It has been just over a year since the introduction of Version 3 of the IT Infrastructure Library which promised a sharper, broader and better organised framework for the delivery of IT services.

Many organisations are intimidated by the huge cultural change that ITIL requires, and more than a handful have become lost by the lack of methodology in Version 2, which says what to do, but not how to do it.

Those with the pertinacity and ability to improvise will get the most out of ITIL. The best deployments require buy-in and budget from the top and the support of IT staff.

ITIL can clean up messy IT shops by standardising service delivery and removing ambiguity in the role IT plays in the business. Components can be cherry-picked to suit the needs of the organisation and the appropriate speed of migration.

Pundits say the clarity of expectations and service and cost metrics that ITIL introduces makes it a lifeline for storage administrators drowning in pools of data.

However, ITIL offers at best a sluggish return on investment which leaves many asking if the cake is worth the candle.

So, we ask you - is ITIL worth your investment in time? Does it provide bigger headaches than it solves? Is it for everybody?

Tell us what you think...
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