ISO 20000: The International Standard for Service Management

ISO/IEC 20000 is the international ITSM (IT service management) standard. It enables IT departments to ensure that their ITSM processes are aligned with the business’s needs and international best practices.

The ISO 20000 standard helps organisations benchmark how they deliver managed services, measure service levels, and assess their performance. It is broadly aligned with and draws strongly on ITIL^®.

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ISO 20000 can help your organisation benchmark its ITSM, improve services, demonstrate its ability to meet customer requirements and create a framework for independent assessment.

Benefits of ISO 20000 certification for service providers:

• Offers competitive differentiation by demonstrating reliability and high quality of service.
• Gives access to key markets, as many organisations in the public sector mandate that their IT service providers demonstrate compliance with ISO 20000.
• Assures clients that their service requirements will be fulfilled.
• Enforces a measurable level of effectiveness and a culture of continual improvement by enabling service providers to monitor, measure and review their service management processes and services.
• Drives down the costs of conformance to many laws and standards, including the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
• Helps leverage ITIL practices to optimise resources and processes.

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There are multiple standards in the ISO 20000 family. Of these, ISO 20000-1 and ISO 20000-2 are the most important:

ISO/IEC 20000-1: Service management system requirements

ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 – provides requirements for ITSM and is relevant to those responsible for initiating, implementing or maintaining ITSM in their organisation. It also provides a specification for a service management system (SMS). Organisations can have their SMS independently certified as conforming to the requirements of the Standard.

ISO/IEC 20000-2: Guidance on the application of service management systems

ISO/IEC 20000-2:2019 – describes the best practices for service management processes within the scope of Part 1.

ISO 20000 and ITIL have a close relationship.

ITIL provides advice on ITSM best practices, including options adopted and adapted by organisations according to business needs, local circumstances, and the service provider’s maturity.

ISO 20000, meanwhile, sets the standards that service management processes should aim for. Organisations can achieve independently audited certification to the Standard to demonstrate that they are following best practices.

As part of implementing an ISO 20000-compliant SMS, you will be required to produce documentation aligned with the Standard. Although there is no approach for how to structure your documentation, you will need to produce documents and records for all processes in the scope of ISO 20000. The amount of documentation you produce will vary depending on your company size.

You can use the ITSM, ITIL® 4 & ISO 20000 Toolkit to meet these documentation requirements. Developed by industry experts, the templates, policies, and procedures will accelerate your project, helping you implement and execute your SMS with minimal stress.

What is ISO 20000?

ISO 20000 is the international standard for IT service management. It defines requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving a service management system (SMS).

What is ISO 20000-1?

ISO 20000-1 is the part of the standard that specifies the mandatory requirements for an organisation’s service management system. Certification is issued against ISO/IEC 20000-1.

What is ISO 20000 certification?

ISO 20000 certification is independent confirmation that your organisation’s service management system meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1.

How to get ISO 20000 certification?

To achieve certification, you need to:

1. Define the scope of your service management system.
2. Align your processes with ISO/IEC 20000-1 requirements.
3. Conduct internal audits and management reviews.
4. Undergo an external audit by an accredited certification body.

Why ISO 20000?

ISO 20000 helps organisations improve IT service delivery, reduce risks and demonstrate compliance with recognised best practice. It’s often required in supply chains and government contracts.

How many processes are in ISO/IEC 20000-1?

ISO/IEC 20000-1 includes more than a dozen processes covering areas such as incident management, change management, capacity, continuity and service reporting.

How does ISO 20000 relate to ITIL?

ISO 20000 provides the formal standard for IT service management, while ITIL offers best-practice guidance. Many organisations use ITIL as a framework to help achieve ISO 20000 compliance.

Discover our bestselling ISO 20000 products and services

Whether you’re just starting your ISO 20000 project, or you need the tools and training to move to the next stage, our range of bestselling products and services can support you on your journey.

ISO 20000 Practitioner Training Course

ISO/IEC 20000-1 2018 Standard

ISO 20000 Toolkit

ITSM, ITIL® 4 & ISO 20000 Toolkit

ISO/IEC 20000 – A Pocket Guide, Second edition

Implementing Service Quality based on ISO/IEC 20000, 3rd edition

Pragmatic Application of Service Management, Second edition