To answer this question we have to look at COBIT itself, COBIT:

• Is a comprehensive framework and strategic in nature.
• Provides good process , good objectives good practice and tools for management to govern IT.
• Has become the de-facto standard for IT Governance.

To realize benefits of COBIT, the approach should be:

• Strategic
• Long term

And benefits can only come from:

• Sustained use and true adoption of good practice and processes.
• Understanding that education is necessary to change behavior and improve skill sets.
• Skills development according to the business needs.
• Understanding that what people learn not is not only good for them but tie directly to their performance for the company.

Our COBIT Education Portfolio focuses on all of these aspects, to ensure the benefits of adopting COBIT will materialise.

ITIL ® v3 Expert ITIL Expert replaces the ITIL Service Manager Certification which was immensely popular under the ITIL v2 scheme. Becoming an ITIL Expert is considered the highest possible achievement in the industry. As a result, Experts are recognised for their knowledge and skills and have significant job advantages.

Are you:

• Dedicated to become a more complete or well rounded IT Service Management Consultant?
• Looking for an opportunity to become more effective in the design of ITSM Processes?
• Eager to become a better IT process practitioner?
• Talented, ambitious, and interested in increasing your job opportunities in IT?

If you answered any of the above stated points with Yes, you should participate in the Frame:Learning / ITpreneurs ITIL Expert Program. This program will boost your career and open doors to higher positions within your organization. It will make you an authority within the international community

Research

ITpreneurs has completed an extensive four-month research project to evaluate the value of achieving the ITIL Expert level for ambitious IT professionals. The research project was completed in March 2010 and included a global survey and in-depth interviews of more than 160 ITIL Program Managers, ITIL Experts and ITIL Service Managers, as well as aspiring ITIL Expert candidates.

The participants in the research and the survey represent 5 continents and over 40 countries and focused on the central questions around how advanced ITIL Certification (particularly the ITIL Expert level) impacted factors such as job performance, job prospects, professional network, salary and overall career.

Some of the key results revealed in the research are that investing in ITIL Expert training and certification:

• will tangibly boost the job productivity of IT professionals and significantly help them lead ITSM implementations
• will make professionals feel more valued by peers and management and prepare them for leadership positions within the organisation
• will help professionals to connect with industry peers and utilise shared best practices to the organisation’s advantage
• makes a huge impact on career advancement
• Click here to see a summary of the results and download the complete report by signing up.

Whilst most of us believe that general educational qualifications are the most valuable thing we can have to impress a potential employer, it is not necessarily the case. Having a University degree is a great start to a career but you may be surprised to learn that it may not be as highly regarded as work experience, life experience and up-to-date relevant industry certifications. And this is even more so as your degree ages.  With the pace of technological change a three year old general IT degree may not mean much.

What every business manager needs in this highly competitive age, are employees who have current, specialised knowledge and skills to enable the IT systems that support  their business processes and customer engagement.  Like it or not, industry associations (standards and frameworks), government bodies (compliance) and vendors (product families) have convinced most employers that formal training and certification is not just important, but simply no longer optional.  With few exceptions, organisations today are totally dependent upon their IT systems. They are therefore critically dependent upon skilled people to design, implement, manage and govern complex IT environments.

Furthermore, professional services companies that have partnerships with major vendors such as Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, and others MUST have a minimum number of certified specialists on their staff in order to retain their partner status.  Consequently, the right certifications make you a very valuable potential employee on more than one level. These types of employers need your certifications as much as you do.

ITIL provides the foundation for quality IT Service Management through documented, proven processes that cover the entire Service Lifecycle. It is easy for organisations to learn, tailor, and implement ITIL to suit their environment. A complete ITIL philosophy has grown around the guidance contained within the ITIL books and the supporting certification and qualification scheme for individuals.

ISO/IEC 20000 is an international standard for ITSM and a requirement for IT Service Providers in their response to business opportunities. ISO/IEC 20000 perfectly aligns and compliments the ITIL best practices, providing a comprehensive approach to quality service delivery. ISO/IEC 20000 certification is necessary for all companies striving toward high-quality service delivery.

In summary, IT service management specialists and managers undertake ITIL training and certification to improve their personal knowledge, skills, job-performance, qualifications and market value.

Organisations undertake ISO/IEC 20000 certification to demonstrate to stakeholders that they have achieved and sustained high-quality service delivery. Individuals undertake ISO/IEC 20000 certification (as an auditor and, or practitioner), so that they are qualified to assist organisations achieve and sustain their certification.