ITIL V2 .vs. V3

Home Source :
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/guidance_itil_4899.asp
http://www.best-management-practice.com/Portfolio-Library/IT-Service-Management-ITIL/ITIL-Version-3/

ITIL version 3 is announced at middle of 2007. The version 3 appearance is not substitutes for version 2. It is remodeling and supplements the deficiency of version 2. The biggest difference on ITIL V2 and V3 are ITIL V2 is take the working flow as the guidance and emphatically to the flow execution. Version 3 uses the idea of life cycle, business processes with IT services closely. In other world, ITIL V2 is being process-oriented whereas V3 is much more service-oriented. Certainly, V3 provide more realistic practice methodologies than V2.

ITIL version 3 is focus on IT service management which is reflected in the following five areas:

• Service Strategies
• Service Design
• Service Transition
• Service Operation
• Continuous Service Improvement

So, the comparison between version 2 and version 3 on Different layer of implementation as next:

Version 2

• Business and IT Alignment
• Value Chain Management
• Linear Service Catalogues
• Collection of integrated processes

Version 3

• Business and IT integration
• Value Network Integration
• Dynamic Service Portfolios
• Holistic Service Management Lifecycle

ITIL standard is like a set of IT services encyclopedia. Version 2 suits for the organization if enterprise's IT management had not achieved in mature situation. Cause version 2 is focus on the processes flow control. They need a better flow control on their IT services first, for instance, change management. And then they can update to version 3 later. Many application or system is collected together become services. If the enterprise's IT operation has already been mature and wants to manage a good IT service on the life cycle in further. They suits to use version 3.

ITIL version 3 is an updating version based on the version 2, its core elements maintained with the version 2 uniformity and carries on the version 2 flow according to the service life cycle recombines and the renewal.