In the world of IT Service Management (ITSM), the word “service” gets tossed around a lot, but without a shared definition, it often leads to confusion, missed expectations, and inefficiency. That’s where ITIL comes in, offering a clear, standardized definition used by organizations worldwide to align IT with business outcomes. 📘 What Is a Service? (According to ITIL) A service is a means of enabling value co-creation by facilitating outcomes that customers want to achieve, without the customer having to manage specific costs and risks. In simpler terms: Services help people achieve results they care about. The provider takes on the complexity, risk, and cost so the customer doesn’t have to. Value isn’t just delivered, it’s co-created through use. Now let’s look at how this definition plays out in real life with a Tale of Two Companies. 🏁 Meet the Contenders: BeanScene vs. Brewtopia Both BeanScene and Brewtopia are rising stars in the specialty co...

A Digital Transformation requires radical and profound change that orients an organization toward an entirely new direction and takes a service provider to an entirely different level! High Velocity IT (HVIT) is the application of digital technology that will likely play a major role in significant business enablement where speed is crucial! This is an Atmospheric View of High Velocity IT - Meditate on this for a few - POWERFUL! High Velocity IT is just a normal way of doing business for some organizations. For others it is an aspiration and many service providers are on a quest to get there fast. Best practice shows that there are three core elements required for HVIT and after taking a deeper dive into these aspects I became excited to see how these characteristics can change the world! Integration of Emerging Technologies : Discuss how advancements in AI, machine learning, and automation have become integral to HVIT practices, enhancing speed and efficiency in service delivery. ...

Originally published November 2016 | Updated May 2025 In the earlier days of ITIL® education, we often referenced “RCV” - shorthand for Release, Control, and Validation - a lifecycle-based intermediate course in ITIL v3. While ITIL 4 has moved away from that structure, understanding RCV still provides important historical context and insight into key practices that continue to drive value in modern service management. A Quick Flashback: RCV in ITIL v3  RCV was one of the five ITIL v3 Lifecycle modules, focusing on ensuring that changes to services are properly managed, tested, and deployed. The primary goal? Minimize risk while improving the business's ability to adapt to changing requirements. The core practices in the RCV module included: Change Management (now evolved into Change Enablement) Release and Deployment Management Service Validation and Testing Service Asset and Configuration Management Evaluation and Knowledge Management These processes hel...

Fresh Ideas for the Service Desk: Inspired by ITIL 4 The Service Desk has always been at the heart of IT service delivery, connecting users to the services they need and providing vital support. But in today’s fast-paced digital world, the expectations placed on the Service Desk are evolving. Organizations need more than just a team that answers tickets; they need a strategic partner that contributes to business value, user satisfaction, and continual improvement. Whether you're just beginning your journey or ready to take your Service Desk to the next level, here are some fresh ideas inspired by ITIL® 4 that can help you modernize and thrive. 💡 1. Shift from Process-Focused to Value-Focused ITIL 4 encourages us to think in terms of value co-creation , not just process adherence. The Service Desk isn’t just logging incidents, it’s playing a central role in delivering value to users and the organization. Idea: Start mapping common user interactions to value streams...

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) is more than a job title; it’s a mindset, a philosophy, and a set of practices designed to bridge the gap between development and operations. However, not every team or professional using the SRE title truly embodies what it means to be an SRE. In this blog, we’ll explore five key practices that define true SREs. If you’re not doing these, you might want to rethink calling yourself or your team an SRE. 1. Prioritizing Reliability Over Everything Else SREs live and breathe reliability. If you’re not actively measuring and maintaining your systems' availability, performance, and durability, then you’re missing the core purpose of SRE. What You Should Be Doing: Define and track Service Level Objectives (SLOs) and Service Level Indicators (SLIs). Use error budgets to balance feature development and system stability. Implement incident response processes to minimize downtime. 2. Automating Toil Away Toil - the repetitive, manual tasks th...

5 Essential Tips from ITIL 4 IT Asset Management Training Organizations rely on IT assets to power operations, drive innovation, and meet business objectives. Managing these assets effectively can be the difference between seamless operations and costly inefficiencies. That’s where IT Asset Management (ITAM) comes in, a cornerstone practice within the ITIL 4 framework. After diving deep into ITAM training, we’ve gathered five essential tips to help you enhance your ITAM strategy and maximize the value of your IT investments. 1. Focus on the Full Asset Lifecycle ITAM isn’t just about tracking assets - it’s about managing their entire lifecycle. From procurement to retirement, each stage plays a vital role in ensuring your organization gets maximum value. Key points include: Procurement: Align purchases with organizational goals and budgets. Usage: Monitor performance and compliance to reduce waste. Disposal: Ensure environmentally responsible and secure asset disposal ...