ITIL 4 is officially available at New Horizons Ireland. Check out here the main changes

ITIL is the most widely accepted approach to IT service management in the world, helping individuals and organisations realise business change, transformation and growth through the proper use of IT. But ITIL v3 was released in 2007 and amended in 2011. Since then, the world has changed.

Why ITIL?

The ITIL has become the standard in IT Service Management. It’s a framework which helps organisations all over the world to offer their services with quality and efficiency. The key concepts covered in ITIL are: services, service management, service assets, value, utility, warranty, processes, functions, roles, resources, capabilities, and more.

In a modern and constantly changing environment, companies need to meet consumer demands faster and be ready to comply with digital transformation and everything that it brings to enterprises daily life. ITIL brings the best practices approach and it helps organisations to adapt its guidance to their circumstances and requirements.

ITIL 4 Explained

ITIL 4 certification has 2 different streams:

• ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP)
• ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL)

ITIL 4 Foundation

This 2 day course is the beginning of your ITIL 4 journey, enabling you to understand a new way to look at IT Service Management through the holistic view of a Service Value System (SVS).

ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP)

It’s designed for IT practitioners working within technology and digital teams across businesses. The Managing Professional (MP) stream provides practical and technical knowledge about how to run successful IT projects, teams and workflows.

ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL)

Becoming an ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) demonstrates that the professional has a clear understanding of how IT influences and directs business strategy. The certification recognises the value of ITIL, not just for IT operations, but for all digitally enabled services.

The Streams in Detail

The two streams are made up of five modules altogether. To become an ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP) candidates must complete the following modules:

• ITIL 4 Foundation
• ITIL Specialist: Create, Deliver & Support
• ITIL Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value
• ITIL Specialist: High Velocity IT
• ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve

To be an ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) professionals must complete the below modules:

• ITIL 4 Foundation
• ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve
• ITIL Leader: Digital & IT Strategy

ITIL Master

Once the candidate has achieved both the ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP) and ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) designations they will be ITIL Master. 

How to Transition to ITIL 4

There are different options for professionals whose want to update their credential. If a candidate had taken ITIL v3 Foundation, then the recommended approach is to take ITIL 4 Foundation to be able to transition to the new scheme. A new single exam is required to assess the candidate’s knowledge.

When the professional hold a small number of credits beyond ITIL v3 Foundation, the availability of the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module will enable ITIL v3 certified professionals to transition their certifications to the ITIL 4 scheme. For this transition module, a candidate needs an ITIL Expert (v3) certificate or a minimum of 17 credits from the Foundation and Intermediate modules.

ITIL v3 Expert

For professionals who had achieved ITIL v3 Expert, they can take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module when it is released to achieve the ITIL Managing Professional designation. After achieving the ITIL Managing Professional designation, if the they are interested in pursuing the ITIL Strategic Leader stream, they would only need to complete the ITIL Leader Digital & Strategy module.

More details about the transition path can be founded in this link.

Important Questions and Answers

Q: I have my ITIL Foundation certification. How should I transition to ITIL 4?

A: Due to the structure of ITIL 4 Foundation, there will not be a transition module at the Foundation level from ITIL v3. And since there is a large amount of new material in ITIL 4 Foundation, a new exam is required to assess your knowledge of the new ITIL 4 Foundation guidance. So, you will want to obtain this new credential.

Q: When will ITIL v3 be discontinued?

A: The transition will be a gradual process, allowing for students in the midst of their ITIL v3 journey, to continue collecting their ITIL v3 Intermediate credits to enable transition to the coming ITIL Managing Professional Transition module. AXELOS will therefore not discontinue ITIL v3 (stop maintaining exams, publishing books or accrediting students) before June 2020.

Q: What is the ITIL Managing Professional Transition course?

A: This is designed for ITIL Experts, and those people with 17 points in the ITIL v3 scheme. It will be released in the coming year. It will serve as the transition course for qualified individuals to migrate their ITIL v3 expert status to the new ITIL 4 Managing Professional credential.

Q: Should I stop my ITIL v3 training and wait for ITIL 4?

• 3 or 4 ITIL v3 Intermediate/Practitioner credits, and you are interested in ITIL 4

OPTION 1: Take ITIL 4 Foundation and an additional module in a preferred area of interest, becoming either an ITIL Specialist, Strategist or Leader.
OPTION 2: You can continue working towards collecting 17 credits from ITIL v3 to become eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module. The benefit of this is that you are eligible to fast track past the v3 Managing Across the Lifecycle course and exam.

• 6 or more ITIL v3 Intermediate/Practitioner credits, and you are interested in ITIL 4

If you have 6 credits or more since v3 Foundation, you will probably want to continue collecting ITIL v3 credits to prepare for an easy transition to ITIL 4 and gain the ITIL Managing Professional designation.

• ITIL Expert, and you are interested in transitioning to ITIL 4

You can take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module as soon as it is released to achieve the ITIL Managing Professional designation. After achieving the ITIL Managing Professional, if you are interested in pursuing the ITIL Strategic Leader stream, you would only need to complete the ITIL Leader Digital & Strategy module. So, once you have completed both streams you will then be eligible to move towards ITIL Master. Details about the release of ITIL Master will be released sometime in 2019, and we’ll let you know the details as soon as they’re available.

Q: Where is ITIL Practitioner in ITIL 4 Update?

A:  ITIL Practitioner will no longer be a separate module in the ITIL 4 certification scheme, however the knowledge and principles from ITIL Practitioner guidance will be fundamental to all modules in ITIL 4. Students can also use their ITIL Practitioner credits to continue their ITIL journey. If a student has collected 17 credits, they will be eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module without taking the MALC exam.

*ITIL® is a registered trademark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. The Swirl logo™ is a trademark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved.

ITIL Courses at New Horizons Ireland

ITIL is part of the main project management certifications that a Project Manager should have under their belt. At New Horizons Ireland we provide a wide range of Project Management courses to help you to grow your career.

If you want to know more about our Project Management courses, you can contact Amy Byrne (amy.byrne@nhireland.ie), our Business Development Manager and she will be happy to help you in the process of choosing the most appropriate training for you.