It Service Management Foundations: Itil Study Guide

My approach to test preparation is not to take a gang of mock exams but to learn the process. Ron Palmer's text taught me the process. He has no mock exams, but questions at the end of each chapter that force you to go back into the text and do a little searching (there is a guide to where to find items, but you still have to do some hunting). In the course of doing this, important factors that I did not highlight when I read the text the first time were driven home. This book is not so much about passing the test (which it helped me do) as it is about understanding ITIL in ways that the official ITSmf text does not provide. I passed the test handily.

Some years ago across the pond, the British Government launched an initiative to guide organizations in provided better, consistent information technology services. Known as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), this now de facto global standard is growing in use and adoption in the United States. This is relatively new for a great many people, and there has not been a good comprehensive resource to provide people with a solid understanding of the foundations of ITIL. Until now. In IT Service Management Foundations: ITIL Study Guide (Gulf Stream Press, 2006, 271 pages, ISBN 0977146901), ITIL instructor and consultant Ron Palmer gives readers a succinct, comprehensive guide to the underpinnings of ITIL, providing the grounding necessary to sit for the ITIL Foundations certification examination The book is broken down into four parts. The first is called, appropriately. "First Steps". In this section, Palmer begins by introducing the reader to IT service management concepts, with an emphasis on the key concept that IT must rethink processes to successfully align with business goals and objectives. In doing this, communication is effective and managed. This allows for IT to deliver quality, as well manage customer and end-user perceptions. After this introduction to these concepts, Palmer gives an overview of ITIL, the philosophy underpinning the framework, organizations that support ITIL, and information on the ITIL certification path. Part II of the book covers "Service Support", Palmer goes into greater detail of the "service" (NOT "help") desk. This includes making the important distinction between customers and end-users, and defining the functions of the service desk. This part also provides explanations (and distinctions) for incident management, problem management, change management, release management, and configuration. Part III moves into the realm of "Service Delivery". This topic includes important discussions of service level management (including service level agreements and the importance of establishing and managing these correctly), financial management issues, capacity management, availability management, and IT Service Continuity Management. In Part IV, the author wraps up the book with coverage of "Security Management". Why I Like This Book Palmer has done an excellent job of not only telling you what ITIL is and how it works at a fundamental level, he weaves in his own extensive experience and perspectives to challenge the reader's thinking. He has also brought in the knowledge and expertise of an organizational communications consultant, bringing a non-IT style perspective to the content. In addition, the author provides detailed study guide questions at the end of each chapter, with a cross-referenced answer key at the end of the book. Who Should Read This Book? First and foremost, this book should be read by anybody who wishes to sit for the ITIL Foundations certification exam. As this is the only

This book was all I needed to pass the Foundation exam. Also, with a VERY good score. It is an exceptional reference for anyone starting out in ITIL, and a "one stop" exam preparation tool.

This book was an excellent tool that helped me prepare for the ITIL Foundations Examination, which I passed. I am a college student with no previous IT experience whatsoever. Through the use of down to earth examples and chapter review questions this book was the study guide and reference tool I needed.

This is one of the best books on the market for those interested learning more about IT Service Management (ITSM) and ITIL. We have used this book as part of our curriculum for our new MBA and Masters program in ITSM at the University of Dallas. I am an associate professor at the University of Dallas, and strongly recommend using this book as part of any ITSM curriculum. My students also loved the way it was written and the excellent examples and the great job the book does in bringing simplicity to learning the foundations of ITIL. Best Regards, Alex Hernandez - Senior Partner and Consultant at Plexent