Sunday, August 11, 2013

ISO 20000

ISO/IEC 20000 is the first international standard for IT Service Management. It was developed in 2005, by the ISO and revised in 2011. It is based on the earlier BS 15000 which had been developed by BSI. Like BS 15000 it was originally developed to reflect best practice guidance contained within the ITIL framework. It also supports other IT Service Management frameworks and approaches including Microsoft Operations Framework and components of ISACA's COBIT framework.
IT service management deals with providing efficient IT services to help meet business objectives.  “Service" in an IT perspective is typically viewed from the prism of IT Operations.   ISO 20000 covers "the design, transition, delivery and improvement of services that fulfil service requirements and provide value for both the customer and the service provider. This thus requires an integrated process approach when the service provider plans, establishes, implements, operates, monitors, reviews, maintains and improves a service management system (SMS)."
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards. International Standards give state of the art specifications for products, services and good practice, helping to make industry more efficient and effective. These standards are developed through global consensus. The ISO, (http://www.iso.org/iso/home/about.htm) based out of Geneva, Switzerland has published more than 19500 standards.
The importance of ISO standards is that they ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. For business, they are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors, and increasing productivity. They help companies to access new markets, level the playing field for developing countries and facilitate free and fair global trade.
The difference between ITIL and ISO 20000 is essentially in that ITIL provides guidance, and adherence to the guidance is not mandatory; while adherence to ISO 20000 documents is mandatory and failure to comply would lead to loss / cancellation of the certification for the organization.

The 2011 version (ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011) comprises nine sections:

  • Scope
  • Normative references
  • Terms and definitions
  • Service management system general requirements
  • Design and transition of new or changed services
  • Service delivery processes
  • Relationship processes
  • Resolution processes
  • Control processes

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