[NBLUG/talk] Certifications: Unix, Linux, ITIL, Mac

Jim Oser oserj at OserConsulting.com
Sat Dec 9 13:21:25 PST 2006


Bill,

So are you ITIL certified? If so, how did you become ITIL certified?

Has any company ever asked you to be ITIL certified?

Thanks for your detailed answer to the original post.

Jim

On Dec 9, 2006, at 12:00 PM, Bill Collins wrote:

> ITIL is a set of "best practices" that were canonized into a  
> standard in the UK for the purpose of standardizing efficient  
> (read: less costly) and effective (read: get it done right) IT  
> Service Management. It has since swept through Europe and is  
> beginning to be adopted in the US. There is an ISO standard ISO  
> 20000 that mirrors the British standard BS 15000. Certification is  
> awarded through examination by an authorized agency. In the US this  
> is a group called Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB).  
> Here are a few links that can point you to more info:
>
> http://www.itsmf.org/
> http://www.exin-exams.com/
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITIL
>
> There are various levels of certification. The three main  
> categories are Foundation, Practitioner, Manager. Some of the  
> impetus behind desiring / requiring this type of certification in  
> the US is linked to regulatory pressures from Sarbanes-Oxley and  
> HIPAA. It is also aligned with the trend for organizations to seek  
> ISO and CMM certifications. ITIL is a certification aimed at the  
> individual whereas ISO and CMM are organization level  
> certifications.  I believe you can self study for the Foundation  
> level but authorized training is required for the more advanced  
> certifications. The Foundation course is usually 3 days, and is the  
> most common certification. Some of the primary workshop based  
> training organizations are HP Education and IBM Education. I am  
> sure more options are emerging as the popularity of this  
> certification grows. Many employers who seek ISO certification will  
> bring these training opportunities in-house. You see this more  
> often in pure service organizations and out-sourcing firms.
>
> Here is one source of literature and other info:
>
> http://itsm.fwtk.org/
>
> The material is not difficult. If you have been involved in any  
> well organized service effort that utilizes Service desk, Incident  
> management, Problem management, Change management, etc, you will be  
> familiar with the concepts. However, the exams are very specific  
> about what concept or responsibility fits where in the standard. So  
> the bottom line is: there is a lot of memorization.
>
> Most workshop providers include the exam as part of the process, so  
> you can emerge fully certified.
>
> Is it usefull knowledge? yes. Is it essential (i.e. more important  
> than a technical certification)? Only if you are going to actually  
> be a service manager of some sort in an organization that values  
> it. Would it prevent you from getting a job? Probably same answer  
> as previous.
>
> Why do I know? Because I have been through more organizational ISO  
> and CMM certification death marches than I care to remember, not to  
> mention HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
>
> I am sure this is more info than anybody needs to read  (or write)  
> on a Saturday, but its a good day to be inside, so cheers and good  
> luck!
>
>
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