vendors

The CMDB Federation proceeeds at its usual glacial pace

The CMDB Federation was formed in April 2006 by CMDB vendors so they could tell people they were moving towards a common standard of interoperability, known in the CMDB world as "federation", so the group is called the Federation. Two years later what have we got to show? Glacial advance. That's the way the vendors want it.

They can't be freekin' serious: twenty kilo-bucks for a set of ITIL process maps

In the fine tradition of Prada and Rolex, comes an ITIL IP provider who understands that the more you charge the more a minority of buyers will line up to pay for "the best". As a good capitalist I guess I should cheer them on but I'm afraid I just choke at the sight of a twenty thousand dollar pricetag for a set of ITIL process maps. No services, just a download. Well I never.
BTW, they actually provide quite a bit of nice free info on the site. I guess they can afford to.

ITIL exams dropped from Prometric: consider ISO20000 certification as an alternative?

The March edition of the IT Skeptic's newsletter, the Skeptical Informer, went out and it included the statement:

The certification industry still seems to have an attitude of "F*** the quality of teaching! Maximise profits!"

A little strong? That was before I knew that ITIL exams have been withdrawn from Prometric (a respected online provider of certifications). You should have heard me then! [Updated: now available again]

The role vendors play in the ITIL community

I agree with a recent comment about vendors being an essential part of the ITIL community. I have defended their presence and influence before. But we lack the governance to ensure that presence is a healthy one.

the ITIL industry is worth about $2 BILLION to $5 BILLION per year

On a back-of-a-napkin calculation, I reckon the ITIL industry is worth about $2 BILLION to $5 BILLION per year. Can anyone confirm or refute these numbers?

Visions of the Future of ITIL: Second Vision

The IT Swami gives us his mid-year Visions of the Future of ITIL. Yesterday we had the First Vision. This is his Second Vision:

I saw it on a computer so it must be true

This is the 21st Century. We shouldn't be falling for that old "I saw it on a computer so it must be true" stuff. A model will always be the model-builder's view of reality.

How to tell whether your IT vendor is a product vendor or a consultant

In the new world of ITIL Version 3, skills in business and IT consulting become preeminent and the technology even more secondary. People who buy technology solutions to process problems will even more likely get what they deserve (a failure), and vendors who are boxed-product peddlers disguised as sellers of IP will cause even more havoc. So how to tell the box-droppers from the consulting firms who include technology in solutions? Here's a simple check:

ITIL on eBay: an IT Skeptic Special Report

Here was I worrying about whether I had enough ®s on my ITILs, while out there on eBay there are people perpetrating the most appalling copyright violations and abuses of trademark. Here are a couple of examples. To the two thousand or so of you who bought stuff from these guys: SHAME!

The Sheep from the Goats: ITIL vendors and Version 3

ITIL Version 3 makes a big ask of the ITSM industry. It will be fascinating to watch how it shakes out. The scope of ITIL is an order of magnitude wider now: how many individuals and organisations will have the knowledge and skills to step up to the new requirements?

Let us start with an interesting quote:

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