The Information Technology Infrastructure Library is a comprehensive set of policies and concepts for managing IT infrastructure and service. IT management has been in transition for some time, from a focus on managing the technology itself to using technology to help a business achieve its strategic objectives. In theory, imposing disciplines on IT processes should improve productivity and make IT more responsive to the business. Many organizations are turning to the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, better known as ITIL, to accomplish this goal.

ITIL’s goal is to provide structured, flexible guidelines for establishing governance standards around IT service management. Advocates tout the program’s benefits as improving alignment between the business and IT, increasing user satisfaction, lowering costs, optimizing outsourcing, improving service levels, increasing service availability, and improving the ability to manage change, among other things. Some critics find the guidelines too prescriptive and inflexible, and barriers to adoption include lengthy implementation, disruption of current processes, high up-front training costs, and relatively slow return on investment.

ITIL is the most comprehensive approach to standardizing IT operations and improving overall management. It is currently used by thousands of companies worldwide with proven results. Most IT managers struggle with a lack of structure and a reactive mode of operation that accompanies a lack of processes and procedures. ITIL offers a solution for putting the pieces of the puzzle into place to take a more proactive approach to improving the IT organization’s performance.

Adopting ITIL can offer users a huge range of benefits that include:

- improved IT services
- reduced costs
- improved customer satisfaction through a more professional approach to service delivery
- improved productivity
- improved use of skills and experience
- improved delivery of third party service