ITSM according to ISO/IEC 20000

Qualifications for IT professionals
Our new ISO/IEC 20000 exams are part of the Qualification Program IT Service Management according to ISO/IEC 20000, which is currently being developed by EXIN and TÜV SÜD Akademie. This program is designed for a wide variety of IT professionals who are involved in improving the quality of IT Services at all levels, such as operational staff, supervisors, managers, senior consultants and auditors. The program is also perfectly suited to professionals who already have experience of standards and best practices, such as ITIL®, MOF, COBIT, ISO 9000, ISO 27000, CMMI and ASL.

Available ISO/IEC 20000 exams
The ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation exam has been available in English since January 2008. This exam is now also offered in German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian) and Spanish. EXIN and TÜV SÜD Akademie are also making good progress in developing the next level of the program: the Professional level. The exam requirements are based on job roles and competencies, since these are what IT professionals need in practice. A full English-language version has now been released of the core part of the Professional level, the Professional Management and Improvement of ITSM Management processes according to ISO/IEC 20000, accompanied by the first process area-specific exam, the Professional Support of IT Services according to ISO/IEC 20000. Furthermore, pilots have been started with the Professional Control of IT Services according to ISO/IEC 20000 and Professional Alignment of IT and the Business according to ISO/IEC 20000. Exam requirements and sample exams are expected to become available in the next release (October 2008).

The fifth and final Professional-level exam will be available from 1 January 2009:

• Delivery of IT Services according to ISO/IEC 20000

This will be followed by the highest or “Master-level” exams in the first half of 2009:

• ISO/IEC 20000 IT Service Consultant/Manager
• ISO/IEC 20000 Internal Auditor
• ISO/IEC 20000 Senior IT Service Consultant/Manager
• ISO/IEC 20000 Lead Auditor

ISO/IEC 20000 Pilots
During recent months Accredited Training Providers worldwide have attended a wide range of Information and Pilot sessions geared towards ISO/IEC 20000 certification. They have acquainted themselves with the new certification program, taken the first three exams and contributed to their improvement. The participants believe that the possibilities for lateral entry make the program especially appealing to ITIL® certificate holders. Taking just one extra exam entitles a certified ITIL Service Manager to the IT Service Consultant/Manager certificate under the new qualification program. The combination of the ITIL Service Manager certificate and the Professional Certificate in Management and Improvement of ITSM Management processes, automatically entitles Service Management professionals to apply to EXIN for the Service Consultant/Manager certificate. Because of their extensive knowledge of IT Service Management, certified ITIL Service Managers and Practitioners can take the Professional Management and Improvement of ITSM Management processes exam without possessing the otherwise mandatory ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation certificate. For additional information, read this webnews.