A Library for IT Folks

ITIL is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a collection of documents describing IT best practices. ITIL was first developed in the late 1980s by the UK's Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency The ITIL philosophy is centered around a Service Strategy, which supports the areas of Service Design, Service Transition, and Service Operation; these processes are continually being improved (image from SUBnet.192):

ITIL has had 3 versions: v1, encompassing 30 books on various aspects of the IT process; v2, with 8 books; and v3, simplified to 5 books. ITIL is in the process of transitioning from version 2 to version 3, though both versions are still widely used by IT companies.

One of the aspects included in v2 -- specifically, the Service Support category of v2 -- is the Service Desk. It is pretty much what it sounds like: the company's tech support function. There are three descriptors for a Service Desk, each with differing levels of actual tech support provided.

• A Call Center is essentially a relay station for taking customer problems and forwarding them to the appropriate support department. While Call Center employees can solve some basic problems, most of the time they just get information and forward customers to another department that is better equipped to solve their problem.
• A Help Desk solves problems as quickly as possible. They provide support, but don't handle maintenance-type activities.
• A Service Desk handles tech support, maintenance, change requests, etc. Pretty much, if it has to do with their system, they handle it.

The Service Desk activity is categorized under the Service Operation banner in ITIL v3.

There are many software solutions for ITIL, spanning programs that cover the entire breadth of ITIL activities and programs that focus on one aspect of it. One more focused product is ServiceDesk Plus, "a web-based help desk software that...[manages] all your communications from a single point". It takes requests via different methods (phone, email, etc.), applies the necessary rules and/or conditions, and routes them to a technician for fulfillment. (Workflow image from ManageEngine.)

There are also several companies that provide ITIL consulting services. One such company is Enterprise Consulting Services, "a boutique consulting firm specializing in IT Service Management consulting, implementation and outsourcing, using the ITIL framework". ECS focuses on translating ITIL best practices into concrete implementations based on a company's needs.

One such client with whom they have worked is Iberdrola USA (formerly Energy East), a multi-state energy corporation. ECS provided training for employees, allowing them to become certified in ITIL. They also redesigned the support and security systems and upgraded their computers (Windows XP, Office 2003, and McAfee security -- in related news, Iberdrola probably just had svchost.exe disappear for a while). These moves resulted in annual savings for Iberdrola of about $1.4 million. That's what applying optimized practices will do for a company.

Quote of the Day:
The Tech Support Glossary:
ID-Ten-T error: the user has just done something inane, like use their DVD drive tray as a cupholder. (Also known as ID10T.)

PEBKAC error: there is nothing wrong with the computer; the problem exists between keyboard and chair.

Layer 8: in the OSI Model, the user layer above the application. (See also ID-Ten-T.)

(from Wikipedia)