The pitfalls of ITIL

But why do organizations need to align with ITIL? According to Fry, the compelling reasons are because of governance issues, and, in terms of convergence, to better align IT with the business goals.

James D Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, has said that: "The proper governance of companies will become as crucial to the world economy as the proper governing of countries." In support of this statement Fry says: "IT leaders need to measure the real way in which they and their departments are adding value to the business at every level; they must be fundamentally business-thinking people."

According to Forester Research: "Widespread adoption of ITIL best practices by internal IT departments will follow through to 2008, from around 13 percent of billion-dollar companies in 2004, to around 40 percent in 2006 and 80 percent in 2008." Adopting ITIL best practices is therefore something that companies need to do, if they are not to be left behind the rest of the world.

Fry further notes that adopting ITIL best practices holds numerous benefits for organizations. These benefits, according to him, include the fact that it provides a common terminology that leads to better communication and understanding of what needs to be done, narrows the gap between management and IT personnel, and is based on international standards that require staff certification.

Furthermore, he says, ITIL is an aid to software selection, and, most of all, it is seen as the great equalizer. All of which leads to better integration, reduced costs and improved productivity, he claims.