Over 1.3 million people hold an ITIL certification, a symbol of competence and skill in the IT industry.
It is the best way for many to demonstrate their IT Service Management competencies and show current and potential employers your value in the workplace. The framework has gone through many changes and has developed some legends over the years, like the mythical ITIL Red Badge.
If you want to know more about the certification and its badges, keep reading. Then, we will explain how holding a red badge became highly sort after by IT professionals.
ITIL: The IT Service Management Certification
ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a certification framework that supports the concept of IT Service Management (ITSM). It teaches IT, experts the skills they need to plan, provide, support, and change IT services within a company.
The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) has become the foremost well-known, and all-inclusive acknowledged system for making a difference in associations to oversee and execute a more commerce esteem situated IT Service Management (ITSM) capability and culture. It accomplishes this by leveraging demonstrated great hones and disciplines.
Many IT Managers seek to gain the qualification, which has gone through various versions. The initial thinking behind the certification was to ensure that IT specialists could demonstrate that they had a level of competency. In addition, it allowed them to deliver high value and greater strategic thinking.
The ITIL Exams
Though the certification has changed considerably through its various iterations, one thing remained constant: the need to pass exams. You would first need to attend several IT service management courses to attain your required skills.
In version 2 of ITIL, a candidate must undertake a foundation-level exam to demonstrate core competencies. For many, this qualification was enough as it introduced you to the framework’s principles and enabled you to think with a more end-user mindset.
However, for those that wanted to delve deeper into the core competencies and perhaps specialize in their skillset, it was possible to study for another two exams. Doing so would give you the prestigious title of ITIL Master, which at the time was once considered the pinnacle of IT Service Management.
It was divided into specialisms within Service Delivery and Service Support, and you need to take exams in both areas. If you successfully passed both exams on the first attempt, you would become the coveted ITIL Red Badge holder. This course endures for three days and can be private depending upon the Preparing Company and location.
The ITIL Badges
In the second version of the ITIL certification, badges were introduced to identify those who excelled in the accreditation and set them apart from other qualification holders. There were three badges: green, blue and red. The green was for foundation certificate holders, blue for the practitioners (the halfway point), and red for those who excelled in the entire certification.
The badges changed with the introduction of version 3 of ITIL, and the certifications dropped the red badge in favor of five shades of green. Each badge represented the extended range of skills you could now specialize in. They represented the Foundation, Capability, Lifecycle, Expert, and Master Competency levels.
The Future of ITIL
ITIL v4 is the most recent iteration of the certification and framework. AXELOS now owns and manages the framework, and it has changed again to introduce new service roles, skills, and values that build on the original structure. Sadly, the ITIL Red Badge is no more as AXELOS has moved toward a digital version.
But for those that shared blood, sweat, and tears to earn the ITIL Red Badge back in version 2, the legend continues and remains a genuine badge of honor. If you enjoyed this article, please consider reading another on our site.
Final Thoughts:
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