ITIL® 4 Foundation is now available

ITIL® 4 supports the existing investment that people and organizations have made in ITIL® , as it is an expansion on the existing framework.

It is essential that your existing investment in ITIL® continues to drive and enhance your business’ performance. ITIL® 4 has been developed to be compatible with the existing certification scheme and all current certifications for ITIL will always remain valid following the update, and all ITIL® v3/2011 credits gained can help you on your ITIL® journey in the new certification scheme.
The core fundamentals of ITIL® will continue to be as relevant to you and your businesses as they are today following the release of ITIL® 4. The evolution in ITIL guidance will allow your organisation to continue to derive value from your existing investments.

The principles, processes and activities covered within the ITIL® v3/2011 provide essential knowledge that will contribute to a better comprehension of ITIL® 4 concepts reflected on the updated framework. It will keep supporting professionals with the challenges faced in their work environment. Candidates who continue on their existing journey with V3/2011 will gain valuable skills to help solve their business challenges now.

ITIL® 4 Foundation Training course and Exam
- ITIL® 4 takes you through a service value system which provides a holistic picture of what it really means to contribute to business value.
- The Foundation level is designed as an introduction to ITIL® 4 and enables candidates to look at IT service management through an end-to-end operating model for the creation, delivery and continual improvement of products and services.
ITIL® 4 Foundation candidates will understand the following:
- A holistic approach to the co-creation of value with customers and other stakeholders in the form of products and services
- The Guiding principles of ITIL® 4
- The four dimensions of service management
- How ITIL practices described in ITIL® 4 will maintain the value and importance provided by the current ITIL® processes, whilst at the same time expand to be integrated to different areas of service management and IT, from demand to value

ITIL® Managing Professional (ITIL® MP)
- Targets IT practitioners working within technology and digital teams across businesses. The Managing Professional (MP) stream provides practical and technical knowledge about how to run successful IT enabled services, teams and workflows.
ITIL® Strategic Leader (ITIL® SL)
- Recognizes the value of ITIL® , not just for IT operations, but for all digitally-enabled services. Becoming an ITIL® SL demonstrates that the individual has a clear understanding of how IT influences and directs business strategy.

To obtain the designation ITIL® MP or ITIL® SL, the candidate must complete all modules in each stream, with ITIL Strategist being a universal module for both streams
Courses and examinations for Managing Professional and Strategic leader are expected towards the end of 2019

How to transition to ITIL® 4
- There are recommended routes that allow candidates to transition over to ITIL® 4 while still gaining the skills and knowledge needed to understand the core concepts of the updated guidance.
ITIL® v3 or 2011 Foundation
- If a candidate has only taken ITIL® v3 or 2011 Foundation, then the recommended approach is to take the ITIL® 4 Foundation exam in order to be able to transition to the new scheme.
- There is a large amount of new material in ITIL® 4 Foundation therefore a new single exam is required to assess the end-learner’s knowledge of the new ITIL® 4 Foundation guidance.

ITIL® v3 or 2011 Intermediate (three or four credits achieved)
- End learners holding a low number of credits beyond Foundation have two recommended options to transition to ITIL® 4 dependent on what they want to achieve in the scheme:
- OPTION 1: Candidates are encouraged to take ITIL® 4 Foundation and a further module in their preferred area of interest, becoming either an ITIL® Specialist, Strategist or Leader.
- If a candidate has no intention of pursuing the ITIL® Managing Professional designation, then the recommended route for these candidates would be to take the most relevant module in their area of practice/interest.
- OPTION 2: Candidates are encouraged to achieve 17 credits or more from ITIL® v3/2011 to become eligible to take the ITIL MP transition module.
- If an end-learner would like to work towards achieving the ITIL® MP designation, they will need to continue collecting v3/2011 credits until they have achieved the required 17 credits to be eligible to take the MP Transition module.
- They can also continue collecting credits until the ITIL® 2011 exams are discontinued no sooner than the second half of 2020 and accumulate enough points to take the MP transition course. The benefit of this is that they are eligible to fast track past the 2011 Managing Across the Lifecycle course and exam.

ITIL® Intermediate/Practitioner (six or more credits achieved beyond Foundation)
- If an end-learner has achieved six credits or more following v3/2011 Foundation, then it is in their interest to continue collecting v3/2011 credits to prepare them for an easy transition to ITIL 4 and gain the ITIL® MP designation.
- They will need to reach 17 credits to be eligible to take the ITIL® MP Transition module.
ITIL® Expert
- If a candidate has achieved ITIL v3/2011 Expert, they can take the ITIL® MP Transition module as soon as it is released to achieve the ITIL® MP designation.
- After achieving the ITIL® MP designation, if the end learner is interested in pursuing the ITIL® SL stream, they will only need to complete the ITIL® Leader Digital & Strategy module. Once they have completed both streams they are eligible to move towards ITIL® Master.
ITIL® 2011 is as relevant as ever and continues to be in demand globally by hundreds and thousands of IT practitioners.
All certifications for ITIL will remain valid following the update and will continue to be recognized globally as valuable certifications.

Timeframe

The ITIL Intermediate modules allow end learners to continue expanding their knowledge across specific areas of the service lifecycle as well as progressing on their ITIL® journey throughout 2019. The modules will be available until at least June 2020. By achieving 17 credits within the ITIL v3/2011 scheme, end learners will be able to take the ITIL® MP transition module – available towards the end of 2019 – and transition to the ITIL® 4 scheme.

ITIL® 4 Certification Scheme