This book centers on the ability of an IT organization to deliver and support IT services on a day to day basis. The focus is on effectively monitoring events, and responding to user requests, minimizing the impact of incidents, and identifying and proactively resolving underlying problems.

This book covers practical guidance on the design and implementation of integrated end-to-end processes based on proven industry best practice guidelines.

It provides in-depth knowledge of the ITIL® OSA areas: Change Management, Event Management, Incident Management, Request Management, Problem Management, Access Management, Service Desk, Technical Management, IT Operations Management and Application Management.

Operational Support and Analysis Best Practices is designed to complement the certified ITIL V3 Capability Programs for IT Service Management. This book focuses on describing the industry best practices for the Operational Support and Analysis of IT Services, including:

• Service Management as a Practice
• Service Operation Principals
• The Processes pertaining to Operational Support and Analysis across the Service Lifecycle
• Specific emphasis on the Service Operation Lifecycle processes and roles included in:
 • Event Management which defines any detectable or discernible occurrence that has significance for the management of the IT Infrastructure or the delivery of an IT service
 • Incident Management which has the capability to bring services back to normal operations as soon as possible, according to agreed service levels
 • Request Fulfilment which fulfils a request providing quick and effective access to standard services which business staff can use to improve their productivity or the quality of business services and products
 • Problem Management which prevents problems and resulting Incidents from happening, to eliminate recurring Incidents and to minimize the impact of Incidents that cannot be prevented
 • Access Management which grants authorized users the right to use a service, while preventing access to non-authorized users

• Operational activities of processes covered in other Lifecycle phases such as:
 • Change Management
 • Service Asset and Configuration Management
 • Release and Deployment Management
 • Capacity Management
 • Availability Management
 • Knowledge Management
 • Financial Management for IT Services, and
 • IT Service Continuity Management
• Organizing for Service Operation which describe functions to be performed within the Service Operation and Support such as Service Desk, Technical Management, IT Operations Management and Application Management
• Service Operations and Support Service Operation roles and responsibilities
• Technology and Implementation Considerations

The information provided in this book is based on version 3 of the ITIL® framework, predominantly focusing on the volume of Service Operations. Other guidance provided includes:

• Example template for incident records/tickets.
• Suggested criteria for implementing Operational Support and Analysis (OSA) processes.
• Explanation of the more abstract ITIL concepts to improve understanding.
• Review questions to assist study for the ITIL OSA exam.