What Does ITIL Stand For?

This is a question we hear a lot and the answer is quite simply, nothing. Well, at least not anymore. ITIL was formally an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Today, it is so widely known that its name stands alone. While, the names may have changed slightly since its inception in the late 80’s and early 90’s, its purpose has remained relatively the same. The purpose of ITIL is ensure that IT services align to business needs and can be leveraged to meet strategic organizational goals.

What Is The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)?

Originally, ITIL was a collection of books; each of which, described some aspect of the IT Service Management (ITSM) process. Since, it was pulling relevant volumes instead of creating its own, the library quickly grew out of control and consisted of dozens of books each related to one or more practices of ITSM. Due to its massive nature, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library was hardly accessible or affordable to many people wishing to understand or implement ITSM.

What Does ITIL Stand For Today?

ITIL went through its first major revamp between 2000-2001, during which time the number of books in the library was reduced to 9 sets. It was refreshed again in 2007, lowering the volumes again to 5 books this time each corresponding to a step in the Service Lifecycle structure, a new concept also introduced at this time. These steps are:

1. Service Strategy
2. Service Design
3. Service Transition
4. Service Operation
5. Continual Service Improvement

2011, marked the last major release of ITIL and the transition from ITIL as an acronym to ITIL as a standalone name. This update kept the 5 core publications introduced in 2007, but it clarified the definition of various processes that had previously been implied and not fully understood.

Ready To Learn ITIL? The First Step Is ITIL Foundation

If you think ITIL is the right path for you, then attend an upcoming ITIL Foundation course and learn the core terms and concepts related to the ITIL best practice for ITSM.