Cloud computing has revolutionised the way organisations operate and do business. With the increased adoption of cloud services, effective cloud management has become more critical than ever before.
ITIL service management provides a framework your organisation can use to manage its cloud operations effectively.
ITIL stands for information technology infrastructure library. It’s part of the broader field of service management (or ITSM) and is made up of a series of practices to align IT services with an organisation’s overall objectives.
In other words, ITIL is a structure you should consider following, as it blurs the lines between the goals of individual departments and aligns everyone together in one unit.
By applying ITIL service management principles to cloud operations, your organisations can achieve greater efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction.
This article will explain how ITIL service management can enhance the performance of your cloud operations.
How do cloud technologies impact ITIL?
Cloud technology has had a significant impact on ITIL, as they enable organisations to streamline their IT services and increase efficiency.
It has enabled organisations to deliver IT services more efficiently and effectively, by providing flexible and scalable infrastructure. ITIL service management practices can be adapted to cloud technology to ensure that IT services are delivered in a consistent and standardised way.
Cloud technology enables faster and more efficient service design, by providing organisations with access to pre-built IT services that can be customised to meet their specific needs. This can help reduce the time and resources required for service design.
The cloud can provide organisations with more detailed monitoring and reporting capabilities, which can help to improve service level management. ITIL practices can be used to define and manage service level agreements (SLAs) with cloud service providers.
Cloud technology can help organisations improve incident management by providing real-time monitoring and alerting capabilities. ITIL can be adapted to ensure incidents are resolved quickly and effectively, to minimise the impact on users.
And finally, cloud technology helps organisations improve change management by providing more efficient and automated processes. ITIL service management practices can be used to ensure that changes are managed in a controlled and structured way, to minimise the risk of disruption to IT services.
Overall, cloud technologies can help organisations to improve their ITIL service management practices by providing more efficient and effective IT services. However, it’s important for organisations to adapt their ITIL practices to the specific requirements of cloud technology, to ensure that IT services are delivered in a consistent and standardised way.
Benefits of adopting ITIL practices
ITIL service management is a widely recognised framework that provides organisations with a structured approach to managing their ICT service including the elements of that service delivered from cloud.
By applying ITIL service management principles to cloud operations, your organisation can achieve numerous benefits that maximise the benefits of cloud computing.
Understanding these benefits is crucial for optimising your cloud operations and achieving greater success in your digital transformation initiatives:
- Your IT goals become one and the same as the business’s goals. For example, your IT department may want to improve cybersecurity. Using an ITIL framework, you’ll consider how this will impact the rest of your employees and how everyone can work together towards a common goal. This might mean working towards a target date in conjunction with the sales, marketing and finance teams.
- By utilising the principles of ITIL, you’ll reduce your ICT (and overall) costs. This is because your business works collectively and efficiently rather than as individual units.
- This cooperation creates a more stable business environment throughout your departments. As a result, efficiency will increase, your organisation will be more adaptable, and you’ll see greater job satisfaction from your employees.
- Customer service improves because their needs are met more quickly.
ITIL practices line up with risk management and redundancy plans.
Core principles of ITIL service management
ITIL service management is based on a set of core principles that guide organisations in delivering high-quality services. They should be introduced and worked on in the following order:
- Service strategy– an organisation’s current state, future aims, and how the IT department will help it achieve its objectives. In this context, service refers to the whole delivery of ICT. Specific applications are sometimes referred to as a ‘service’ to differentiate them from the solution used to deliver that service, or the components that make up the solution.
- Service design– developing a standardised design for an ICT service, ensuring all end-users can access and use it consistently.
- Service transition– makes the organisation’s services more adaptable while ensuring the new or upgraded system(s) match the users’ needs.
- Service operation– the processes should be carried out and maintained effectively per the strategy.
- Continual service improvement– a seven-step method to identify ways to improve the service.
How to implement ITIL service management core principles in the cloud
The core principles of ITIL service management are reasonably simple to implement. Follow the steps in the order mentioned above, noting that each will take some time.
Ensure you get the strategy right at the start. Identify the needs of end-users and the organisation’s objectives at the beginning, including those at the start of your planning document. Address them by gathering data and coming up with a design to benefit your entire organisation.
Here’s a rough framework you might follow:
- Learn about and become familiar with ITIL processes.
- Gather an initial team and assign clear roles.
- Consult with users and any stakeholders throughout the company (and externally).
- Build a strategy for bridging the gap between your current processes and ITIL processes.
- Implement this strategy.
- Check the plan works using pre-set criteria (detailed in the strategy).
- Using continuous service improvement techniques to constantly refine the processes.
Point 4 is extremely relevant here and deserves emphasising. Some organisations start introducing ITIL and find they have none of the required processes. So, it’s worth running an internal audit to check which ITIL areas and processes are in a good place, which are missing, and which need improvement. This will help to prioritise the work required.
AMDH, your organisation and ITIL service management
Implementing ITIL service management services is the best way to futureproof your business. By making yourselves more adaptable to change and streamlining your processes throughout your entire organisation, you’ll cut costs and be prepared for any surprises the coming years and decades might have in store.
AMDH Services is proud to work with SMEs, charities and public sector organisations around the Midlands. Based in Derby, we always take the time to get to know our customers. We specialise in helping you develop and implement a cloud-based strategy that works for you, your business, your staff and your budget.
For more information on ITIL services and how we’re sure they’ll benefit your organisation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you and will gladly have a commitment-free, friendly chat about your needs. We look forward to your message.
