Caveman_Nick Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I am finding ITIL to be a common thread in job postings for larger companies IT management jobs. To that end, I have started studying towards certification. Anyone been through the process? Any thoughts on the process, usefulness of the certification and/ or information learned? Career impact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 The Government is HUGH on ITIL and I took all of courses online through our internal training as required. Didn't get a certificate but I know it was a pretty intense set of courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 The Government is HUGH on ITIL and I took all of courses online through our internal training as required. Didn't get a certificate but I know it was a pretty intense set of courses. All courses meaning you did the Fundamentals module plus a bunch of stuff on the intermediate level...or all the way through to the eggspurt module? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 ITIL is just the formalization and creation of efficient processes when it comes right down to it. It is a handy way of filtering job applications and a widely recognized method of identifying people who understand the need for processes. If I were you, I'd get as deep into it as I could, especially as it pertains to equipment management and the progress of incidents to problems and resolution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 ITIL is just the formalization and creation of efficient processes when it comes right down to it. It is a handy way of filtering job applications and a widely recognized method of identifying people who understand the need for processes. If I were you, I'd get as deep into it as I could, especially as it pertains to equipment management and the progress of incidents to problems and resolution. As I have been reading through the material I find that on my own I did much of what is prescribed in ITIL...so much as budget and corporate support would allow...and attempted to do much more of it...but budget and corporate support did not allow. I am really trying to get a tier above the folks that deal with support issues and the management of those personnel and systems, but it's likely that I will have to make it through a few years of that before I can get there. Either way, I am doing my best to get my arms around the jargon so I can pass the test. The really scary part of it is seeing the convergence of the ITIL methodology with and the expansion into dealing with regulatory issues and the demands and consequences within that sector. Oi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 As I have been reading through the material I find that on my own I did much of what is prescribed in ITIL...so much as budget and corporate support would allow...and attempted to do much more of it...but budget and corporate support did not allow. I am really trying to get a tier above the folks that deal with support issues and the management of those personnel and systems, but it's likely that I will have to make it through a few years of that before I can get there. Either way, I am doing my best to get my arms around the jargon so I can pass the test. The really scary part of it is seeing the convergence of the ITIL methodology with and the expansion into dealing with regulatory issues and the demands and consequences within that sector. Oi. Sounds exactly like me. I spent the last 10 years developing efficient processes based on what the budget would allow. I've never entertained having an ITIL certification but I can see how it would be really useful for obtaining a new job. Regardless of management level, it's still important to understand the processes that are underpinning daily operations simply to carry out supervisory checks. As you allude to though, the one that really is valuable is regulatory compliance capability. Companies are scared crapless by SOX and the like, even though SOX isn't much more than common sense and the imposition of corporate discipline where necessary. Consultants can make a fortune from SOX et al. As with all things that aren't plain to the layman, SOX has been obfuscated and mythologized to the point where it's practitioners have turned it into a black art so they can keep the gravy train rolling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) As you allude to though, the one that really is valuable is regulatory compliance capability. Companies are scared crapless by SOX and the like, even though SOX isn't much more than common sense and the imposition of corporate discipline where necessary. Consultants can make a fortune from SOX et al. As with all things that aren't plain to the layman, SOX has been obfuscated and mythologized to the point where it's practitioners have turned it into a black art so they can keep the gravy train rolling. I don't know how much truth there is in what you say here*. I am just really scratching the surface, but if you want to get a bit into it, check out the podcasts from Pink Elephant on ITIL, starting with ITIL V3. After that there is a series on Governance that talks a bit about SOX, what it means to organizations and what they are having to go through to meet the demands. The regulatory environment is ever increasing, and there is some scary stuff that they discuss regarding governance, auditing, even things like the responsibility of archiving simple email interaction. It's daunting. In other words, the more potential that exists for reporting and auditing, particularly by gov't entities, the more that 'black art' becomes an unavoidable reality. Again, I'm just getting into it, but that's my initial impression of the situation. *Of course...I am just implying that my impression is different as to how SOX is being applied in real life. Edited July 17, 2011 by Caveman_Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I don't know how much truth there is in what you say here*. I am just really scratching the surface, but if you want to get a bit into it, check out the podcasts from Pink Elephant on ITIL, starting with ITIL V3. After that there is a series on Governance that talks a bit about SOX, what it means to organizations and what they are having to go through to meet the demands. The regulatory environment is ever increasing, and there is some scary stuff that they discuss regarding governance, auditing, even things like the responsibility of archiving simple email interaction. It's daunting. In other words, the more potential that exists for reporting and auditing, particularly by gov't entities, the more that 'black art' becomes an unavoidable reality. Again, I'm just getting into it, but that's my initial impression of the situation. *Of course...I am just implying that my impression is different as to how SOX is being applied in real life. I believe Pink Elephant is by far the best ITIL resource, according to peers I have talked with. As for SOX, it really isn't all that difficult. What you are reading may well be generated by vested interests in keeping it appearing to be difficult. Archiving all email is trivial. Simply mirror/cluster the email servers to a read only copy, off limits to every user. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 ITIL is just the formalization and creation of efficient processes when it comes right down to it. It is a handy way of filtering job applications and a widely recognized method of identifying people who understand the need for processes. If I were you, I'd get as deep into it as I could, especially as it pertains to equipment management and the progress of incidents to problems and resolution. This right here. In fact, my company has made it mandatory for all program managers to have at least their Fundamentals cert before the end of Q4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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