3 Reasons to Go Beyond the ITIL 4 Foundation Certification
- Date: 09 August, 2021
Earning your ITIL 4 Foundation certification carries a lot of value. Armed with an understanding of the ITIL framework, you can better align IT with business objectives. You will have insight into organizational processes and best practices that not only increase your efficiency as an ITSM professional but also strengthen your ability to deliver services that help your organization achieve its goals.
Also, you will have earned one of the top-paying IT certifications, gaining knowledge that’s in great demand.
But should your ITIL journey stop here? The short answer is, no.
What’s After ITIL 4 Foundation: Take Your Skills to the Next Level
ITIL 4 Foundation training sets you on a path to earn advanced ITIL certifications with specialized competency. The knowledge contained in ITIL 4 Foundation becomes more practical in the advanced ITIL certifications, enabling you to apply best practices in real-life scenarios and build your services management and leadership skills.
So, what are the ITIL certification levels beyond foundation?
Advanced ITIL certifications include:
- ITIL Practitioner
- ITIL Managing Professional
- ITIL Strategic Leader
The path to further your ITIL education depends largely on your current job role and career aspirations. Your interest in the hands-on, process-implementation side of ITSM will lead you in one direction, while your interest in designing, managing, and improving ITSM processes will take you to another.
Here are three of the key reasons why IT professionals should take their education beyond the ITIL 4 Foundation certification.
1. To grow ITSM hands-on skills.
For many who obtain their ITIL 4 Foundation certification, ITIL Practitioner training is the next logical step. Courses for the ITIL Practitioner certification show you how to implement service improvements based on adopt-and-adapt ITIL philosophy. Take the best practices you learned in ITIL 4 Foundation and adopt and apply the ITIL framework to support your business.
ITIL Practitioner training is very practical, reflecting today’s holistic approach to ITSM and the maturing relationship between business and IT. It makes use of technologies such as automation and cloud computing to improve service design and delivery. Training incorporates best practices from methodologies like Agile, Lean, and DevOps to boost the value of ITSM.
2. To build ITSM managerial skills.
If your career aspirations lean toward strategy and management, the ITIL Managing Professional path is designed for you. The Managing Professional (MP) track provides practical and technical knowledge about how to run successful IT enabled services, teams and workflows.
This path consists of four modules that focus on ITSM organizational structure and policy, helping you better understand how to manage and coordinate the ITIL practice areas.
The four modules are:
- ITIL Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support
- ITIL Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value
- ITIL Specialist: High Velocity IT
- ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve
Once all four of these modules have been successfully completed, you will be awarded certification as an ITIL Managing Professional.
3. To become an ITSM Leader.
ITIL Strategic Leader (SL) track recognizes the value of ITIL, not just for IT operations, but for all digitally-enabled services. Becoming an ITIL 4 Strategic Leader demonstrates that the you have a clear understanding of how IT influences and directs business strategy.
The two modules required to earn the ITIL Strategic Leader designation are:
- ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve (this module appears in both the SL and MP streams)
- ITIL Leader: Digital and IT Strategy
Once both modules have been successfully completed, you will be awarded certification as an ITIL Strategic Leader.
Realize the Full Benefits of ITIL
The alignment between IT and the needs of your business will only increase, making professionals with ITIL experience more in demand. The ITIL 4 Foundation certification grounds you in ITIL concepts and best practices that help you align IT services with business objectives. This is how ITIL helps businesses achieve their goals. Moreover, advanced ITIL training gives you the tools and practical guidance to apply those concepts and practices in real life, so you can help advance your business objectives and take your professional career even further.
