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Continuous education is a hallmark of any profession. Education develops an individual, but it also benefits the organization the employee works for: creating opportunity, offering new or enhanced employee’s strengths and skills. It strengthens the person, the team, and the business. Lifelong learning has long been a passion for me. Having been in jobs that did not offer training, I know the frustration of feeling personally limited.

At Centriq, we empower individuals through education, and in doing so, we help strengthen teams and organizations. This Centriq’s purpose and passion. When I had the opportunity to take our ITIL4 Foundations course for my own continuing education, I jumped at the chance.  And I took it for both you and me.   

In just three days of interactive training with our instructor Doug Hoff, along with nine students from various organizations across the Midwest, my knowledge of ITIL grew exponentially and my perspective shifted. 

What is ITIL?

If you aren’t aware of what ITIL is, it is a concept. ITIL is a guideline for organizations to develop a product or service and offer that product/service to a client. ITIL teaches the behind-the-scenes of the software development lifecycle. But there is so much more to ITIL than this. 

ITIL is dynamic: it is a perpetual cycle, an ongoing development process, and (here’s my favorite part) all about relationships. How does a software or service move across the different departments, all of whom are in some way involved in this transaction between the organization and the client? The departments within the organization must work together with a shared vision, goals, and efforts to bring out the best in production or service. And the result you are seeking? Happiness.

Seriously? Happiness? 

Absolutely. The ITIL definition of the end goal of a product or service is the overall satisfaction of the client who receives it. Happiness is the measure of the success of the product or service in the hands of the client. The end goal is not just to sell. It is not just to make money and run. ITIL, in this instance, is about the ongoing relationships within the organization which creates and develops a greater relationship outside of itself with its client, creating partners out of clients. 

ITIL defines a difference between a vendor and partner as well. A vendor just provides a simple product or service, perhaps even only once, to supply an organization with a needed component. A partner is much, much more. A partner works alongside an organization and its people throughout the development lifecycle with the same goals to achieve ongoing satisfaction for the client. Then, the partner and organization reevaluate for improvements across the entire process and continue to grow. 

Sounds a lot like continuing education, doesn’t it? Growth and development for the individual and the organization benefits from the greater value of the individual.  They partner to add greater value to the entire cycle and eventually offer an improved value to the clients they serve.

ITIL Training

Why did I, as a Customer Success Specialist, want to attend the ITIL Training course? My first goal was because I wanted to better understand how our clients think within their organizations. I wanted to understand the process, so I might provide more value to our clients when discussing their educational needs. And, because I’m passionate about lifelong learning, it was a no-brainer. 

After completing the course, I now know that ITIL is for everyone in an organization. It is as much for the accountant as it is for the developer or the systems administrator. It is as much for the CIO or CEO as it is for the customer-facing company representatives. ITIL is an all-hands-on deck approach. ITIL in scope is massive. Consider the partner organizations heavily involved in the same singular effort with your organization to provide the best in product or service. We are all in this together. ITIL is bigger than I thought.

So when I said I took ITIL for both you and me … well, yeah, I did. 

Check out our ITL4 Foundation course and let’s create some happiness.