Microsoft ups the ante on ITIL by releasing MOF into the public domain

Just what sort of pacts has OGC signed with the money engines at TSO and APMG, or is HM still her own master? When will ITIL be set free?

The real significance remains to be seen, but Microsoft's announcement that MOF 4.0 (Microsoft Operating Framework, a MS variant of ITIL) is now available under a Creative Commons licence to not only Share but also Remix(!) puts additional pressure on Castle ITIL's proprietary grip on the ITIL content. The explicit mention of ITIL in the announcement suggests to me this pressure is not accidental. MOF was already freely available for download, as also are COBIT and FITS, but this takes open content ITSM another step.

Consultants, trainers and service providers are now free to create products based on MOF without paying licence tithes and without accreditation. These are not necessarily Good Things, but they must be an attractive option. It hasn't escaped EXIN's attention - they announced a new MOF Foundation exam available as of this October 1.

Of course Microsoft being Microsoft, this is almost too good to be true, and the IT Skeptic looks for the gotcha. Anyone?

If ITIL V3 is the ITIL to end all ITILs, and if ITIL belongs to the not-for-profit British Government, and if ITIL is so big now that several alternative funding streams for future development present themselves, why is ITIL still locked up in copyright and trademark restraints? If ITIL exists to advance the best interests of service management [I said "if"] then why not allow both accredited and non-accredited providers and official and non-official authors to compete?

Comments

A little more skeptic then you

I got aquinted with MOF when it was in V3.0 and I was very impresed by the quality, consistency and very specific guidance in certain parts of the material compare with ITIL V2.0; very important was and still is free and even is said Microsoft in his name was very clear a generic framework; unfortunately had only one small issue, came when ITIL was already a big name in the market, and I guess that because was position to Microsoft products peoples thought that this might tigh them in, even more, to MS technology!!

But now, V4.0 as a personal opinion, with all due respect, is a complete disaster, even if it is free. I had looked specifically to IT Sevice Continuity and there is no way that you will have a clue what you have to do in this area.

My 2 cents: MS wants to get into the band wagon of ITSM tool makers; they had already a failure with System Center; any noise in the area will help them position them self for 2010 when MS will come back with their integrated, maybe PinkVerified TM, System Center!!!

Coco

Congratulations Microsoft

I have spend a few days cursing Microsoft for Visita as my damn printer driver keeps crashing but that aside their work on MOF is laudable. In this case they have contributed back knowledge into the IT community. The change management section is very usable but I think the problem management falls short.
The term MOF causes us to roll around in mirth in this neck of the Kalahari! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffie

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