What is the point of ITIL® 4?

If ‘it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ right?

You may be wondering why ITIL® has been updated – ITIL V3 worked fine so why bother? In other words, what’s the point of ITIL 4?

In short, as technology evolves and improves, ITIL needs to evolve with it; after all, what’s the point in having an IT service management (ITSM) qualification if the technology you’re using is way beyond what the certification caters for?

So, as the industry continues to change, the way we manage IT services and systems must change along with it, reflecting both the way the industry is now, and the way it’s heading. Enter, ITIL 4…

What is ITIL 4?

ITIL 4 is the current iteration of ITIL, a well-known framework that has been supporting organisations to improve their IT service management for over 30 years. It is an adaptable and flexible framework for creating, designing, managing, and continually improving digitally enabled products and services.

The scheme is comprised of numerous certifications that provide your teams with essential skills. At ILX, we offer ITIL 4 Foundation and the five training modules that comprise the ITIL 4 Managing Professional and ITIL 4 Strategic Leader designations. These provide teams and individuals with a clear progression path – depending on their role requirements or individual aspirations.

View our full list of ITIL 4 training courses here.

When did ITIL 4 come out?

ITIL 4 was officially launched in February 2019. It introduced significant updates and changes to align the methodology with evolving business practices in the modern digital age. It builds on the foundation established by previous ITIL versions and emphasises a more holistic and flexible approach to service management.

What is new in ITIL 4?

The ITIL 4 Foundation qualification has been updated to include some of the content that was originally introduced with ITIL Practitioner in 2015. The latest version opens its doors to new generations of digital professionals, and will help to propel the entire IT industry forward into digital transformation.

The differences between ITIL V3 and ITIL 4

• The guiding principles: Created to assist practitioners and organisations in adopting and adapting ITIL, the guiding principles provide a framework for decision-making and behaviour within an organisation
• Holistic approach: The new version expands on the ITIL V3 content to better reflect today’s business and IT environment, bringing together ITSM, governance, business partnerships, development and operations, to view ITIL in a more strategic context
• Integration with emerging practices and ways of working: Whereas previously, practices such as agile, DevOps, cloud computing, lean and AI were just seen as complementary to ITIL, the updated framework offers optimal integration and promotes dynamic collaboration
• Service value chain: This outlines a series of interconnected activities which illustrates how organisations create and deliver value through their services

Learn more about the new ITIL 4 framework.

The benefits of ITIL 4

Training in ITIL 4 will help you and your organisation to adopt and adapt best practice guidance. This has a range of benefits, including:

• Aligning IT strategy with business objectives and outcomes
• Building effective governance, risk and compliance protocol to improve organisational resilience
• Providing a better experience for employees, offering them a clear path for career progression
• Encouraging innovation and continual improvement for digitally enabled products and services
• Improving customer and user experience allowing you to acquire new customers and grow existing ones

Start your ITIL 4 training now with our e-learning, virtual or classroom courses.

Want to find out more about the changes from ITIL V3, read our full list of FAQs or contact our customer service team.