Effective IT service management: To ITIL and beyond

IT service management (ITSM) is the group of processes and functions that oil the wheels of the IT machine. The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is the recognized best-practice standard for ITSM, however, many organizations are finding that they must go beyond this framework in order to solve their problems. This book offers practical guidance on delivering and managing IT services in an effective and efficient manner by extending the ITIL approach to deliver proactive and pragmatic IT service management. Author Rob Addy provides a candid look at the relative merits of the currently accepted wisdom regarding the provision of IT services, using the principles of the ITIL guidance series. He describes IT service management processes related to service delivery and service support (as well as other non-ITIL areas), their objectives, shortcomings, and how these issues can be addressed in real-life situations. In addition, he presents a workable definition of what exactly an IT service is and how it can be defined and used in practice. Overall, the book provides an unbiased view of the discipline, its objectives, major processes, and their benefits and shortcomings.

Acknowledgments. 1. Introduction. 2. Literature Review. 3. Elements of Optimal Control. 4. The Model. 5. Full-Observation Case. 6. Partial Observation Case. 7. Numerical Approaches. 8. Simulation Experiments. Index.

From the reviews:"By identifying and clarifying ambiguities within the ITIL framework, Rob distinguishes himself from the Kool-Aid peddlers and proves that he is a real contributor to the wider ITSM debate." - Charles Betz, Author "Architecture and Patterns for IT Service Management, Resource Planning, and Governance: Making Shoes for the Cobbler's Children""A practical and informative guide that explains and expands upon ITIL theory.""The book extends traditional theory with practical experience to make ITIL even more valuable and pertinent.""Nobody writes ITSM like Rob. Maybe that's a good thing... But maybe that's why I like it." - Sven Strassburg, Head of Worldwide Sales Technology Office, IBM Tivoli"Going beyond best practice is the only way to gain competitive advantage. This book will help you do just that.""An excellent resource for new and experienced ITSM practitioners and their customers alike." - Danny Kellett, Principal ITSM Consultant, BMC Software"An invaluable reference for anyone working in the IT industry.""A handy volume that consolidates ITIL theory and distils it into a readily accessible form.""This book provides an invaluable foundation upon which any ITSM professional can build." - Brian Bell, Senior Vice President Worldwide Product Management, CA"Rob is a highly skilled ITSM professional that has worked for some of the biggest and best companies in the world. This book allows everyone to benefit from his experiences and common sense approach." - Dick Cahill, Worldwide VP of Sales, IBM Tivoli"A pragmatic and comprehensive reference for anyone involved with the delivery and support of IT services." - James Rogers, Chief Marketing Officer, Troux Technologies"The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a wide-ranging framework, and its theoretical nature makes it a challenging methodology to adopt in an effective manner. This book aims to help users who want to benefit from ITIL, by providing both an introduction and practical po