ITIL® is a library, designed to provide the best practices for IT service management, assisting individuals and companies understand business change, transformation and growth through the proper use of IT. As organisations have realised the importance of the ITIL® Framework in terms of business management, the demand for ITIL® certified professionals has increased rapidly. The fact that industries other than IT, such as educational institutions as well as healthcare keep looking for such candidates is a testament to the growth of ITIL®.
- ITIL® has helped the learners in getting acquainted with the best practice methodology. These methods are not only systematic but are professionally valued too.
- The course enhances a professional’s ability to design, distinguish and support the IT services in business, further producing improved productivity, performance, and competence.
- It addresses and teaches professionals to focus on the most important aspect of a business that is customer experience.
- ITIL® helps the professional in sorting and prioritizing what is more valuable according to business standards. This allows to get the work done more efficiently.
- It increases the market value of a certified professional.
What are the career benefits of ITIL® certification?
Now, let's look at the career benefits of ITIL® certification for each level respectively.
Level 1: ITIL® Foundation
- It is the first-level certification course. Pursuing this will give participants a basic understanding of the ITIL® framework.
- Help understand how ITIL® can be used to enhance IT service management.
- It is helpful for anyone with an interest in IT service management.
Level 2: ITIL® Practitioner
- The certification was designed in 2016.
- The process directs on events and conditions in the daily business life cycle.
- A candidate gets to know some features of crucial concepts.
- This covers two major areas: Service Capability and Lifecycle.
Level 3: ITIL® Intermediate
- This level is divided into multiple sections which demonstrate revised methods for successful implementation of ITSM.
- This level is more superior to the previous levels.
- Intermediate certification is globally accepted in the IT sector.
- Modules are categorized into Service Capability and Lifecycle.
- The Service Lifecycle modules:
- Service Design (SD)
- Service Strategy (SS)
- Service Operation (SO)
- Service Transition (ST)
- Continual Service Improvement (CSI)
- Service Capability modules:
- Planning, Protection, and Optimization (PPO)
- Operational Support and Analysis (OSA)
- Service Offerings and Agreements (SOA)
- Release, Control, and Validation (RCV)
- Students have a choice of modules in a single category or modules in both categories for qualification.
Level 4: ITIL® Expert
- This is the esteemed certification. By this stage, a professional is expected to be well versed in practices to execute various complex concepts to maximize business management.
- An Expert certification is the proof of tremendous expertise, knowledge and skill base.
Level 5: ITIL® Master
- This level comprises comprehensive knowledge of the methods and advanced practices of ITIL®.
- The final stage of the certification which comprises extensive knowledge of the techniques and exceptional methods of ITIL®.
- It also incorporates the high-level process for its associated administration methods.
- The Master certified professional is highly valued for their experience, skills, and expertise.
What will be the average salary for ITIL® certified professionals?
Now that we are aware of the benefits of each level of the certification, let's see how the average salaries differ among the different levels of ITIL® certified professional.
The average wage for the foundation certification starts from nearly $82,795 per year for Service Delivery Manager to $106,280 per year for engineering Program Manager.
Here’s a table that details it out well:
Role
| Average salary per annum in US | Average salary per annum in India |
|---|
| Service Delivery Manager | $82,795 | INR 1,366,982 |
| IT Analyst | $86,361 | INR 7,32,612 |
| Asset Manager | $88,552 | INR 5,39,533 |
| IT Project Manager | $91,257 | INR 1,433,472 |
| IT Manager | $101,181 | INR 10,82,029 |
| Engineering Program Manager | $106,280 | INR 18,19,880 |
The salaries are directly proportional to the level of certification. This means that for more advanced certification, the Intermediate or above the average salaries exceed $117,000 on average for posts such as ITIL® Service Lifecycle: Service Transition and Service Lifecycle: Service Operation.
Role
| Average salary per annum in US | Average salary per annum in India |
|---|
| Senior IT Project Manager | $112,899 | INR 1,818,560 |
| Service Transition | $117,000 | INR 13,34,273 |
| Service Operation | $117,000 | INR 610,864 |
| IT Director | $130,191 | INR 3,417,221 |
| Chief Information Officer (CIO) | $168,932 | INR 4,143,013 |
Top Benefits of having ITIL® certification for Individual
Different Individuals come together with different values but a similar goal to create an organization. Before proceeding on how ITIL® benefits the companies, let's understand how ITIL® certification benefits an individual.
1. Enhanced productivity
A certified candidate is trained to understand the ITIL® framework thoroughly. It gives them an edge as they will not only be able to detect the issues but also apply these concepts which will allow them to manage work processes adequately. Also, they are aware of the importance and procedures followed in the ITIL® framework; this assists them to be more productive and utilize the resources to their maximum extent.
2. Increased Wage
A certified candidate is highly valued for his skills and expertise. This is the reason why any IT company will prefer a certified professional over a non-certified candidate.
On completing the course, a certified candidate has a better understanding of ITSM, which helps them to be more valuable for the company.
Not only is the wage higher, but a certified professional is also expected to have an exponentially higher scale compared to others due to their superior adaptation and learning skills.
The average pay for an ITIL® certified candidate can grow more than 15%.
3. Recognition
Having the ITIL® credentials in your resume is the verification of your advanced management abilities. Not only will your peer groups and colleagues will appreciate your value but even your seniors will recognize you for your superior understanding and efficient execution of the tasks.
4. Common Terminologies
Mastering the common terminologies during the course of the workshop will give a certified candidate an edge over others as this will let them have better communication with the client and improve on customer experience.
5. Holistic View
One of the most advanced features of ITIL® is that it teaches the candidate how to observe. This allows him/her to see the big picture and plan their actions accordingly. Also, this will assist the professional in giving long term feedbacks and contributions which are highly valued in the industry.
6. Generation of Idea
The holistic view and skills allow the certified candidate to generate better and effective ideas. Since they are equipped with a better sense of understanding of the framework, it allows them to keep a track of how the organisation is progressing and what it needs to keep growing.
7. Stand out
The framework is established to help the organisation to solve the everyday issues and boost their ITSM to gain the maximum profit. Since a certified learner will know how to utilise the framework to its fullest, this will make the professional stand out from the crowd. Not only will this boost their confidence, but will also push them to work more efficiently.
8. Prepared for the future
ITIL® certified professionals have a better chance of getting adapted to new jobs and handle the responsibilities much more efficiently as compared to others. Their adaptation skills are far more superior due to their expertise and high knowledge on the understanding of the process.
What are ITIL® benefits to the organization
In an organisation, issues like software expiration, hanging of a computer system or the server goes down during an important event, are almost inevitable. But it all comes down to how the situation is being handled at the service desk. Whether it’s all chaos followed by blame games or is it a calm situation where professionals are working towards solving the issue.
The latter is the case where one would witness that the organisation already has steps and measures to control these situations under their damage-control means.
“Clients have identified improved customer satisfaction with IT services, better communications and information flows between IT staff and customers, and reduced costs in developing procedures and practices within an enterprise.”
A Gartner report on the implementation of ITIL® by organisations put this out.
Following are the reason why an organization must have ITIL® implemented -
1. Better communication
With the rise of business dependence on IT, having an organisation that is well acquainted with the best practices towards ITSM, and having a common framework will remove the additional need for lengthy processes which consume a lot of time and effort. This will allow organisations to work hand-in-hand and to push each other to do their best. Also, this would eliminate the communication gap and work friction as the quality and approach will be similar.
2. Improved productivity
Usually, a lot of valuable work hours are lost in cases of small errors and dysfunctions. Mostly, the employees are not aware of what they have to do. This wastes their valuable working hours, sours the customer experience and ultimately the reputation of the company.
However with the right framework and the knowledge that it provides, it is possible for the employees to follow those specific steps to finish the task.
3. Flexibility
The biggest issue that hits SMBs is that when they try to expand, their systems and procedures are unable to adapt to the massive changes. This puts a sudden halt to their growth, and it takes a considerable amount of time to come out of this.
But the best feature of the ITIL® framework is that it supports scale and expansion. Due to its flexibility and adaptation, the process and systems remain unaffected.
Also, the SMBs suffer massively by the hardware which is associated with their systems. But ITIL® framework takes care of this issue through ITIL®- supported service desk, which looks after such complications beforehand, further allowing the transition to be smooth and efficient.
4. Enhanced Service Quality
ITIL® implementation provides the organisation with every possible damage-control measures. It also allows the employees to understand what needs to be done rather than distressing. And so, the calmness in the employees makes it possible for them to observe, plan and execute their actions appropriately.
The ITIL® frameworks keep track of all the procedures and steps that are supposed to be followed; this makes sure that lessons are learned from past mistakes. It ultimately enhances the quality of the service provided by the organisation.
5. Results
With improved service quality, smooth transition, and enhanced productivity, it is a proof that an ITIL® assisted organisation is far more advanced and likely to achieve their targets than an organisation which works randomly.
The ITIL® implementation also looks after the cost-reduction methods and time management. Moreover, it gives priority to the user experience making sure that the customers are satisfied. The smooth flow of work and chaos free work environment promotes productivity and keeps the employees happy.
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What is the process of ITIL® implementation in an organization
Knowledge can only be useful when we can apply it correctly. Similarly, just knowing about the ITIL® framework isn't enough; the organisation must have the resources and patience to implement it if it wants to harness the benefits.
As by now, we are aware that the reason behind ITIL®’s global acceptance is because it is based on years of experience and thousands of examples.
But we are also aware of the fact that every organisation has different goals, values and therefore, one might not need every part of ITIL®.
ITIL® for SMBs
In the previous sections, we discussed how the small and medium-sized businesses suffer for following random blueprints. SMBs majorly benefit when the ITIL® is implemented in arts. This allows them to understand which ITIL® art they actually need as their goals.
For example, in SMBs usually, 1-2 people manage the computer section. They are responsible when some issue happens with the system. In such cases, they won't need or have the time to control service strategies. Here, Incident management will be profitable and effective.
Now the trick lies into analysing which ITIL® process needs to be implemented first.
While every organisation is different, these are the most common factors which influence the business sectors -
1. Change Management:
Unresolved issues can interrupt daily IT services. If the company is nervous about executing positive developments, this method could be instant help.
2. Incident Management:
This method is perfect for organisations suffering from unplanned disturbances to IT duties, like system blackouts. This process assists the IT service to return to the users as soon as possible.
3. Request Fulfilment:
This method helps the organisations to record their user's request and making sure that every claim possible is being taken care of. It also improves the quality of user experience.
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Plan an ITIL® implementation roadmap
The best way to implement ITIL® is by making it a long term goal rather than achieving every art at once. The latter creates confusion and is expensive. The reason why the long term goal is useful is that it allows the companies to have sufficient time to adapt to the changes. It's taking one step at a time which doesn't put unnecessary pressure on the employees. As time passes, the organisation can eventually execute the following steps one by one. This allows the organisation to grow at their pace without any complications.
Establish an ITIL® Culture
The organisation has to provide training before implementing the ITIL®. If this isn't taken care of, there will be more damage than good, as, after implementation, most employees will have a hard time understanding and executing the processes.
Also, separate leaders have to be selected as mentors for ITIL foundation training. They will be the one who lead the teams into implementing the concepts of ITIL® for enhanced productivity.
ITIL® Benefits
Following are the major benefits at a glance -
- Reduced IT costs
- Improved IT services by using proven best practice processes
- Better customer experience with more professional approach to service delivery
- Standards and guidance
- Improved productivity
- Improved use of skills and experience
Drawback:
ITIL® framework is perhaps one of the most successful methodologies ever applied in business. But there is a scope for improvement -
- As a framework and applied methodology, ITIL® has no limitation.
- The only drawback of the ITIL® is that since it's a set of rules and a framework, it is as successful as the people using it allow it to be.
- So it depends on the organisation on how effectively they can utilise the concepts to boost their productivity, which further increases the success rate of the ITIL®.
Conclusion
It should be noted that if not applied properly, even applications of ITIL® are bound to fail. The whole team working towards achieving the goal is the key to its success. The results and outcomes of ITIL® will only be visible when they have been applied adequately. Eventually, ITIL® will be only as successful as you allow it to be. However, if used effectively it will definitely increase the chances of success exponentially.
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