ITIL Certification is one of the most important in the technology market. ITIL validates the IT management work of professionals through a manual of good practices, specific to the sector.
Professionals who want to grow in the Information Technology market, and companies that value quality, productivity and process, should invest in ITIL certification.
The framework, which has been adopted around the world, can be used even in other departments. The content guides the delivery of good results, based on integrated management of data and information that are part of the reality of any sector of the company.
Keep reading to learn about this certification which is demanded by the job market. In this article, we will understand:
- What is ITIL Certification?
- Benefits of ITIL Certification
- ITIL Certification Levels
- Who should take ITIL Certification?
- How to take ITIL Certification?
- ITIL V4 – Updated Certification in 2019
- What is the best IT certification?
Enjoy your reading!
The ITIL Foundation certification is the highest certification in the Information Technology market when it comes to IT management.
The ITIL Certification offered by PeopleCert – an organization that operates in the development and management of globally recognized certifications -, is currently in its fourth version.
The methodology arose in England, providing good practices for the IT sector of the British government. Today, after producing excellent results, the model has expanded and is already being used in other industries all over the world.
What is ITIL Certification?
The ITIL Foundation certification is the highest certification in the Information Technology market when it comes to IT management.
The ITIL Certification offered by PeopleCert – an organization that operates in the development and management of globally recognized certifications -, is currently in its fourth version.
The methodology arose in England, providing good practices for the IT sector of the British government. Today, after producing excellent results, the model has expanded and is already being used in other industries all over the world.
What ITIL is and what it is for
ITIL is the initials for Information Technology Infrastructure Library which, in Portuguese, can be translated as “Biblioteca de Infraestrutura de Tecnologia da Informação”
This library serves as a manual of good practices, recommended for companies looking to improve the performance of their IT activities.
The purpose of this manual is to provide a structure for IT to manage and deliver a better experience for users.
By applying the good practices defined in ITIL, the IT team can improve the quality of their products and services as well as identify and fix potential challenges during their operations.
Main Objective of ITIL
With this framework of good practices guiding the IT team, the main objectives of ITIL are to optimize processes, seek more quality in deliveries, more agility in solving problems and consequently reduce operational costs.
Next, we’ll cover the benefits of ITIL Certification.
Benefits of ITIL Certification
A company with certified professionals using the workflow recommended by the ITIL methodology has several advantages. It is no coincidence that this working model is recognized and applied worldwide.
ITIL framework is also the most used one to manage the service lifecycle.
The ITIL certified professional is more valuable in the market as s/he develops essential skills both in IT processes and in other areas such as people management.
The certificate does not only benefit the professional who receives it but also the company enjoys the advantages of the ITIL framework in its operations. Check it out below:
Cost reduction
With certified professionals, it is possible to better allocate resources, which has an impact on reducing company costs.
Costs are reduced as the team has greater clarity about assets as well as savings.
Best performance
A team that follows clear routines of processes and standards, and looks to get most of the knowledge from each member can perform with high performance and create an increase in delivery industry efficiency.
Time optimization
As well, with better use of resources the team is able to solve problems and challenges with agility, making better use of their time.
Increased team satisfaction
With the increase in the quality of services, besides the increase in customer satisfaction, employees also experience an increase in satisfaction.
ITIL-certified IT teams have reduced turnover rate as their skills are heard and applied.
ITIL Certification Levels
Until 2017, ITIL certification was implemented by EXIN and ISEB. Currently, Axelos owns the certification rights. PeopleCert is the other certifying institution for ITIL.
There are 5 types of certificates to progress at different levels. The nomenclature and the structure of the tests were updated in 2019. In this article, we have already presented the current version of the certification, ITIL 4.
Version 4 of ITIL introduced the creation of two different lines to better organize groups of professionals and their required competencies and skills.
In the ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP) line, the professionals must complete four modules whose first three levels are referred to below.
Here, the aim is to provide practical knowledge for project management, leadership and well-developed IT creation.
The ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) line is focused on developing more strategic skills. To receive the title, the candidate must complete three modules: Foundation, Strategist and Leader.
To achieve the final level, which is the Master certification, the candidate must first earn two titles: ITIL MP and ITIL SL.
Foundation
The ITIL Foundation test is the most used as a professional certification in the world. Recommended for professionals with basic knowledge of ITIL who want to improve the management quality of their IT services.
It is a certification that also prepares the professional for other certifications that require more complete knowledge. It is available in both the operational line (ITIL MP) and in the strategic line (ITIL SL) to be a test of core concepts.
Specialist
Currently, the second certification level – previously called Intermediate – consists of three modules: Create, Deliver and Support; Drive Stakeholder Value and High Velocity IT.
It is focused on professionals who want to acquire the necessary knowledge to apply the basic foundations of ITIL methodology in their operations.
It is at this level that professionals are required to have knowledge such as Service Desk and incident management.
Strategist
The ITIL Strategist test evaluates processes and positions in IT management. At this stage, questions about Life Cycle concepts and methods of the service also begin.
The test which consists of the Direct, Plan and Improve module, is applied to professionals who want both an operational title (MP) and a strategic leadership title (SL).
Leader
This module brings today’s concepts and also more differences compared to ITIL V3.
Some examples of content: digital project management methodologies (Agile and Scrum) and information technology strategies for new team and process formats.
Master
The professional will only obtain Master certification if he/she has completed the previous modules, earned the titles of ITIL Managing Professional and ITIL Strategic Leader.
Who should do ITIL Certification?
The ITIL framework certification is recognized worldwide, and is one of the main IT management models adopted by companies.
Whether you are an IT professional in a management position or a more operational position, you can benefit from this certification. It will bring improvements to your work process, the quality of your deliveries and of course your salary.
Certified professionals are more likely to be financially valued by expanding their opportunities for growth within the company.
How to get ITIL Certification?
The previous version of ITIL certifications, the concepts required for the professional developed around the objectives below:
- Delivery Management: address the concepts of quality, process, planning and agility.
- IT Service Management Plan: implementation of improvements in workflow and service management.
- Feature management: review of the management of features that meet the requirements of a business.
- Infrastructure Management: evaluates how to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement, starting with requiring tests to optimize the operations.
- Product support/service: creation of a new workflow to provide support services.
- Information security management: details on ensuring information security.
- In 2019, however, the certification received an update. Therefore, candidates seeking ITIL V4 certification will find subjects more focused on methodologies such as Lean, Agile and DevOps.
ITIL certification value
At first, the cost of the first level is approximately $ 300.
However, the values of the tests vary according to the application method. In person, the amount charged is $ 205. In the online mode, the value is slightly higher which is $ 226.
These amounts are the most recently released and may not reflect the certification update for the V4 model, launched a few months ago.
Where to take the exam for certification
You can choose to take the exam not only in person but also online. However, it is important to remember that face-to-face test is applied in centers accredited by Pearson (there are few in Brazil). Also, the test can only be taken in English or Japanese.
However, in the online version, it is possible to take the test in Portuguese, anywhere.
Study for ITIL Certification
There are several online courses to prepare you for the ITIL certification exams. Just to exemplify a few:
- Curso de ITIL® v4 – Foundation, da Impacta
- Curso e-learning ITIL® v3 Foundation, da TI Exames
- Curso ITIL 4 ® Oficial Foundations, da Trainning
- ITIL® 4 Foundation, da Ka Solution
ITIL V4 – Updated Certification in 2019
The ITIL certification, as mentioned earlier, was updated by Axelos at the beginning of 2019.
As the main change, we highlight the creation of two titles. With them, it is possible to identify certified professionals in the operation of IT activities and professionals with capacities for leadership and management positions.
In addition, there have been changes in the structure of the exam. Number of modules was decreased from 2 to 6 to reduce the complexity of certification.
The aim is to encourage professionals to complete the full certification and reach the maximum level known as Master.
Conclusion
ITIL certification is still one of the most important certifications for the global IT market.
Above all, the ITIL framework for IT management is essential for anyone who wants to improve the quality of their deliveries. It acts to generate agility and reduce costs giving you more control over your resources.
The methodology works with concepts of workflow and service lifecycle which are required for good team management and a quality standard that meets expectations.
Certainly, when investing in certified professionals, your company can only win. You will have access to numerous benefits and tools, such as the organization of processes and the Service Desk.
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