ISO 20000 : IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT (ITSM)
IT Service Management requires an integrated approach to effectively deliver those services that truly meet customer and business requirements. To do this, established and professional methods and processes are needed.
A recognized solution to this problem is to use an IT Service Management System (ITSMS) based on ISO/IEC 20000, the international standard for IT service management. Certification to this standard enables you to independently demonstrate to your customers that you meet best practice.
ISO/IEC 20000 is based on and replaces BS 15000, the internationally recognized British Standard. ISO 20000 is the world's standard for IT service management. The standard specifies a set of inter-related management processes, and is aligned with and complementary to the process approach defined within the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) from The Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
The standard defines a comprehensive and closely related set of service management processes and comprises two parts:
Part One is the specification for service management which covers the IT service management. It is this part which you can be audited against and it sets out minimum requirements that must be achieved in order to gain certification.
Part Two is the code of practice for service management, which describes the best practices for service management processes within the scope of the specification.
ISO/IEC 20000 defines the requirements for a service provider to deliver managed services of an acceptable quality for its customers.
It may be used:
- by businesses that are going out to tender for their services;
- by businesses that require a consistent approach by all service providers in a supply chain;
- by service providers to benchmark their IT service management;
- as the basis for an independent assessment;
- by an organization which needs to demonstrate the ability to provide services that meet customer requirements; and
- by an organization which aims to improve service through the effective application of processes to monitor and improve service quality.
SCOPE
This part of ISO/IEC 20000 represents an industry consensus on quality standards for IT service management processes. These service management processes deliver the best possible service to meet a customer’s business needs within agreed resource levels, i.e. service that is professional, cost-effective and with risks which are understood and managed.
The variety of terms used for the same process, and between processes and functional groups (and job titles) can make the subject of service management confusing to the new manager. Failure to understand the terminology can be a barrier to establishing effective processes. Understanding the terminology is a tangible and significant benefit from ISO/IEC 20000. This part of ISO/IEC 20000 recommends that service providers should adopt common terminology and a more consistent approach to service management. It gives a common basis for improvements in services. It also provides a framework for use by suppliers of service management tools.
As a process based standard this code of practice is not intended for product assessment. However, organizations developing service management tools, products and systems may use both the specification and the code of practice to help them develop tools, products and systems that support best practice service management.
This part of ISO/IEC 20000 provides guidance to auditors and offers assistance to service providers planning service improvements or to be audited against ISO/IEC 20000-1.
APPLICATION
ISO 20000 is applicable to any organization, large or small, in any sector or part of the world which relies on IT services. The standard is particularly suitable for internal IT service providers, such as IT departments, and external IT service providers, such as IT outsourcing organizations.
The standard is already making a positive impact in some of the leading IT-dependent sectors, such as the business process outsourcing, telecommunications, finance and public sectors.
ISO 20000 KNOW MORE
I Already Have ISO 9001 Certification So Why Do I Need ISO20000?
ISO9001 is a generally applicable quality management standard, which applies to many processes and is used by organisations in different sectors and industries. While it has many attributes and benefits that are valuable to your existing commercial relationship, it does not specifically assess your processes for IT Service Management best practice.
You should consider whether specific certification for the ITSM component of your business is important: if your organisation is within the IT service sector, then ISO20000 will provide differentiation from competitors and underpin Governance measures.
Your certification body will probably assess ISO9001 and ISO20000 together in order to be more efficient.
Why should my team invest in the ISO/IEC 20000 Qualification Scheme?
It’s better for business. You’ll realize improved efficiency and effectiveness, save money, improve customer satisfaction and the quality of your service. Your organization can also become certified which is marketable and a business differential.