Configuration Management)

Operational guidance:

3. ICT Infrastructure Management
4. Security Management
5. The Business Perspective
6. Application Management
7. Software Asset Management

ITIL version 3

In December 2005, the OGC issued notice of an ITIL refresh, commonly known as ITILv3, which became available in May 2007.  
 ITIL version 3 initially includes five core texts:

1. Service Strategy
2. Service Design
3. Service Transition
4. Service Operation
5. Continual Service Improvement

ITILv3 to this date is not yet widely deployed though

Thesis focused on ITILv2.
When ITILv2 best practices are in use there is a direct transitional path to deploy ITILv3