Friday, April 10, 2009

ITIL Qualifications and Badges

Organisations are looking for ways of identifying individuals' competence in a formal and standard manner - this is particularly true for large multi-national organisations but applies to companies of all sizes.

One such way is through professional and recognised qualifications.
The Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB) and EXIN currently offers Professional qualifications based on the philosophy and content of ITIL. The ISEB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Computer Society (BCS), and Stichting EXIN is the Netherlands Examination Institute.

The ITIL qualifications provided take the form of the:


* Foundation Certificate - an entry-level qualification gained by taking a short multiple-choice exam, usually at the end of a 3-day course

* Practitioners Certificates - for specific disciplines, gained through passing in-course assessments and a case-study based multiple-choice exam

* Managers Certificate - requiring the passing of 2 three-hour written exam papers taken after attendance on an accredited 10 day training program.

Both examining organisations offer directly equivalent certificates, in a number of languages and in many countries across the world. Each organisation has accredited a number of training organisations to deliver appropriate courses leading to the above qualifications.

An Examination Management Board comprising of representatives from the Office of Government and Commerce (OGC), IT Service Management Forum (itSMF) and the examining boards oversee the continuous development of the qualifications and ensure consistency is maintained. Work is in progress to accredit bodies elsewhere in the world to offer equivalent qualifications.

Badges

It has been a well-known tradition for years that passing an ITIL-exam does not only result in a certificate, but is also accompanied by the presentation of a badge courtesy of the itSMF. This distinguishing badge is in the form of the internationally recognised ITIL-logo and exists in three colours:


* green, accompanying the Foundation Certificate
Green Foundation Certificate

* blue, accompanying the Practitioner's Certificate
Blue Practitioners Certificate

* red, accompanying the Manager's Certificate
Red Managers Certificate


The exact meaning of the symbolism is unclear, but veterans asked for their opinion, seem to remember that the 12 bars symbolise the coherence of the IT Infrastructure, grouped around one central point: Service. The four fields thus symbolise the four important groups of subjects in ITIL.

At the moment they are:

- Service Support and Delivery
- IT Management
- Infrastructure Management
- Application Management

Further Exam Information & Hints and Tips

- Foundation Exam

The Foundation exam is made up of 40 multiple-choice questions covering all ITIL disciplines and the pass mark is 26.
When answering the questions, one or two of the four or five are usually very wrong so they can be eliminated. Another answer may relate to a separate ITIL discipline leaving the choice of two. If your still unsure, with the two remaining answers go with your gut feel. This course lasts for three days and can be residential depending upon the Training Company and location.

- Practitioners Exam

The Practitioners exam is for specific disciplines, gained through passing in-course assessments and a case study based multiple-choice exam, which is scheduled to last approximately two hours. There are new practitioner courses being added to training companies portfolios for example Capacity Management is a relatively new course.
This course lasts for three days and can be residential depending upon the Training Company and location.

- Managers Exam

There is a pre-requisite to taking this exam in that candidates must have passed the Foundation and/or Practitioners exam first. Also it is recommended that candidates have a minimum of 5 years IT experience although people have passed this exam having spent less time in IT.

The course is held over two separate weeks. The first week is usually Service Delivery then one month later the Service Support. These weeks are both residential which enable the delegates to interact with each other, share practical experiences and also take advantage of the Lecturers theoretical and hands on knowledge. Most of the Training Companies provide a revision day approximately two weeks before the exam.

The overall exam is made up of two 3 hour exams, the first exam being Service Support and the second Service Delivery. One exam is taken in the afternoon and the second exam the following morning. There are five questions per exam and all questions must be answered unlike previous exams where you could choose 5 from 8. In order to get a Distinction the candidate must achieve 65% or over on both papers.

The exams require a lot of concentration and they are tough on the wrists especially if you haven't attempted a 3 hour exam recently!

When answering the questions, remember to read the question carefully, there are no marks for answering the question well but it not relating to the actual question. This will bring your mark down significantly. Also you will receive higher marks if you relate your practical experiences to the questions. This demonstrates a good understanding of the theory but also shows hands on knowledge.

ITIL v3 Capability Stream Operational Support and Analysis Certificate

Target Audience

The target group of the ITIL Version 3 Intermediate Qualification: Operational Support and Analysis Certificate is:

* Individuals who have attained the ITIL Version 3 Foundation certificate in Service Management, or the ITIL Version 2 Foundation plus the ITIL Version 3 Foundation Bridge certificate and who wish to advance to higher level ITIL certifications
* Individuals who require an in-depth understanding of ITIL Certificate in Operational Support and Analysis processes and how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service support within an organization
* IT professionals that are working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL who need to be informed about and thereafter contribute to an ongoing Service Improvement Program
* Operational staff involved in Event Management Process, Incident Management Process, Request Fulfillment Process, Problem Management Process, Access Management Process, Service Desk, Technical Management, IT Operations Management and Application Management.

This may include but is not limited to, IT professionals, business managers and business process owners.

Qualification Level: Intermediate

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Service Management as a Practice
* Service Operation Principals
* Processes across the Service Lifecycle pertaining to the capability of Operational Support and Analysis
* Specific emphasis on the Service Operation Lifecycle processes and roles included in:
o Event Management which defines any detectable or discernible occurrence that has significance for the management of the IT Infrastructure or the delivery of an IT service
o Incident Management which has the capability to bring services back to normal operations as soon as possible, according to agreed service levels
o Request Fulfillment which fulfils a request providing quick and effective access to standard services which business staff can use to improve their productivity or the quality of business services and products
o Problem Management which prevents problems and resulting Incidents from happening, to eliminate recurring Incidents and to minimize the impact of Incidents that cannot be prevented
o Access Management which grants authorized users the right to use a service, while preventing access to non-authorized users
* Operational activities of processes covered in other Lifecycle phases such as:
o Change Management
o Service Asset and Configuration Management
o Release and Deployment Management
o Capacity Management
o Availability Management
o Knowledge Management
o Financial Management for IT services
o IT Service Continuity Management
* Common Service Operation activities related to Service Operation and Support
* Organizing for Service Operation which describe functions to be performed within the Service
* Operation and Support such as Service Desk, Technical Management, IT Operations Management, Application Management
* Service Operations and Support Service Operation roles and responsibilities
* Technology and Implementation Considerations
* Challenges, Critical Success Factors and risks.

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate).

Examination Format: Multiple Choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organization

Exam Duration: Maximum ninety minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of one hundred and twenty minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary)

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book.

ITIL v3 Capability Stream - Service Offerings and Agreements Certificate

Target Audience

The target group of the ITIL Certificate in Service Offerings and Agreements is:

* Individuals who have attained the V3 ITIL Foundation certificate in Service Management, or the V3 Foundation Bridge certificate and who wish to advance to higher level ITIL certifications
* Individuals who require a deep understanding of ITIL Certificate in the Service Offerings and Agreement processes and how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service support within an organisation
* IT professionals that are working within an organisation that has adopted and adapted ITIL who need to be informed about and thereafter contribute to an ongoing service improvement programme
* Operational staff involved in Service Portfolio Management; Service Catalogue Management; Service Level Management; Demand Management; Supplier Management; Financial Management and Business Relationship Management who wish to enhance their role-based capabilities.

Qualification Level: Intermediate

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Service Management as a Practice
* Processes across the Service Lifecycle pertaining to the Service Offerings and Agreement curriculum
* Service Portfolio Management which provides documentation for services and prospective services in business terms
* Service Catalogue Management which is concerned with the production and documentation of the Service Catalogue from a business and a technical viewpoint
* Service Level Management which sets up a Service Level Agreement (SLA) structure and ensures that all SLAs have an underpinning support structure in place
* Demand Management which identifies Patterns of Business Activity to enable the appropriate strategy to be implemented
* Supplier Management which ensures all partners and suppliers are managed in the appropriate way and includes contract management
* Financial Management which includes ensuring understanding of the service value and the management of all financial considerations
* Business Relationship Managers who have responsibility to represent customers and ensure the Service Catalogue and Portfolio have the right needs
* Operational activities of processes covered in other Lifecycle phases such as Incident and Change Management
* Common Service Operation activities related to Service Offerings and Agreement
* Organizing for Service Operation which describe functions to be performed within Service Offerings and Agreement
* Service Offerings and Agreement roles and responsibilities
* Technology and Implementation Considerations
* Challenges, Critical Success Factors and risks
* CSI as a consequence of effective Service Offerings and Agreement.

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the V3 Foundation or V2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate)

Examination Format: Multiple Choice

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organisation

Exam Duration: Maximum 90 minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of 120 minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary)

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book.

ITIL v3 Capability Stream Release, Control and Validation Certificate

Target Audience

The target group of the ITIL Version 3 Intermediate Qualification: Release, Control and Validation is:

* Individuals who have attained the ITIL Version 3 Foundation certificate in Service Management, or the ITIL Version 2 Foundation plus the ITIL Version 3 Foundation Bridge certificate and who wish to advance to higher level ITIL certifications
* Individuals who require an in-depth understanding of ITIL Certificate in Release, Control and Validation processes and how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service support within an organization
* IT professionals that are working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL who need to be informed about and thereafter contribute to an ongoing service improvement program
* Operational staff involved in Change Management, Release and Deployment Management, Service Validation and Testing, Service Asset and Configuration Management, Request Fulfillment, Service Evaluation and Knowledge Management, who wish to enhance their role-based capabilities.

This may include but is not limited to, IT professionals, business managers and business process owners.

Qualification Level: Intermediate

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Service Management as a Practice
* Processes across the Service Lifecycle pertaining to the capability of Release, Control and Validation management
* Change management as a capability to realize successful service transition
* Service validation and testing as a capability to assure the integrity and the quality of service transition
* Service asset and configuration management as a capability to monitor the state of service transition
* Knowledge management as part of enhancing the on-going management decision support and service delivery capability
* Service request fulfillment and evaluation to assure meeting committed service level performance
* Common Service Operation activities for supporting the service management Lifecycle
* Release Control and Validation process roles and responsibilities
* Technology and Implementation Considerations
* Challenges, Critical Success Factors and risks.

And specifically in the following key ITIL process and role areas:

* Change management
* Service release and deployment management
* Service validation and testing
* Service asset and configuration management
* Knowledge management
* Request fulfillment
* Service Evaluation

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate)

Examination Format: Multiple Choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organization

Exam Duration: Maximum ninety minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of one hundred and twenty minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary)

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book.

ITIL v3 Capability Stream Planning, Protection and Optimization Certificate

Target Audience

The target group of the ITIL Version 3 Certificate in Planning, Protection and Optimization is:

* Individuals who have attained the ITIL Version 3 Foundation certificate in Service Management, or the ITIL Version 3 Foundation Bridge certificate and who wish to advance to higher level ITIL certifications
* Individuals who require an in-depth understanding of ITIL Certificate in the Service Offerings and Agreement processes and how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service support within an organization
* IT professionals that are working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL who need to be informed about and thereafter contribute to an ongoing Service Improvement Program
* Operational staff involved in Capacity Management, Availability Management, IT Service Continuity Management, Information Security Management, Demand Management, Risk Management, who wish to enhance their role-based capabilities.

This may include but is not limited to, IT professionals, business managers and business process owners.

Qualification Level: Intermediate

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Service Management as a Practice
* Processes across the Service Lifecycle pertaining to the practice elements within Planning, Protection and Optimization
* Capacity Management as a capability to realize successful service design
* Availability Management as a capability to realize successful service design
* IT Service Continuity Management as a capability to support overall Business Continuity Management
* Information security management as part of the overall corporate governance framework
* Planning, Protection and Optimization roles and responsibilities
* Technology and Implementation Considerations
* Challenges, Critical Success Factors and risks.

And specifically in the following key ITIL process and role areas

* Capacity Management
* Availability Management
* IT Service Continuity Management
* Information Security Management
* Demand Management
* Challenges, Critical Success Factors and Risk Management for Service Planning, Protection and Optimization.

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate), which shall be presented as documentary evidence to gain admission.

Examination Format: Multiple choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%.

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organization.

Exam Duration: Maximum ninety minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of one hundred and twenty minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary).

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book

ITIL v3 Lifecycle stream - Service Strategy Certificate

Target Audience

The main target group for the ITIL Version 3 Intermediate Qualification: Service Strategy Certificate includes but is not restricted to CIOs, CTOs, managers, supervisory staff, team leaders, designers, architects, planners, IT consultants, IT audit managers, IT security managers and ITSM trainers involved in the ongoing management, coordination and integration of strategizing activities within the Service Lifecycle.

Qualification Level: Intermediate (Lifecycle stream)

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Service Strategy Principles
* Defining services and market spaces
* Conducting Strategic Assessments
* Financial Management
* Service Portfolio Management
* Managing demand
* Driving strategy through the Service Lifecycle
* Understanding Critical Success Factors and risks.

In addition the training for this certification should include examination preparation, including a mock examination opportunity.

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate), which shall be presented as documentary evidence to gain admission.

Examination Format: Multiple choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%.

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organization.

Exam Duration: Maximum ninety minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of one hundred and twenty minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary).

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book

ITIL v3 Lifecycle stream: Service Design Certificate

Target Audience

The main target group for the ITIL Version 3 Intermediate Qualification: Service Design Certificate includes, but is not restricted to CIOs, CTOs, managers, supervisory staff, team leaders, designers, architects, planners, IT consultants, IT audit managers, IT security managers and ITSM trainers involved in the ongoing management, coordination and integration of design activities within the Service Lifecycle.

Qualification Level: Intermediate

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Management and control of all Service Design activities
* Management and application of Service Design concepts, inputs, outputs and activities
* Knowledge of Service Design principles and management of Service Design processes
* Control and coordination of Service Design technology related activities
* Justification and control of the organizational and technological issues on Service Design
* Analysis, justification and selection of the implementation approaches, challenges, critical success factors and risks.

Prerequisites: ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate, )

Examination Format: Multiple Choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organization

Exam Duration: Maximum ninety minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of one hundred and twenty minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary)

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book.

ITIL v3 Lifecycle stream - Service Transition Certificate

Target Audience

The main target group for the ITIL Version 3 Intermediate Qualification: Service Transition Certificate includes, but is not restricted to CIOs, CTOs, managers, supervisory staff, team leaders, designers, architects, planners, IT consultants, IT audit managers, IT security managers, service test managers and ITSM trainers.

Qualification Level: Intermediate

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Introduction to Service Transition
* Service Transition Principles
* Management and control of all Service Transition activities
* Service Transition related activities around communications, commitment and organizational change
* Organizing Service Transition
* Control and coordination of Service Transition technology related activities
* Analysis, justification and selection of the implementation approaches, challenges, critical success factors and risks.

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate)

Examination Format: Multiple Choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organisation

Exam Duration: Maximum ninety minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of one hundred and twenty minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary)

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book.

ITIL v3 Lifecycle stream - Service Operation Certificate

Target Audience

The main target group for the ITIL Version 3 Intermediate Qualification: Service Operation Certificate includes, but is not restricted to CIOs, CTOs, managers, supervisory staff, team leaders, designers, architects, planners, IT consultants, IT audit managers, IT security managers and ITSM trainers involved in the ongoing management, coordination and integration of operation activities within the Service Lifecycle.

Qualification Level: Intermediate (Lifecycle stream)

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Introduction to Service Operation
* Service Operations Principals
* Service Operation Processes
* Common Service Operation Activities
* Organizing Service Operation: Functions
* Technology Considerations
* Implementation Considerations
* Challenges, Critical Success Factors and Risks.

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate), which shall be presented as documentary evidence to gain admission.

Examination Format: Multiple choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%.

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organization.

Exam Duration: Maximum 90 minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of 120 minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary).

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book.

ITIL v3 Lifecycle stream - Continual Service Improvement Certificate

Target Audience

The main target group for the ITIL Intermediate Qualification: Continual Service Improvement Certificate includes, but is not restricted to CIOs, CTOs, managers, supervisory staff, team leaders, designers, architects, planners, IT consultants, IT audit managers, IT security managers, service test managers and ITSM trainers.

Qualification Level: Intermediate (Lifecycle stream)

Course Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

* Introduction to Continual Service Improvement
* Continual Service Improvement Principles
* Continual Service Improvement Process
* Continual Service Improvement Methods and Techniques
* Organisation for Continual Service Improvement
* Technology for Continual Service Improvement
* Implementation Considerations
* Critical success factors and risks.

In addition the training for this certification should include examination preparation, including a mock examination opportunity.

Prerequisites: Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the Version 3 Foundation or Version 2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate).

Examination Format: Multiple choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions.

Number of Questions: 8

Pass Score: 28/40 or 70%.

Delivery: Online or Paper Based Examination through an Accredited Training Organisation.

Exam Duration: Maximum ninety minutes for all candidates in their respective language (Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their first language have a maximum of one hundred and twenty minutes and are allowed to use a dictionary), which shall be presented as documentary evidence to gain admission.

Open/Closed Book: Closed Book

ITIL Examination Languages

The ITIL Examinations have been translated into a variety of languages, reflecting the international coverage of the ITIL framework. The language options available for ITIL exam papers are detailed below:

ITIL Version 2

V2 Foundation - International English, US English, German, French, Spanish (EU and Latin American), Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Chinese Mandarin, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Swedish, Korean.

V2 Practitioner (Clustered and Single process exams) - English, Dutch, German, Spanish (European), French, Japanese, Chinese Mandarin.

V2 Managers - International English, US English, Italian, Spanish (EU and Latin American), Chinese, German, Russian, Japanese, Dutch, French, Brazilian Portuguese.

ITIL Version 3

V3 Foundation - English, French, German, Danish, European Spanish, Japanese.

Translation of the Foundation and the Foundation Bridge examination is also underway in the following languages - Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Korean, Hungarian.

V3 Managers Bridge

Translation of the ITIL V3 Managers Bridge examination is underway in the following languages: French and German.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The ITIL V3 Bridging Course Syllabus

The official ITIL accreditors APM Group have published the syllabus for:

The ITIL V3 Bridging Course Syllabus: ITIL V2 Manager to ITIL V3 Diploma
This qualification will bridge the gap between the ITIL Manager's Certificate in IT Service Management and the ITIL Diploma in IT Service Management. This course is only intended for those holding a valid ITIL Manager's Certificate in IT Service Management based ITIL versions 1 and 2.

Students wishing to progress to the Advanced ITIL Diploma in IT Service Management must provide documentary evidence of attaining this qualification (and the earlier Manager's Certificate) before being allow to progress to the Advanced Diploma level.

Target Group

The target group of the ITIL Bridge Qualification: ITIL V1/V2 Managers to ITIL V3 Diploma

Individuals who already hold the Manager's Certificate in IT Service Management at an earlier ITIL version, who wish to obtain the ITIL Diploma in IT Service Management, thereby demonstrating their knowledge of ITIL V3
This may include but is not limited to, CIOs, Senior IT Managers, IT Managers and Supervisors, IT professionals and IT Operation practitioners

Entry Criteria

This qualification is only available to candidates who already hold the Manager's Certificate in IT Service Management. The examination has been written on the basis that in preparing for the examination all candidates will have attended an accredited training course and will have read the ITIL Service Lifecycle Practices core guidance which includes:

Service Strategy
Service Design
Service Transition
Service Operation
Continual Service Improvement
Introduction to the Service Lifecycle (Optional but recommended)

Saturday, April 4, 2009

CSME Gains ITIL EI Status

1st April 2008, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK…. The APM Group, which is responsible for the ITIL Accreditation and Qualification scheme, has announced that CSME has become an accredited Examination Institute (EI).

CSME has been providing ITIL Certification Services to the US for the past seven years. It sought accreditation as an ITIL EI from The APM Group after careful consideration on how best to service the US market.

Ian Daykin, CEO, CSME said, "CSME has always been committed to delivering the highest level of customer service to both the Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) it supports and their customers. CSME has brought many service level innovations to the US market including integrated paper and online-based exams, guaranteed twenty-four hour results, and detailed result reporting to candidates. Now CSME is a fully Accredited Examination Institute and has a vote on the Qualification Board, we will be in an even better position to represent the needs of the US ITIL Market."

Richard Pharro, CEO, APM Group, said: "We'd like to extend a warm welcome to CSME as they take their place on the ITIL Qualification Board. Their commitment to excellence, along with innovative services that benefit their candidates means it's a place that is well-deserved. We look forward to establishing a close working partnership as ITIL qualifications continue to be taken up around the world by candidates who want proof of their professionalism."

Daykin reported that since becoming the Official ITIL Accreditor, The APM Group has provided a very stable and consistent environment for ITIL in support of the creation of the Accreditor role, and the roll-out of ITIL Version 3.
"The initial discussions with The APM Group in 2006 told us they would be an outstanding organization to work with, and as we completed the accreditation process we are absolutely convinced we were right, as the level of service and support has been nothing short of outstanding," Daykin said.

"CSME is the benefactor of having been able to work with all the ITIL founding parties over the years, and will continue to benefit as a peer with them going forward as an Accredited ITIL Examination Institute. We look forward to working with the US ATO's and ITIL user communities, and their affiliates around the globe," he said.