Process without People

For many years I've been hearing about ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and its healing powers for whatever ails the modern IT department. ITIL, for those of you not in the know, is an IT management process that started in England and has made its way throughout the world with a mixture of results.

In a recent Techworld.com article the author talks about how ITIL is not always met with fanfare or praise. In fact, an IDC analyst states that ITIL will actually cost the company more money by requiring more staff and other resources. While this may seem a bit odd to some, it is important to understand why this statement is true and why it actually bolsters the case for managed services.

In order to implement ITIL (these are now my opinions, not the IDC analyst's) the company needs to have enough IT staff in order to document the processes and see that they are executed properly. It is important to understand that ITIL, while an important step in bringing IT management under control, is not the only component. Without the right human talent, tools, and leadership, no process in the world will run an IT department.

For any company that is reading this and wondering if ITIL (or any other IT process) will solve your IT management problems, don't discount the other necessary components in this equation.