AXELOS decided to update ITIL.  In so doing they changed the certification flow and the names of all the courses and the certifications which makes everything a bit confusing.  In this blog we will do our very best to clarify what this all means and give you some things to think about.  Know that we are offering a free ITIL V3/4 assessment to help students understand what this change means to them directly so feel free to Contact Us at any time.

Summary View

• Number of courses:
  • ITIL V3 offered 12 courses
  • ITIL 4 offers 6
    • ITIL Foundation
    • ITIL Managing Professional – 4 courses
    • ITIL Strategic Leader – 2 courses (1 overlaps the MP track)
• How does ITIL V3 map to ITIL 4?
  • ITIL 4 is retaining many of the core elements of ITIL V3, however there are no direct like-for-like modules between the two certification schemes.
• ITIL V3 and ITIL 4 Key Dates
  • ITIL V3 courses and certifications are available through June 2020.
  • ITIL 4
    • Foundation will be released Q1 2019
    • ITIL 4 Managing Professional (MP) – 4 courses
    • ITIL 4 Strategic Leader (SL) – 2 courses (1 overlaps the MP track)
    • ITIL Master – no details available
• What do we know today?
  • ITIL 4
    • The ITIL 4 Foundation course will be available Q1 2019 and there is no bridge. This means that if you hold your ITIL V3 Foundation or you are new to ITIL you will need to pass the ITIL 4 Foundation Exam to be ITIL 4 Foundation Certified.  You do not need to take an ITIL 4 course to sit for the ITIL 4 Foundation exam, however taking an accredited course is highly recommended.
    • AXELOS recommends 12 hours of training time to prepare for the exam
    • The ITIL 4 Foundation Publication will be released before Q1 2019.
    • None of the advanced ITIL 4 courses will be released until the second half of 2019.
    • Advanced publications will be released sometime between June and December 2019.
    • There is no release date set for the ITIL Master designation at this point
    • A transition module for individuals with 17 or more ITIL V3 credits will be released second half of 2019. This module will allow individuals with 17 or more ITIL credits to take 1 course and 1 exam to become an ITIL 4 Managing Professional (MP).

What do I do if I am new to ITIL?

• If you work for an organization that requires you to become ITIL Certified, ITIL V3 content is solid and will help you now and with ITIL 4 once it is available.  Remember, ITIL V3 certification is active until June 2020 or for 20 more months.  ITIL V3 is not going away.
• If you are new to ITIL and need to be trained now, take the ITIL V3 Foundation course and certification exam.
• If you are new to ITIL and want to become Foundation certified, but have no pressing need to do so right away, wait until Q1 of 2019 and get your ITIL 4 Foundation Certification.

What should I do if I have ITIL V3 Intermediate Credits, But am not at 17 Credits Yet?

• ITIL V3 Intermediate courses are full of good solid information.  If you are working towards Expert go ahead and continue.  With 17 or more ITIL V3 credits you only need to take the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition Module to become an ITIL 4 Managing Professional.   That means you take 1 course and exam instead of 4 courses and exams – very good deal.
• So if you are on your way to getting ITIL V3 advanced certifications, feel comfortable continuing.  Right now all we have is ITIL 4 Foundation being released Q1 and a promise of the remainder being released June 2019 to December 2019.

This Month ONLY – October 2018 ALL ITIL Exam Vouchers are $100 off the PeopleCert List Price.

• ITIL Foundation: List Price $349/SALE Price $249
• ITIL Practitioner: List Price $469/SALE Price $369
• ITIL Intermediate: List Price $399/SALE Price $299
• ITIL MALC: List Price $399/SALE Price $299

ITIL Exam Voucher Valid for 1 Year
You have 1 year after the date of purchase to use your ITIL Exam Voucher. If you are planning to take ITIL exams in the next 12 months, then now is the time to purchase your exam vouchers.

How to Purchase and SAVE!

• CLICK HERE to purchase your ITIL Foundation Exam Voucher
• CLICK HERE to request all over Exam Vouchers
• CLICK HERE to purchase vouchers for your team

Buy as many as you need today and Save $100 to $1000 or MORE!

ITIL Exam Background

As of January 1, 2018, AXELOS made PeopleCert the only ITIL Exam Institute in the world.  Prior to this date there were several including PeopleCert, EXIN and APMG.  So, this means that you can only take your ITIL Exams from PeopleCert.

PeopleCert in turn accredits training organizations and exam providers who in turn are allowed to sell ITIL exam vouchers.  So, when it comes to purchasing ITIL exams you can purchase them from PeopleCert directly or you can purchase them from an accredited training organization (ATO) or an accredited exam organization (AEO).  Each operates under the rules and regulations of PeopleCert and are able to sell ITIL exams under the guidelines set for them by PeopleCert.

Step 1: When you are ready to buy your ITIL exam voucher, look for ITIL ATO or AEO as they almost always will offer you a lower price than the Exam Institute.  Exam institutes typically have resellers that offer their exams, so you will find that the resellers usually offer better prices.

Step 2: To find an exam reseller do a Google search. If the deals you see are too good to be true, like get certified for $29, then it is too good to be true. There are no ITIL exams anywhere in the world that you can purchase for $29.

For example, here is the 2018 List Price for ITIL Exams:

• ITIL Foundation – $349
• ITIL Intermediate Track Courses & MALC – $399
• ITIL Practitioner – $469

Step 3: Make sure that the organization selling you the exam is authorized to do so. That means they need to be an ITIL ATO or an AEO.

Remember – ITIL Exam Vouchers are valid for use for 1 year from the date of purchase. So, if you know you are taking your exam within 365 days, you can buy your exam voucher now and know that you have 365 days to use it. And, PeopleCert will let you extend the voucher for 6 months for a small fee as long as you contact them before the 1 year from date of purchase is up.

To check out GogoTraining’s current ITIL Foundation Exam Deal, Click Here. To get prices on ITIL Practitioner, Intermediate or MALC exams, Contact US.

We’ve been getting questions recently on using older ITIL Certificates (ITIL V2) to qualify in the current ITIL Scheme so here is the scoop:

ITIL Foundation Certificate Holder

If you have an ITIL V2 Foundation Certification and did not take the ITIL Foundation Bridge course that is no longer offered, then you have to take the current ITIL Foundation Exam in order to be ITIL V3 Certified and post the ITIL Foundation qualification next to your name.

ITIL Service Manager Certifications

If you hold the previously offered ITIL Service Manager Certificate and want to take any of the ITIL Intermediate examinations, then you are required to pass the current ITIL Foundation examination before you can take any of the ITIL Intermediate examinations.

If you hold the ITIL Service Manager Certificate, and your goal is to get to ITIL Expert then after you pass the current ITIL Foundation exam you will need to take these courses to attain ITIL Expert Status.

• Service Strategy
• Continual Service Improvement
• Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC)

Holders of the old ITIL Practitioner certificates can also enter the current ITIL Certification scheme. To learn more about it, click here.

If you have any questions or we can help in any way call us at 877.546,4446 or email us at customerservice@gogotraining.com.

Good News!  AXELOS and PeopleCert have just announced that your current ITIL certifications will remain valid following the ITIL 4 Update.  Other than that bit of news, there is nothing more to report.  Throughout the rest of the year AXELOS will be sharing what they are doing and getting feedback.  A major announcement is expected from AXELOS in August 2018.  The bottom line:

• If you hold current ITIL Certifications – your certificates will remain valid
• If you are needing to get trained – go ahead as all certificates will remain valid

We will update you as more news is released.

If you have specific questions, send them to customerservice@gogotraining.com or call us at 877.546.4446.

I have been struggling with how to explain what the VeriSM™ Approach is and why anyone should care for some time now.  We have worked with Dr. Suzanne Van Hove for years.  We admire Suzanne and know that if she gets behind something that we need to take notice.  Suzanne is an educator and an expert…the real deal.  So why have I had such a hard time understanding why the VeriSM Approach was developed?

Why I Didn’t Understand

To be honest I think it was because I was too IT focused and did not understand the depth and breadth of the VeriSM Approach.  It started when Suzanne told me she wanted to produce the VeriSM courses.  I said sure and we did it.  Then I started to talking to my main audience, IT Professionals, and no one got it.  They all asked me, “why do we need VeriSM when we have ITIL, AGILE, DevOps, etc?”  Until now, I did not have an answer.  I knew that VeriSM did not replace ITIL or AGILE or DevOps, etc., but I could not explain the VeriSM Value Proposition.

The more I read the more I heard things like the VeriSM Approach is Service Management for the Digital Age.  Ok, that meant absolutely nothing to me.  Now I am a marketing and sales person and that is for sure a great marketing catch phrase, but I didn’t know what it meant.  Is the world almost completely digital these days?  Yes.  Does every department in and organization have a digital footprint?  Sure, but so what?  What is the VeriSM Approach and why should the C Suite, every department in an organization, yes every department…HR, Sales, Customer Service…and IT, care?  Why should they all learn what the VeriSM Approach is?  Why should they adopt the VeriSM Approach?  And why don’t they understand that VeriSM is not a replacement for anything?  Not ITIL. Not DevOps.  Not Agile.  Not COBIT.  Not any of the ISO Standards.

The Answer

After much study, attending the VeriSM Foundation course and asking a ton of questions I finally understood why so many people do not understand VeriSM.  The reason that VeriSM is not understood is that VeriSM is more than we have ever dreamed of.  We need to think outside of the box to understand it.  It is a wrapper.  It sits outside the pieces of the puzzle.  It is what allows the puzzle to go together seamlessly.  It is not a framework. It is not a standard.  It is the icing that holds the whole cake together.  It is what enables all the ingredients to work together and to create the best cake ever.

When you Google the word Verism the definition that pops up says, “Verism is the artistic preference of contemporary everyday subject matter instead of the heroic or legendary in art and literature; it is a form of realism. The word comes from Latin verus (true).”  And then it all came together for me.  The VeriSM Approach is truth.  It is a form a realism.  It is practical.  It is inclusive.

So What Is VeriSM?

VeriSM takes the successful service management approach that is second nature in IT organizations and transmits the service first mindset throughout the entire organization.  The result is a flexible and agile organization designed to meet and exceed customer expectations.  Loyal customers.  Agile Employees.  Profitable business and Success.  With VeriSM organizations will digitally transform themselves and be able to deliver products and services that meet and exceed customer requirements.

The VeriSM Approach, when applied, will build your organization into a flexible and well-oiled machine ready to deliver products and services in a way that exceed customer requirements, strengthens your position in the market place and establishes a loyal customer base.  It embraces your entire organization and sets  you up for success.

Can You Afford to Ignore VeriSM?  Probably Not.

If you answer YES to 1 or more of these questions, then learning more about what VeriSM can do for you and your organization is the next step.

• Do you want to deliver a better product or service?
• Do you want to create loyal customers?
• Do you want to have a more profitable business
• Do you want to succeed?

Thank you for allowing me to share my VeriSM Journey with you.  I hope my journey will prove helpful to you and your organization. Let me know your thoughts.  I look forward to hearing from you!

There has been a lot of talk about ITIL V4. Questions surrounding ITIL V4 include how it will affect current ITIL Certificate holders, when it will be released and what it will cover. In this blog we will address each of these questions.

What is ITIL V4?

The ITIL V4 update will address how ITIL works and co-exists with other practices such as DevOps, Agile and Lean. The core elements of ITIL are expected to remain the same.

How Will V4 Affect Current Certificate Holders?

If you currently hold ITIL Certificates or plan on getting them this year, all is good. All current certifications will be recognized.

When Will ITIL V4 Be Released?

Axelos announced that the first release of ITIL Version 4 will take place Q1 2019 (January to March 2019).

What Will Be Released?

It is expected that the first release will be ITIL Foundation. AXELOS has stated that the core material will remain and new materials on the integration of ITIL with DevOps, Agile and Lean will be added.

Do I Need To Hold Off On My ITIL Training?

If your organization uses ITIL or you are looking to have the right certifications to get your next job, getting ITIL Certified (Foundation, Practitioner, Intermediate or MALC) now is fine. As noted above, AXELOS is planning to add information to the current framework to bring it into a world where it operates with other practices like DevOps, Agile and Lean. The core framework will remain the same so if you need to get certified, you can do it now.

We will continue to bring you updates as they occur. If you have any questions, you can reach us at 877.546.4446 or customerservice@gogotraining.com.

What is ITIL?

ITIL is an acronym for the Information Technology Infrastructure Library that was created in the 1980s by the UK Government’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency. The agency understood that a set of standardized service management practices was necessary to align service management delivery from one agency to another. What started out as a set of recommendations grew into ITIL V1. ITIL has had several versions with V1 arriving in late 80s, V2 in late 90s, V3 in 2007 and then ITIL 2011. ITIL is currently undergoing another revision to include how ITIL relates to other frameworks and standards including Agile, DevOps, Lean, ISO 20000 and more.

Who Uses ITIL Today?

The figures vary. In Europe it is suggested that up to 70% of European business leaders consider ITIL a must have in their organizations . Outside of the UK the number of organizations that have adopted and adapted ITIL is estimated to be around 33%.

Why Do Organizations Adopt ITIL?

When organizations adopt and adapt ITIL, they ensure that their services are delivered according to well defined best practices that allows them to increase customer satisfaction and better manage their processes and reduce costs.

ITIL Certification Salaries

No doubt certifications assist in higher paying jobs and raises. Most report that holding an ITIL Foundation Certification can jump your salary $5,000 to as much as $13,000. The 2016 Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report shares that the average salary for ITIL-certified professionals ranges from $92,000 to $105,842 and that more than 90 percent of respondents to their survey reported their average salary with an ITIL Foundation certificate exceeded $98,000.

How to Get ITIL Certifications

#1 – ITIL Foundation

You start with the Foundation Certification. It is a TON of information. There is no requirement to take an accredited course to pass the exam, however it is HIGHLY recommended. The exam is 100% on the content in the course. When you take an Accredited ITIL Foundation course then you know for sure you are getting all the info you need to pass. Courses are available live at training organization location, live online and On-Demand to give you ultimate flexibility.

#2 – What Next After ITIL Foundation?

After ITIL Foundation Certification you can go on to become ITIL Practitioner Certified or move into the ITIL Intermediate courses.

ROUTE 1 = ITIL Practitioner

This is a relatively new certification that was released about 2 years ago and it is the only course out of 12 that actually shows students how to adopt and adapt ITIL. ITIL Practitioner like ITIL Foundation has no formal training requirement, however, it has the lowest pass rate of all 12 exams. There is a great deal of knowledge and practical experience required to pass this exam and we do not recommend students take this exam without having (1) taken the ITIL Practitioner course and (2) taken at least one of the ITIL Intermediate courses. The exam requires you to adopt and adapt what you learned. It is not repeating concepts. It is the most expensive ITIL exam retailing at $469 from PeopleCert.

Route 2 = The ITIL Intermediate Path

This is the second option and the more common path following ITIL Foundation Certification. AND – YOU MUST hold an ITIL Foundation certificate to take these exams. To take any of these exams you MUST have taken an Accredited Course and hold a Certificate of Completion. The Intermediate series is made up of 9 courses split into a Lifecycle track and a Capability track. You can stick with one path or mix and match from the both.

i. Intermediate Service Lifecycle Courses – Managers take this path

1. Service Strategy
2. Service Transition
3. Service Design
4. Service Operation
5. Continual Service Improvement

ii. Intermediate Capability Courses – The people who do the work/implement ITIL take this path

1. Service Offerings and Agreements
2. Planning, Protection and Optimization
3. Release, Control and Validation
4. Operational Support and Analysis

#3 – Becoming an ITIL Expert

After Foundation and completing 17 credits in one of these paths or a combination of courses (some people like to mix and match), then the student has enough points to take the Managing Across the Lifecycle course (MALC) which allows them to sit for the MALC exam. You need a minimum of 17 credits to take MALC.

a. Foundation is 2 credits
b. Lifecycle course are 3 each
c. Capability are 4 each
d. MALC is 5

#4 – PeopleCert Certification Exam

Once you have prepared for an exam and hold the required Certificate of Completion for the Intermediate and MALC courses, then you are ready to purchase and take your exam. The official exam provider for all ITIL exams as of January 1, 2018 is PeopleCert. You can purchase your ITIL Exams from PeopleCert directly or from an Authorized Exam Organization. Exams can be taken at exam centers and Online so you can take them from the comfort of your home or office.

We hope this article on ITIL Certification has been informative and helpful. If you have any questions, we are here to help. You can reach us by phone at, 877.546.4446 or via email at, customerservice@gogotraining.com

Take 35 hours of PMI accepted online, gamified, interactive Project Management training –  Start Today!

Come & learn with Service Management Expert and VeriSM Author Dr. Suzanne Van Hove as she guides you through the VeriSM approach to Service Management. In this exclusive live online presentation you will learn and interact with Dr. Van Hove to fully understand the VeriSM Approach and the benefits it will bring to you and your organization.

Enroll Today to avoid disappointment as spaces are limited!

Course Details:

Where: June 19 to 21, 2018

When: 9am to Noon EDT/14:00 to 17:00 GMT

Format: Live Online

Price: $347 ($1,762 Value)

Attendees Will Receive:

• 9 hours of Interactive Instruction with Dr. Van Hove ($995 Value)
• The On-Demand Version of Suzanne’s VeriSM Foundation Course – ($745 Value)
• The VeriSM Pocket Guide ($22 Value)
• 1 Years’ access to Dr. Van Hove to ask VeriSM questions (Beyond Priceless)
• VeriSM Foundation Course Certificate of Completion
• 10 PDUs

Added Bonus – 2 Exams for the Price of One!

Add a VeriSM Plus exam for $125 ($325 Value) and get 2 Certifications for the price of 1.

• All ITIL and ISO 20000 Foundation holders qualify to take the VeriSM Plus exam and upon passing will receive both the VeriSM Plus and the VeriSM Foundation Certification.
• Save Big on this package: VeriSM Live + Exam Voucher Package – $472 ($2,234 Value)