ITIL® is widely recognised as a best practice IT service process. Its implementation can be seen throughout some of the biggest companies and organisations in the world.

On our ITIL Foundation Course in Brighton, UK you'll find out about why ITIL is so effective as service strategy in organisations of all sizes, not just corporations but institutions as well.

ITIL has been implemented in Universities with much success. 

In fact, we've carried out ITIL training for quite a few higher education institutions here at Silicon Beach. In this post then, I'm going to run through an example of a University we have trained implementing ITIL and then go on to explain how other Unis throughout the UK have benefitted from ITIL.

Silicon Beach Case Study: University of Brighton

What made you decide to train in ITIL?

To be able to communicate with other sectors within the organisation and understand their processes.

How have you implemented what you learnt at work?

Less as a means to rollout or implement own strategy and more as a way to integrate into an existing framework.

What benefits have you seen as result of the training?

Better communication with other areas of the organisation.

How has it complemented other processes/strategies in place e.g. project management?

Looking to integrate with a Project Management framework in the near future.

Has the training helped you as an individual?

Great to have on a C.V. but also to work better/more effectively within current organisation.

University of Birmingham

University of Birmingham decided to use ITIL for 5 main reasons:

1. To manage major incidents 
2. Implement change control/change management
3. Using an existing recognised quality framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
4. Introduction of a customer focussed service culture and to increase staff awareness of service management
5. Using a common language

Here's the University of Birmingham's experience with ITIL.

Cardiff University

Cardiff University went ahead with ITIL implementation because:

1.  The Service Desk needed to be revamped and embedding a customer service ethic
2.  External ITIL experience of IT Director from outside the HE sector
3.  They wanted to become more business like
4.  Soft skills around the people and team dynamics and organisational change management
5.  Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
6.  Introduction of a service culture and increase in staff awareness of service management
7.  For IT to become a recognised brand within the University by wide use of the INSRV logo
8.  To become a process based organisation and to join up existing processes

Read the full account of how ITIL was set out in Cardiff.

Coventry University

These were Coventry Universities reasons for using ITIL:

1.  Implement Service Management Best Practice
2.  Became part of the objectives and the business plan
3.  Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
4.  Introduction to IT Services of a service culture and increase staff awareness of Service Management
5.  It was being used already by a number of suppliers and vendors – and meant a common language would be used
6.  IT has meant that there is also a common language across IT, beyond IT Services within the University
7.  Allowed for some level of benchmarking

See Coventry University's experience with ITIL.

University of Dundee

For University of Dundee, ITIL was necessary:

1.  To improve the management and delivery of IT services
2.  To improve the resilience and availability of services
3.  Focus on the requirements of the University and not the technology
4.  Replacing the existing Help Desk as it was inappropriate for the University and implement a Service Desk that 
5.  supported our implementation of ITIL 
6.  Implement service management Best Practice
7.  Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
8.  Introduction to IT Services of a service culture and increase staff awareness of, and expertise in, service management

Read about University of Dundee's experience with ITIL.

The University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh's reasons for using ITIL were:

1.  UCISA seminar Christmas 2006 established the framework as best practice
2.  Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
3.  Introduction to IT Services of a service culture and increase in staff awareness of service management
4.  Chose to make it IS specific not IT specific – this is service management and applies to non IT areas as well

Here's how The University of Edinburgh implemented ITIL.

Edinburgh Napier University

For Edinburgh Napier University, the original drivers for choosing ITIL were:

1.  Implement Service Management Best Practice
2.  Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)

The current drivers are:

1.  Implementing configuration management – a phased approach will be adopted for implementation of this 
2. process
3.  Establishing buy in from the rest of the IT organisation
4.  A commitment to continual service improvement and a service culture
5.  Driving IT service delivery through process improvement and process implementation
6.  The ability to measure service delivery to the University

Take a look at how Edinburgh Napier University implemented ITIL.

The University of Exeter

The University of Exeter chose to implement ITIL for the following reasons:

1. Previously there was a lack of processes
2. There was a lack of consistent customer service
3. Implement Service Management Best Practice
4. Understanding service from a customer perspective
5. Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
6. Introduction to IT Services of a service culture and increase in staff awareness of service management

See how The University of Exter got on board with ITIL.

University of Huddersfield

For the University of Huddersfield there were two main reasons they chose ITIL:

1.  Availability service
2.  Control of changes

See how the University of Huddersfield implemented ITIL.

University of Leicester

For the University of Leicester, ITIL was needed for:

1.  Maintaining stability whilst increasing the flexibility for change and meeting huge unmet demand for innovation from the business
2.  Reducing unplanned outages
3.  Implementing Service Management Best Practice to support the IT organisation’s change management
4.  To become a process driven organisation
5.  Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
6.  Introduction of a service culture
7.  Reducing the effort of keeping the lights on
8.  Improving communication across the whole of IT services regarding outages, service launches and planned changes

This is how the University of Leicester implemented ITIL.

The University of Nottingham

For The University of Nottingham, the original drivers for choosing ITIL were:

1.  Renewal of the Service Desk tool
2.  ITIL is about adapt and adopt, which fits the model
3.  Best Practice

The current drivers:

1.  High availability
2.  Ensuring services are in line with the needs of the University
3.  Building relationships

Here's how The University of Nottingham utilised ITIL.

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent chose ITIL because of:

1.  External ITIL experience of new senior staff
2.  The need to provide measurable high quality services
3.  Using Best Practice and being process driven
4.  To reduce the cost of keeping the lights on
5.  Significant organisational change with information systems

Take a look at the ways in which Nottingham Trent benefited from ITIL.

Sheffield Hallam University

For Sheffield Hallam, ITIL was necessary because:

1. This is the right thing to be doing – implementing service management Best Practice
2. Customer service is paramount – adding value to the student experience
3. Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
4. Fits with the University commitment to a service culture and increases staff awareness of service management
5. Value for money

This is how Sheffield Hallam has approached ITIL.

University of Ulster

For the University of Ulster, ITIL was useful because of:

1. Awareness growing within the department and within the HE sector
2. An appreciation of the benefits, quality of service and cost effectiveness
3. Using an existing recognised framework (not re-inventing the wheel)
4. It is considered Best Practice
5. Supporting the delivery of quality service
6. A common language would be used

Take a look at how the University of Ulster took on ITIL.

With thanks to UCISA for the research.