Is ISO/IEC 20000 for your organization?
ISO/IEC 20000 is suitable for any organization - public sector, private sector, internal, external, large or small that provides IT services.
In the public sector, ISO/IEC 20000 will provide assurance for the respective minister, agency head and the general public that the organization is providing services while efficiently spending public funding. For private organizations, the international standard provides a competitive advantage over non-certified companies, opening up opportunities for new clients and reinforcing existing accounts.
In Australia, organizations currently have a choice about which standard they want to pursue. The Australian standard for IT Service Management, AS 8018 was published and like ISO/IEC 20000, was based on BS 15000. Ultimately, this decision depends on your organization's position and the perception you want to generate. However, due to the similarities between the standards, the reality of globalization and the need to find creative ways to differentiate; perhaps the International Standard is the natural choice.
Ultimately, the decision regarding the pursuit of certification against any standard will rest with a variety of people in an organization. In fact, it is fair to say that the CIO or IT manager should be only one of the people involved in the decision, which should be driven by business requirements. One thing is for certain: the decision to pursue certification should not be taken lightly. This is not a "do once" activity.
It starts with the standard
The journey of continuous improvement does not end with achieving ISO/IEC 20000 certification. To maintain compliance there is a program of regular surveillance audits and triennial re-certification.
The commitment towards maintenance is driven by the need to keep pace with new or changing business drivers. Maintaining your ISO/IEC 20000 certification has to be part of your on-going IT strategy. This ongoing commitment to service excellence can help differentiate your organization as one that takes the certification process seriously, or one that cannot keep pace with the effort required to stay ahead of the pack.
The choice is yours.
Ian Jones is a certified ISO/IEC 20000 consultant and is a senior consultant with Art of Service