ITEE ITEE-1 | Page 147

6-1 Service management 6-1-1 Service management “Service management” is the act of operating an information system in a stable and efficient manner to maintain and improve the quality of user services. 1 IT Service management “IT service management” is a method of management that associates the operation of information systems with the provision of IT service in order to facilitate stable and efficient operations. For example, by providing various IT services, entities such as financial institutions and transportation companies are supporting business management and society overall. If trouble arises in those IT services, it could have a major impact not only on those companies themselves but also on the entire society, leading to accidents and confusion. For that reason IT services are managed in such a way as to ensure efficient operation and to maintain and improve the quality of the services themselves. 2 Reference ITIL Abbreviation for “Information Technology Infrastructure Library.” Reference OGC Abbreviation for “Office of Government Commerce.” Reference De facto standard A “de facto standard” is an industry standard that is established not through formal approval, but through widely-accepted use within the industry. 141 ITIL “ITIL” is a framework of know-how, best approaches, best practices, etc. designed to create a successful business utilizing IT services. It was put together in the form of a series of books published by the “OGC,” a UK government agency, in the late 1980s and serves as the “de facto standard” of IT service management. ITIL is a comprehensive set of guidelines for IT services, but not all IT service operations need to be brought into line with it. It is best to compare the actual work against the framework and use the relevant parts as a reference for operations.