ITIL software expertise is powerful protection against failures

The mixed reputation of ITIL software among tech workers has a lot to do with its complexity, but a basic grounding in the principles of its use can solve many potential problems, according to CIO Update contributor Anthony Orr.

Realizing, for starters, that ITIL software can provide a measurable value-add to the enterprise is a good first step, he wrote. If change and incident management are important parts of an IT department's operations - as they almost universally are - the value of ITIL software cannot be overemphasized.

The use of the cloud for service management functions, Orr said, has some organizations thinking that the utility of ITIL software has been greatly diminished. However, the need for basic expertise in both that system and in ITSM in general should not be in question, and companies that devalue such knowledge do so at their peril.

Expert guidance might be needed to get a basic ITIL adoption process off the ground, in some cases. According to ITSM authorities, businesses shouldn't fear such an educational necessity, but view it instead as an opportunity.