ITIL Foundation Certification: Is it Right for You?

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) was designed to help businesses implement IT infrastructure in an efficient, dependable way. ITIL is a standardized method of designing, implementing, and managing IT services and resources. ITIL Foundation is the first certification on the way to becoming an expert in streamlining and enhancing IT services.

What is ITIL?

Nearly every business requires some form of IT service. ITIL is a vendor neutral standard that helps companies figure out where they can increase productivity or cut costs in their IT services. It covers best practices and ways to approach problems, but does not address the means to implement these solutions (that’s the IT departments job.) ITIL is simply meant to improve the link between a businesses needs and their IT structure.

So what can ITIL do for you (or your company) that makes it worthwhile? This sort of critical thinking and problem solving ability is critical in any business, especially when transitioning to new systems or when the current one just doesn’t seem to work quite right.

For example, if you have a growing company and your IT department is increasingly focusing on troubleshooting; ITIL best practices could help you figure out easier ways to deal with these problems, or prevent them from happening in the first place. This frees up the IT department time to spend improving the infrastructure of your business instead of just fixing it when things break. This efficiency helps reduce stress on both end users, IT techs, and makes life easier. This of course also makes for happier employees and happy employees are productive employees!

ITIL Foundation Certification

ITIL Foundation is the first in a series of five certifications designed to make you an expert on ITIL standards. This certification proves that those who’ve earned it have a good fundamental understanding of the processes, concepts, and terminology critical to ITIL.

ITIL Foundation is a requirement to move on to further ITIL certifications. So if you’re interested in acquiring any other ITIL certifications, you should be aware that you must start from the bottom before you take on the others.

What does the ITIL foundation cover? Read on for a quick rundown of exam topics.

The ITIL Foundation Exam focuses on the following topics:

• Service Strategies and Design
• Service Transitions
• Understanding of Key Concepts and Definitions
• Service Operations
• Continual improvement of services

The ITIL Foundation exam is delivered in the following format:

• 60 minute time limit
• 40 questions
• Minimum Passing Score of 65%
• Multiple Choice Format

Why You Want to be ITIL Certified

When companies put together their IT services, sometimes there are things that don’t work well. This disconnect results in wasted time, lost profits, and low productivity. ITIL certifications ensure that management knows how to organize and direct their IT people. However, ITIL isn’t just for management.

IT technicians also benefit from ITIL by learning to seek out more cost effective ways to do work and offer consistent service. This kind of expertise builds a good reputation with customers and makes you more valuable as an employee. When these standards are implemented correctly IT becomes more than the group that keeps things running. Proper ITIL training allows IT departments to enhance their capabilities and improve the overall operation of a company. Whether you’re looking to get into a management position, want to be a help desk technician, or some other IT related role; familiarity with ITIL is a bonus to any potential employer.

I imagine you are also interested in what ITIL can do for you financially. ITIL is among the top 10 highest paying certifications for 2015, with the national average salary coming in at $97,682. Keep in mind that this statistic can include those with higher level ITIL certifications. So while Foundation may not net you that high paying job, it is certainly a great place to start.

Money aside though, ITIL is a good way to enhance both your career potential and knowledge.  Not only will ITIL look good on your resume, it will help you see things from a broader perspective, and to be able to make better decisions regarding IT services.