- Amid the 1980s glitz, computing advanced into its own Wild West era and a need to rein in the proliferating and varied computing frameworks was born.
- Throughout its history, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) has driven improved performance wherever its principles are instituted.
- ITIL saves money and meets the ongoing needs of customers through continual service improvement.
Hair bands, ripped jeans, and Brat Pack films dominated culture, while Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev ruled the political stage. In the backdrop of the 1980s glitz, computing advanced into its own Wild West era. Players in the public and private sectors marched to beats as disparate as the moonwalk and a Van Halen riff. Frameworks sprung up across the landscape. IT teams operating in separate, disconnected spheres duplicated efforts and then multiplied them. And costs soared.
A History of Standardizing Technology
Enter Britain’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency. Decades, a century, and even a millennium have past, but that organization’s work and relevance stand. The CCTA’s single most significant effort, in fact, is as essential as ever.
The framework's roots go back to 1957. It was then that the Brits formed it as the Technical Support Unit of Her Majesty’s Treasury. The agency and its mission evolved to centralizing government information technology. As the Go-Go Eighties unfolded, the U.K. government recognized a new need. It needed to rein in the proliferating and varied computing frameworks. The goal was to bind them together within a unified infrastructure and accompanying best practices.
ITIL Emerges as International Standard for IT Service Management
Gone today are the tufts of teased hair and Britain’s transformative computer agency. The agency was subsumed in 2000 by the Office of Government Commerce. But the CCTA’s legacy endures. Now, in the form of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL. It’s the signature product of engineers’ work during that iconic decade.
Created as a series of books covering IT practices, the library used William Edwards Deming’s process model-based view as its foundation. The genius American engineer developed the Plan-Do-Study-Act management cycle that was integral to ITIL.
That initial collection of management books swelled by 1996 to more than 30 volumes. By 2005, ITIL practices had emerged as the first international standard for IT service management. Now owned by Axelos—a joint entity of the U.K. Cabinet Office—and Capita, ITIL is still metamorphosing 30 years after its creation. ITIL 4 began rolling out this year. The framework has been overhauled. It now emphasizes adaptability, greater collaboration, and more communication.
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ITIL Represents a Smart Management Philosophy
ITIL is good business. Since its incipience, ITIL has been applied to smart management principles. For instance, Deming’s Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle along with his total quality management philosophy. These are management staples at leading companies. The emphasis is not on checking boxes but on intelligent analysis followed by decisive action. Applying ITIL practices can slash time and money poured into service development. It also improves product and service quality. That, in turn, leads to, improved customer satisfaction and revenue growth. Often, these outcomes are summed up as continual service improvement.
ITIL saves money. Both private sector companies and public agencies see bottom-line benefits from effective implementation of ITIL. Proctor and Gamble pocketed $500 million in savings over four years through improved operations and decreased help desk calls. Capital One cut the number of “business critical” incidents by 92 percent in slightly more than two years. MeadWestvaco eliminated maintenance contracts costing more than $100,000 a year. Nationwide Insurance cut its system outages by 40 percent. Operational efficiency and stability across all those companies improved, netting additional cost benefits.
ITIL improves performance. Throughout its rich history, ITIL has driven improved performance wherever its principles are instituted. This includes higher productivity and better use of skills and experience. Further, it provides a firm foundation for operational and structural stability while also providing scalability and flexibility. Even third-party service delivery benefits when companies specify ITIL as the standard. Expectations are that ITIL 4’s push for deeper collaboration and the dismantling of silos will further enhance this positive.
ITIL benefits customers. Smart companies always have understood the importance of satisfying customers. Achieving that goal is a thornier question. ITIL 4 helps on a number of fronts. First, applying ITIL allows companies to better understand their customers. The framework places special significance on the value of “hearing” customers. Using feedback gained through everything from social media to chat bots, companies can drive change from the customer up. “It’s acknowledging you can’t create value in a vacuum,” AXELOS’ Margo Leach told CIO. “Your customer has to be involved in the definition of what that value is and what they’re looking for. There has to be a constant feedback loop and this a very big concept in ITIL 4.”
All this combines to make companies stronger. Leaders and staff are better able to understand their customers under ITIL principles. That is the core of any business. ITIL, after all, isn’t simply about information technology. It’s about building a company culture based on intelligence and excellence. That’s how success is made. And it’s why smart companies recognize that finding a skilled managed service provider that relies on ITIL isn’t just an option but a necessity.
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