subject: ITIL Foundation Training - The Six Processes Involved in Service Support [print this page] ITIL Foundation Training - The Six Processes Involved in Service Support
ITIL foundation training is the first level of entry to an ITIL certification program. Focusing on twelve primary areas, the Foundation program is grouped into two big sections: Service Support and Service Delivery. Below are summaries of the six processes which make up Service Delivery:
Service Level Management
This is the process that forms the chain between the IT company and its customers. The implementation of Service Level Management can only be a success, if the other ITIL processes are in place. The main objective of this process is to make sure that the IT services offered are high in quality and affordable to the customer at the same time. Through a continuous cycle of agreement, monitoring and reporting, the Service Level Management maintains and enhances the service quality.
Service Availability
This process makes certain that all IT services are available, at any given time. This process includes monitoring and analyzing the services, as well as their components. From analyzing past mistakes, the organization can avoid future ones. Some tools that are used in measuring service availability are:
Availability - This includes the service times and response times
Help desk calls - This includes the resolution times, response times and the number of issues raised
Capacity - These are performance measures that take into account the number of users, report production and online transactions
Capacity Management
This process ensures that IT services are provided in the right volume, at the right place and at the right time. By monitoring and analyzing the capacity of the IT services, this process makes certain that services run smooth and are available at any time. It gathers information from the other areas of the organization to identify the required services, the infrastructure needed to implement these services and the expenditure involved. Capacity management consists of three sub-processes, namely, business capacity management, resource capacity management and service capacity management.
Financial Management
This process makes certain that the required infrastructure is obtained at a very reasonable price. It calculates the costs involved in providing IT services, and this enables the organization to put an appropriate price tag on its services. This way, the organization can recover the costs, and also make a few profits, from the customer. Costs are divided into direct and indirect costs. The main goal of this process is to provide services that can control, handle and recover the expenditure.
IT Service Continuity Management
The main objective of this process is to handle risks that could have a serious impact on IT services. It makes certain that the service provider will always provide the minimum service levels, as agreed. The IT Service Continuity Management defines processes that allow IT to work closely with the departments of the Business Continuity Management. Together, they ensure that backup plans and options are in place in the event of a disruption. ITSCM can not only minimize disruption in services, but it can also minimize the costs involve with recovery plans.
Security Management
The ITIL security management process, based on the ISO 27001 standard, is applicable to all types of organizations. The objectives of the security management process are:
Confidentiality - Only authorized individuals are allowed to access the data
Integrity - The data must be accurate and must be protected at all times
Availability - Information is available to the authorized users at any time
By taking care of the availability, integrity and confidentiality of the data, this process ensures that no security-related incidents take place.
