As far as the IT industry is concerned, one of the most updated ISO standard known till date is ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 whose previous version is ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011.
Before ISO/IEC 20000, there were many flaws in the IT service management system including undefined processes, less or no consistency in operational processes, Poorly managed services, no basic concept about continuous improvement and how to run this cycle and vague roles and responsibilities of team members working in an organization under one roof for same goals and mission.
ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011
A global service management system standard named as ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 which best defines the major and minor requirements for IT service provider in order to make their management of service more better whose whole purpose is to make systems more efficient and to be in improved control position so that the organizational team can run the operation more smoothly.
Why ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 was updated?
Living in a digital age, it was challenging to keep up with a system which has not been amended accordingly with the modern and more digital methods, so it was a crying need to modernize ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 as soon as possible.
ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017
A microscopic focus has been made on more specific and more mandatory requirements in the field of planning as in how things need to be planned, what will be done and how many resources will be utilized in achieving the required results, the responsible entity to accomplish such tasks, timelines for completion and the method of evaluation of actual and expected outcomes.
Amendments in ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 at a glance
- Some New Segments Organization and Its Context, Plan the Service
- New Requirements: Plan the Services, Knowledge Management, Asset Management, Demand Management, and Service Delivery
- More Focuses On Accountability, Measurements, and More Explicit Details
- New Annex SL Formatting
- Changes of documented procedures: Removing requirement for availability to plan serviceability and capacity and to replace it with requirements to plan service availability and capacity
- Amendments in Terminology: The term “Organization now replaces service provider.”
Segments of ISO/IEC 20000
ISO/IEC 20000 has been divided into two major segments, and both segments have a specific aim to provide quality services to the IT management industry.
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ISO/IEC 20000-1: Formal Specification
It determines all the requirements for an IT organization to deliver fully functional and managed services for making perfect quality services for customers and for fulfilling compliance requirements.
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ISO/IEC 20000-2: Code of Practice
The set of code of practices that best defines methods of processes of Service Management lying within the scope of ISO 20000-1 which is primarily useful for specifically those organizations who are preparing for audit readiness against ISO/IEC 20000-1.
Requirements Highlighted in ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017
ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 revolves around maximum possible integration and proper implementation of all coordinated services of management processes which mean organizational teams will work more aligned to the processes and procedures be it service support, services related to delivery, operational processes and of everyone’s service desk.
New Terminologies replacing Older Ones
Mentioned here are older terms that have now been substituted with new terms.
- “service provider” is now substituted by “organization.”
- “internal group” is now substituted by “internal supplier.”
- “availability” is now substituted by “service availability.”
- “information security” is aligned with ISO/IEC 27000.
Mandatory Requirements
Enlisted below are mandatory requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017, which are necessary to meet if audit satisfaction is needed.
- Services’ Planning
- Knowledge management
- Asset management
- Demand management
- Service delivery
Anticipated Advantages of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017
Due to a few amendments and new ways devised to achieve business success, following are the benefits that ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 tends to provide to every IT based business and organizations.
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Continuous Improvement to the Core
Progress through Continuous improvement cycle is what ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 ensures. All the upgradation in ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 is aligned and fully integrated with all the business strategies of an IT-based organization making it more useful for your customers and your suppliers and vendors.
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Top Leadership Team
The more the involvement of the senior leadership team the more people will get engaged and will feel motivated to get all the requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 fulfilled leading to the achievement of organizational mission, goals, and objectives.
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Less Paperwork Less Hassle
According to the feedback suggested, the documented standard is too prescriptive all around documentation and procedures. The updated version ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 will be able to provide more flexibility making it way easier to get adopted.
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Supply Chain more Manageable
The updated standard ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 gives a more explicit approach around supply chain management so that supplier based relationships can be improved and can get in better shape leading to an overall increment in efficiency on both ends making supply and demand easy to control.
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Demand and Knowledge
A brand new introduction of a segment of knowledge and demand which applies to IT service management across the IT-based organization and beyond scope too.
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More Integrated Approach
The upgradation in the standard forming ISO/IEC 20000-1:2017 can now easily integrated with other ISO standards creating more low hanging fruits to grab, multiply and have other management systems be integrated with your current management system.