What is ITIL® Software?

Information Technology Information Library (ITIL®) Foundation Software is software that has been created following ITIL® standards and has been certified by ITIL®. ITIL® is a group of best practices that Information Technology (IT) managers and vendors use to help them provide high quality service and products. Vendors can use ITIL® software certification to increase credibility with their customers.

To help create software that is consistent with ITIL® standards, developers may want to complete specified training to receive their own ITIL® certifications. There are four levels of such certifications. These include the Foundation level, the Intermediate level, ITIL® Expert and ITIL® Master.

Each certification level increases an IT professional’s knowledge of the ITIL® system. This can range from learning basic concepts to implementing them effectively in the workplace. For each certification level, students must study training materials or take courses, and then pass an exam — or series of exams — for that level.

ITIL® materials and trademarks are owned by the British Office of Government Commerce (OCG), which started what became ITIL® in the 1980s. OCG in turn appointed APM Group to administer individual and software ITIL® accreditations. For software, APM Group grants licenses to software assessors that evaluate the software for ITIL® certification.

To create ITIL® certified software, vendors must build the software so that it follows ITIL® best practices. A vendor can then submit an application to APM Group for certification. APM Group subsequently assigns a Licensed Software Assessor to test the software. The assessor sends their findings back to APM Group.

APM Group has created a three-tiered scheme of ITIL® software accreditation. These levels are bronze, silver, and gold. The bronze level certification indicates that the software follows ITIL® best practices, but has not yet been purchased by a customer.

When the software has been purchased and deployed by three customers, the software can achieve the silver level. Finally, software reaches the gold level when three companies have implemented the software and are using it for their business needs. Proof of implementation is required at the gold level.

Vendors that have ITIL® software certification are granted a license from APM Group to use the ITIL® name and logo in a manner appropriate for their certification level. Different logos are provided for the bronze, silver, and gold levels. Generally, software providers pay a fee to APM Group to use these logos.

Vendors that want to apply for ITIL® software certification can find APM Group contact information on the official ITIL® website. The value of a certification depends on the customer’s point of view regarding the importance of ITIL®. Any company that wants to apply for a software assessor’s license can also contact APM Group.