ITIL in 30 Seconds If you re new to ITIL or just getting started, this is a great place to begin. We've simplified the core concepts and show how they apply to GoToAssist Service Desk. Use this pocket-sized guide for your ITIL reference.
What is ITIL? ITIL is a set of concepts and guidelines that focuses on managing IT services. It s part of a wider IT service management discipline that aims to achieve greater customer satisfaction by putting more focus on the customer and a larger emphasis on internal and external communication.
The ITIL Breakdown Among other things, ITIL is broken down into 4 main processes: Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management. These all interrelate to each other and focus on the dealing with customers, documenting known issues, managing change and releasing new changes to a production environment. Many small- to medium-sized companies are put off by ITIL s apparent complexity. This shouldn t be the case. ITIL simply boils down to an effective way to manage deadlines, priorities and service-level agreements. INCIDENT PROBLEM CHANGE RELEASE
Incidents An incident is a single event, a disruption or query that negatively affects the quality of a service to a customer. It will have a time frame in which it needs to be resolved. The focus of incident management is about getting your customers up and running by whatever means necessary. Successfully managing incidents means the right priority is assigned, appropriate deadlines are in place and there s transparent communication and understanding of the incident s context and who or what it affects. It allows you to accurately measure your Service Level Agreement compliance and understand your incident hot spots and their wider impacts. Incidents can spawn Problems and Changes INCIDENT PROBLEM CHANGE
Problems A problem is a flaw that affects the quality of a service. By definition, a problem is at the root of every incident; an underlying issue with a service that needs a short-term workaround (to minimize disruption when it occurs) and long-term solution (so that it doesn t happen again). Problem management is a proactive way of managing your services. It s about knowing what flaws exist in your system, offering quick workarounds for when they occur and, if warranted, investigating long-term solutions. Problems can cause Incidents and spawn Changes INCIDENT PROBLEM CHANGE
Changes A change is a modification to a service or to something that will affect a service. It will have a plan and approval phase and a build and test phase. The focus of change management is about communication and traceability. Successful change management results in greater awareness across your company of changes to your services understanding their justification, impact, processes and outcomes. It means no surprises and a fully auditable trail for when the need arises. Changes can be spawned by Incidents and Problems and linked to Releases INCIDENT PROBLEM CHANGE RELEASE
Releases A release has a prepared and tested set of components, an agreed timeframe to release these changes and a record of every deployment. Release management focuses on communicating clear points of impact, ensuring quality of the production environment and minimizing any customer facing disruptions. Effective release management allows you to deliver change more efficiently, at optimal cost and at reduced risk. It affords you greater confidence in your release process. Releases can be made up of many Changes CHANGE RELEASE
Configuration and Knowledge Underneath the aforementioned processes sits Configuration and Knowledge. These are the central repositories for your company s data, information and knowledge. Configuration management focuses on infrastructure and deals with identifying, defining and mapping your assets and their relationship to one another (an asset can be a piece of software, hardware, a company, person or location). Knowledge management complements this with a focus on service-related information, processes and initiatives. Both Configuration and Knowledge can cause, relate to, or aid in the management of incidents, problems, changes and releases. INCIDENT PROBLEM CHANGE RELEASE CONFIGURATION KNOWLEDGE
A common-sense approach GoToAssist Service Desk applies a refreshing common-sense approach to ITIL, focusing on the usability of the fundamental processes. The usability, flexibility and customization of GoToAssist will allow you and your staff to focus on delivering quality services to your customers. If you re considering implementing ITIL or already have but are sick of complicated tools and systems getting in the way, then you might find GoToAssist Service Desk to be just the ticket.
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Additional Information For stories of customers using GoToAssist in unique ways, tips for IT managers, and product announcements, visit the GoToAssist blog and social communities. Email: support@gotoassist.com Twitter: @gotoassist Blog: blog.gotoassist.com Community: itpros.community.gotoassist.com/gotoassist Further Reading If you re interested in more ITIL resources, check out: www.itil-officialsite.com for more information on ITIL qualifications and publications http://www.itsmfusa.org for more information about the ITIL community, local events and resources.
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