ITIL® glossary and abbreviations English ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 1 Acknowledgements We would like to thank Ashley Hanna (HP) and Stuart Rance (HP) who produced the original ITIL glossary in English in May 2007, and to Ashley Hanna who updated it in July 2011. Thanks are also due to all those that contributed to the 2007 and 2011 editions of the ITIL core guidance. For a full list of acknowledgements, please visit: www.itil-officialsite.com/Publications/PublicationAcknowledgements.aspx ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 2 Glossary terms and definitions Term Definition acceptance Formal agreement that an IT service, process, plan or other deliverable is complete, accurate, reliable and meets its specified requirements. Acceptance is usually preceded by change evaluation or testing and is often required before proceeding to the next stage of a project or process. See also service acceptance criteria. access management (ITIL Service Operation) The process responsible for allowing users to make use of IT services, data or other assets. Access management helps to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of assets by ensuring that only authorized users are able to access or modify them. Access management implements the policies of information security management and is sometimes referred to as rights management or identity management. account manager (ITIL Service Strategy) A role that is very similar to that of the business relationship manager, but includes more commercial aspects. Most commonly used by Type III service providers when dealing with external customers. accounting (ITIL Service Strategy) The process responsible for identifying the actual costs of delivering IT services, comparing these with budgeted costs, and managing variance from the budget. accounting period (ITIL Service Strategy) A period of time (usually one year) for which budgets, charges, depreciation and other financial calculations are made. See also financial year. accredited Officially authorized to carry out a role. For example, an accredited body may be authorized to provide training or to conduct audits. active monitoring (ITIL Service Operation) Monitoring of a configuration item or an IT service that uses automated regular checks to discover the current status. See also passive monitoring. activity A set of actions designed to achieve a particular result. Activities are usually defined as part of processes or plans, and are documented in procedures. agreed service time (AST) (ITIL Service Design) A synonym for service hours, commonly used in formal calculations of availability. See also downtime. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 3 Term Definition agreement A document that describes a formal understanding between two or more parties. An agreement is not legally binding, unless it forms part of a contract. See also operational level agreement; service level agreement. alert (ITIL Service Operation) A notification that a threshold has been reached, something has changed, or a failure has occurred. Alerts are often created and managed by system management tools and are managed by the event management process. analytical modelling (ITIL Continual Service Improvement) (ITIL Service Design) (ITIL Service Strategy) A technique that uses mathematical models to predict the behaviour of IT services or other configuration items. Analytical models are commonly used in capacity management and availability management. See also modelling; simulation modelling. application Software that provides functions which are required by an IT service. Each application may be part of more than one IT service. An application runs on one or more servers or clients. See also application management; application portfolio. application management (ITIL Service Operation) The function responsible for managing applications throughout their lifecycle. application portfolio (ITIL Service Design) A database or structured document used to manage applications throughout their lifecycle. The application portfolio contains key attributes of all applications. The application portfolio is sometimes implemented as part of the service portfolio, or as part of the configuration management system. application service provider (ASP) (ITIL Service Design) An external service provider that provides IT services using applications running at the service provider’s premises. Users access the applications by network connections to the service provider. application sizing (ITIL Service Design) The activity responsible for understanding the resource requirements needed to support a new application, or a major change to an existing application. Application sizing helps to ensure that the IT service can meet its agreed service level targets for capacity and performance. architecture (ITIL Service Design) The structure of a system or IT service, including the relationships of components to each other and to the environment they are in. Architecture also includes the standards and guidelines that guide the design and evolution of the system. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 4 Term Definition assembly (ITIL Service Transition) A configuration item that is made up of a number of other CIs. For example, a server CI may contain CIs for CPUs, disks, memory etc.; an IT service CI may contain many hardware, software and other CIs. See also build; component CI. assessment Inspection and analysis to check whether a standard or set of guidelines is being followed, that records are accurate, or that efficiency and effectiveness targets are being met. See also audit. asset (ITIL Service Strategy) Any resource or capability. The assets of a service provider include anything that could contribute to the delivery of a service. Assets can be one of the following types: management, organization, process, knowledge, people, information, applications, infrastructure or financial capital. See also customer asset; service asset; strategic asset. asset management (ITIL Service Transition) A generic activity or process responsible for tracking and reporting the value and ownership of assets throughout their lifecycle. See also service asset and configuration management; fixed asset management; software asset management. asset register (ITIL Service Transition) A list of fixed assets that includes their ownership and value. See also fixed asset management. asset specificity (ITIL Service Strategy) One or more attributes of an asset that make it particularly useful for a given purpose. Asset specificity may limit the use of the asset for other purposes. attribute (ITIL Service Transition) A piece of information about a configuration item. Examples are name, location, version number and cost. Attributes of CIs are recorded in a configuration management database (CMDB) and maintained as part of a configuration management system (CMS). See also relationship; configuration management system. audit Formal inspection and verification to check whether a standard or set of guidelines is being followed, that records are accurate, or that efficiency and effectiveness targets are being met. An audit may be carried out by internal or external groups. See also assessment; certification. authority matrix See RACI. automatic call distribution (ACD) (ITIL Service Operation) Use of information technology to direct an incoming telephone call to the most appropriate person in the shortest possible time. ACD is sometimes called automated call distribution. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 5 Term Definition availability (ITIL Service Design) Ability of an IT service or other configuration item to perform its agreed function when required. Availability is determined by reliability, maintainability, serviceability, performance and security. Availability is usually calculated as a percentage. This calculation is often based on agreed service time and downtime. It is best practice to calculate availability of an IT service using measurements of the business output. availability management (AM) (ITIL Service Design) The process responsible for ensuring that IT services meet the current and future availability needs of the business in a cost-effective and timely manner. Availability management defines, analyses, plans, measures and improves all aspects of the availability of IT services, and ensures that all IT infrastructures, processes, tools, roles etc. are appropriate for the agreed service level targets for availability. See also availability management information system. availability management information system (ITIL Service Design) A set of tools, data and information that is used to support availability management. (AMIS) See also service knowledge management system. availability plan (ITIL Service Design) A plan to ensure that existing and future availability requirements for IT services can be provided cost-effectively. back-out (ITIL Service Transition) An activity that restores a service or other configuration item to a previous baseline. Back-out is used as a form of remediation when a change or release is not successful. backup (ITIL Service Design) (ITIL Service Operation) Copying data to protect against loss of integrity or availability of the original. balanced scorecard (ITIL Continual Service Improvement) A management tool developed by Drs Robert Kaplan (Harvard Business School) and David Norton. A balanced scorecard enables a strategy to be broken down into key performance indicators. Performance against the KPIs is used to demonstrate how well the strategy is being achieved. A balanced scorecard has four major areas, each of which has a small number of KPIs. The same four areas are considered at different levels of detail throughout the organization. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 6 Term Definition baseline (ITIL Continual Service Improvement) (ITIL Service Transition) A snapshot that is used as a reference point. Many snapshots may be taken and recorded over time but only some will be used as baselines. For example:  An ITSM baseline can be used as a starting point to measure the effect of a service improvement plan  A performance baseline can be used to measure changes in performance over the lifetime of an IT service  A configuration baseline can be used as part of a back-out plan to enable the IT infrastructure to be restored to a known configuration if a change or release fails. See also benchmark. benchmark (ITIL Continual Service Improvement) (ITIL Service Transition) A baseline that is used to compare related data sets as part of a benchmarking exercise. For example, a recent snapshot of a process can be compared to a previous baseline of that process, or a current baseline can be compared to industry data or best practice. See also benchmarking; baseline. benchmarking (ITIL Continual Service Improvement) The process responsible for comparing a benchmark with related data sets such as a more recent snapshot, industry data or best practice. The term is also used to mean creating a series of benchmarks over time, and comparing the results to measure progress or improvement. This process is not described in detail within the core ITIL publications. Best Management Practice (BMP) The Best Management Practice portfolio is owned by the Cabinet Office, part of HM Government. Formerly owned by CCTA and then OGC, the BMP functions moved to the Cabinet Office in June 2010. The BMP portfolio includes guidance on IT service management and project, programme, risk, portfolio and value management. There is also a management maturity model as well as related glossaries of terms. best practice Proven activities or processes that have been successfully used by multiple organizations. ITIL is an example of best practice. billing (ITIL Service Strategy) Part of the charging process. Billing is the activity responsible for producing an invoice or a bill and recovering the money from customers. See also pricing. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 7 Term Definition brainstorming (ITIL Service Design) (ITIL Service Operation) A technique that helps a team to generate ideas. Ideas are not reviewed during the brainstorming session, but at a later stage. Brainstorming is often used by problem management to identify possible causes. British Standards Institution (BSI) The UK national standards body, responsible for creating and maintaining British standards. See www.bsi- global.com for more information. See also International Organization for Standardization. budget A list of all the money an organization or business unit plans to receive, and plans to pay out, over a specified period of time. See also budgeting; planning. budgeting The activity of predicting and controlling the spending of money. Budgeting consists of a periodic negotiation cycle to set future budgets (usually annual) and the day-to-day monitoring and adjusting of current budgets. build (ITIL Service Transition) The activity of assembling a number of configuration items to create part of an IT service. The term is also used to refer to a release that is authorized for distribution – for example, server build or laptop build. See also configuration baseline. build environment (ITIL Service Transition) A controlled environment where applications, IT services and other builds are assembled prior to being moved into a test or live environment. business (ITIL Service Strategy) An overall corporate entity or organization formed of a number of business units. In the context of ITSM, the term includes public sector and not-for-profit organizations, as well as companies. An IT service provider provides IT services to a customer within a business. The IT service provider may be part of the same business as its customer (internal service provider), or part of another business (external service provider). business capacity management (ITIL Continual Service Improvement) (ITIL Service Design) In the context of ITSM, business capacity management is the sub-process of capacity management responsible for understanding future business requirements for use in the capacity plan. See also service capacity management; component capacity management. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 8 Term Definition business case (ITIL Service Strategy) Justification for a significant item of expenditure. The business case includes information about costs, benefits, options, issues, risks and possible problems. See also cost benefit analysis. business continuity management (BCM) (ITIL Service Design) The business process responsible for managing risks that could seriously affect the business. Business continuity management safeguards the interests of key stakeholders, reputation, brand and value-creating activities. The process involves reducing risks to an acceptable level and planning for the recovery of business processes should a disruption to the business occur. Business continuity management sets the objectives, scope and requirements for IT service continuity management. business continuity plan (BCP) (ITIL Service Design) A plan defining the steps required to restore business processes following a disruption. The plan also identifies the triggers for invocation, people to be involved, communications etc. IT service continuity plans form a significant part of business continuity plans. business customer (ITIL Service Strategy) A recipient of a product or a service from the business. For example, if the business is a car manufacturer, then the business customer is someone who buys a car. business impact analysis (BIA) (ITIL Service Strategy) Business impact analysis is the activity in business continuity management that identifies vital business functions and their dependencies. These dependencies may include suppliers, people, other business processes, IT services etc. Business impact analysis defines the recovery requirements for IT services. These requirements include recovery time objectives, recovery point objectives and minimum service level targets for each IT service. business objective (ITIL Service Strategy) The objective of a business process, or of the business as a whole. Business objectives support the business vision, provide guidance for the IT strategy, and are often supported by IT services. business operations (ITIL Service Strategy) The day-to-day execution, monitoring and management of business processes. business perspective (ITIL Continual Service Improvement) An understanding of the service provider and IT services from the point of view of the business, and an understanding of the business from the point of view of the service provider. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 9 Term Definition business process A process that is owned and carried out by the business. A business process contributes to the delivery of a product or service to a business customer. For example, a retailer may have a purchasing process that helps to deliver services to its business customers. Many business processes rely on IT services. business relationship management (ITIL Service Strategy) The process responsible for maintaining a positive relationship with customers. Business relationship management identifies customer needs and ensures that the service provider is able to meet these needs with an appropriate catalogue of services. This process has strong links with service level management. business relationship manager (BRM) (ITIL Service Strategy) A role responsible for maintaining the relationship with one or more customers. This role is often combined with the service level manager role. business service A service that is delivered to business customers by business units. For example, delivery of financial services to customers of a bank, or goods to the customers of a retail store. Successful delivery of business services often depends on one or more IT services. A business service may consist almost entirely of an IT service – for example, an online banking service or an external website where product orders can be placed by business customers. See also customer-facing service. business service management The management of business services delivered to business customers. Business service management is performed by business units. business unit (ITIL Service Strategy) A segment of the business that has its own plans, metrics, income and costs. Each business unit owns assets and uses these to create value for customers in the form of goods and services. call (ITIL Service Operation) A telephone call to the service desk from a user. A call could result in an incident or a service request being logged. call centre (ITIL Service Operation) An organization or business unit that handles large numbers of incoming and outgoing telephone calls. See also service desk. call type (ITIL Service Operation) A category that is used to distinguish incoming requests to a service desk. Common call types are incident, service request and complaint. capability (ITIL Service Strategy) The ability of an organization, person, process, application, IT service or other configuration item to carry out an activity. Capabilities are intangible assets of an organization. See also resource. ITIL® Glossary of Terms English v.1.0 © AXELOS Limited 2011 All rights reserved Reproduction of this material requires the permission of AXELOS Limited The swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited 10