International standard for IT service management revised

September 18, 2018 

BSI, the business standards company, has published BS ISO/IEC 20000-1: 2018 Information technology – service management – part 1: service management system requirements.

For the first time since 2011, BS ISO/IEC 20000-1 has been revised to help organizations better respond to increasing service demands and a changing service delivery environment. The revised standard takes a more strategic focus to deliver an optimized performance for a company and its customers.

The standard specifies requirements for an organization to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve a service management system. The requirements specified in this document include planning, design, transition, delivery and improvement of services to meet the service requirements and deliver value.

The main changes in this revised version over the 2011 version which BS ISO/IEC 20000-1: 2018 supersedes include: 

a.)  Key service management trends are addressed

b.)  An increased focus on planning to drive improved performance

c.)  An increased focus on leadership and strategy to ensure an optimized performance is delivered for the user and customers

d.)  Standard is now aligned to a high level structure that applies to all new management system standards

This document can be used by:

a.)  An organization to demonstrate its capability for the planning, design, transition, delivery and improvement of services

b.)  An organization to monitor, measure and review its service management system and the services

c.)  An organization to improve the planning, design, transition, delivery and improvement of services through effective implementation and operation of a service management system

d.)  An organization or other party performing conformity assessments against the requirements specified in this document

e.)  A provider of training or advice in service management

f.)   A customer seeking services and requiring assurance regarding the quality of those services

g.)  A customer requiring a consistent approach to the service lifecycle by all its service providers, including those in a supply chain

Though BS ISO/IEC 20000-1 is expected to be primarily used for IT services, the standard is increasingly used outside of IT where service management is moving into the enterprise. Common areas include facilities management and business process outsourcing.

Anne Hayes, Head of Governance and Resilience at BSI, said: “Whether your organization is an internal service department or an external service provider, delivering a quality service valued by your stakeholders is essential. BS ISO/IEC 20000-1 will assist organizations in responding to ever-increasing service demands and a changing service delivery environment.”

More information on BS ISO/IEC 20000-1 can be found here: https://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail?pid=000000000030337390

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