ITIL foundation is an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It is a registered trademark of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the United Kingdom. It is a system of concepts and practices for information technology service management (ITSM), information technology (IT) development, and IT operations. It draws on international experience in the public and private sectors to illustrate how specific IT resources should be used to deliver business value.
The IT Service Management approach was created in the 1980s as a group of books covering specific areas of IT service management. The number of v1 books reached 30, and in 2000/2001, v2 was introduced to make ITIL more accessible. In May 2007, the OGC released the third edition, called the ITIL Update Project. It consists of 26 processes and functions, organized into 5 volumes based on the concept of service lifecycle structure.
With the introduction of v3, a new certification path has been created. As such, there are four levels, and each certificate includes points for some advanced level features. Points will also be added to certifications earned in previous versions. The four levels are as follows. Basic, Intermediate, Expert, and Master.
Individuals who need only a basic understanding of the ITIL course and IT professionals working in companies that have adopted the ITIL course are the primary target audience for the IT Service Management Foundation Certificate. The intermediate level is for those who need a deeper understanding of the elements of the service lifecycle in order to improve their IT service management.
The Expert level can be achieved by accumulating credits for the first two levels above. In lieu of an exam, a minimum of 22 credits is required. To qualify for the Master level, an Expert certificate is required. In addition, students must demonstrate practical application experience through a peer review system.
What about those who have earned the V2 certification? These certificates can be used as credits towards the expert certification or the current v3 articulation pathway. Even those with pre-v2 certifications can update their knowledge and certification through a series of “bridging courses”.