Now that the dust is just beginning to settle on the “Credit Crunch” major focus is being directed at prevention. The old English expression of “locking the stable door after the horse has bolted” comes to mind. The finance ministers from around the world met in Horsham, Sussex in England last weekend to work on an agenda for the Global summit of the G20 next month. Tighter regulations and more detailed governance proposals are being reviewed for the Finance sector.
The IT industry needs this sort of regulation and governance too. For too long the software vendors have been able to make claims which go un-regulated and un-disputed. Even some consultancies that started out to review the software produced and make formal statements are not regulated by any official governing body. What SMCG are aiming to achieve is a new era of governance for the software vendors. Vendors make the claim that they have automated the ITIL processes, we endeavour to test that claim. We don’t approve the product; we assess the accuracy of the automation of the ITIL process they claim to have in their software. We do this against the guidance laid down within the ITIL books and we do it to an audited standard by a governing body under direction from the copyright owners of ITIL. Then the claim we make and the vendors make is regulated and governed by those that make up the rules or framework in the first place. This can only be good for the prospective and current users of the vendor’s tools, and in ensuring the IT market has confidence in the claims being made.
Just like the new ITIL education program, we are aiming to add more credibility and maturity and avoid claims that one can be “ITIL certified” with just the Foundation course under their belt. Even if the vendors gain our Bronze level of ITIL compliance for a particular processes, this only proves they have indeed automated that process in line with the ITIL books, but if they aim for Silver level, we then know that 3 or more “in production” clients are also in agreement that they have automated the ITIL process, and if they go for Gold level, we now have “in production” clients speaking out and ratifying the claim. This is true governance, for the market and by the market. This can only be good for the procurement process, implementation projects and world leading IT Service Management.
Some argue that you can’t be compliant to ITIL, and that adapting ITIL is the best way to achieve good service management. We couldn’t agree more. Software tools all adapt ITIL and their own innovations to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and appeal to the consumer. Having a scheme which sets out the basic compliance requirements does not detract from software product vendor adaptations or innovation, nor does it prevent the consumer from doing the same. What it does do is ensure that the use of ITIL within products does meet a standard that the consumer can have confidence in. ISO 20000 is much the same concept. The standard sets out to articulate at a minimum, what organizations must have in place to be compliant to the standard. It does not tell them how they must do it and as such, provides for a multitude of innovative ways to achieve that end goal. The ITIL process compliance scheme has the same objective for software products. The ITIL Qualification Scheme also does this by allowing vendors to provide services that help consumers achieve certification. Isn’t it time the professional standards of technology also take the next step? Most of the vendors and consumers that have made their views known have agreed.
Many building blocks are necessary in the delivery of an ITIL based ITSM solution, the people, the processes, the automation of those processes, and the mind-set and professionalism to achieve it. The education of the people is now regulated and governed, soon the automation claims of the vendors tools will be regulated and governed too. The final claims of the end user can then be validated currently by the ISO.
So what would you rather have out there, unchallenged vendor and consultancies claims, or regulated standards, governed by the ITIL owners? This is what we’re about, so be prepared to join our community soon.
Any feedback and comments are always welcome!!
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