I’ve been getting a bunch of emails lately from fabulous, eager students asking if my ITIL V3 Foundation Exam Video Mentor book/DVD set covers this . . .
→ Click to Read More of this Post: “Hey Jill! Does your ITIL V3 Foundation Video Mentor cover the new ITIL 2011 material for the 2012 exams?”]]>
As you probably know, ITIL went through a small refresh in July of 2011, and new exams based on that new material went live on January 1, 2012.

I’ve been getting a bunch of emails lately from fabulous, eager students asking if my ITIL V3 Foundation Exam Video Mentor book/DVD set covers this latest newest ITIL material.   Since my book was published in December of 2010, it doesn’t cover all of the July 2011 stuff… I’d need a time machine for that.  :)   But there’s good news!

The differences between what my book/DVD set covers and what the new 2012 exams require are pretty small. If you’ve already purchased my ITIL V3 Foundation Exam Video Mentor book/DVD set, you have 90% of what you need to pass the current 2012 version of the exam.  “But what about that remaining ten percent?”   I’ve got you covered.  In June 2012 I’ll have a bunch of new lessons available right here for download that bridges the gap between what my ITIL V3 Foundation Exam Video Mentor book/DVD set provides, and what is needed for the 2012 version of the ITIL Foundation exam. You don’t have to buy a whole new book, and you’ll still get my familiar voice explaining ITIL concepts to you. You can buy these lessons individually, or as a bundle.

Want to be notified when the new lessons are available? Fill out this form, and I’ll email you in a few weeks when they’re ready!

Thanks again for buying my book/DVD set. I’m so grateful for your support, your trust, and your kind words!

Laptop technology is changing all the time… do you want an iPad? A Netbook? A Google/ChromeOS laptop? An Android tablet? A full-on laptop?

Let Jeremy Moskowitz guide you through the questions, answers, and . . .
→ Click to Read More of this Post: Another Terrific Link: Buying a new laptop in 2012]]> If you’re a techie, you probably have friends and family asking you what kind of laptop they should buy.

Laptop technology is changing all the time… do you want an iPad? A Netbook? A Google/ChromeOS laptop? An Android tablet? A full-on laptop?

Let Jeremy Moskowitz guide you through the questions, answers, and options.

(Yes, that’s two Mosko-links in a row. What can I say? He’s a smart, prolific guy.)

Here’s the link: Enjoy!

How to buy a laptop for 2012 (for the regular person)”>

Oftentimes, training companies have a few trainers on their roster. It’s up to . . .
→ Click to Read More of this Post: Questions to ask about your ITIL Instructor]]> Spending money on training is a pretty significant investment. Whether you’re funding your own training or choosing a training provider for an entire department, there are important questions to ask to help make sure you’re getting good value for your money.

Oftentimes, training companies have a few trainers on their roster. It’s up to you to make sure you’re getting their best instructor, so don’t be afraid to ask for the trainer’s qualifications.

Seek the answers to these questions either by asking them directly or reading the instructor’s résumé:

1. What level of ITIL certification does the instructor hold?
2. What technical skills and IT experience does the instructor have?
3. Do they hold any other certifications or qualifications?
4. Does your instructor have consulting experience, or are they only a trainer?
5. What is that instructor’s personal pass rate?
6. What industry conferences has your instructor been a presenter for? How do they keep their certifications and knowledge current?
7. What educational background does the instructor have?
8. What is the instructor’s teaching style? Are they all lecture? Do they get students to interact with each other?

Again, don’t be afraid to ask these questions. You’re not being nudgy; you’re being an informed consumer.

 
 
In case you’re wondering how I’d answer these questions, here are my responses. I’m listing these to give you a sense of what types of instructors are out there. :)

1. What level of ITIL certification does the instructor hold? (I have achieved ITIL Expert, the highest level of V3 certifications. Your trainer should hold no less.)
2. What technical skills and IT experience does the instructor have? (I have been a hands-on techie since the mid-90s, moving into management exclusively in 2003. Back in my techie days I worked as a deskside support tech, a DBA, a server admin, a network admin, and a Messaging admin. I’ve worked for small mom-and-pop shops and dot-coms, as well as industry leaders like Accenture.)
3. Do they hold any other certifications or qualifications? (I am also a Distinguished Professional in Service Management (DPSM) and a Master Trainer, in addition to my old-school technical certifications.)
4. Does your instructor have consulting experience, or are they only a trainer? (I am a seasoned IT Service Management / ITIL consultant as well as a trainer.)
5. What is that instructor’s personal pass rate? (The last time one of my Foundation students failed was in 2009. Afterwards I gave her one-on-one tutoring, and she passed with a 38/40 on the second try.)
6. What industry conferences has your instructor been a presenter for? How do they keep their certifications and knowledge current? (I’ve presented at many itSMF conferences, I’m a regular presenter with BrightTalk, and I’m an active member of the IT Service Management forum community. I’m also a published author in the ITIL space.)
7. What educational background does the instructor have? (I hold a BA in Education, and have served as Instructional Designer and Master Trainer for organizations in the US and Europe. I’m also on the faculty of Villanova University as their ITIL curriculum designer and adjunct professor.)
8. What is the instructor’s teaching style? Are they all lecture? Do they get students to interact with each other? (I combine lecture, exercises, discussion, and real-world application scenarios; in a fun, techie, professional atmosphere.)

A hot issue in my world lately is how IT provides the capacity to meet the varying demands of the . . .
→ Click to Read More of this Post: Webinar: Balancing Demand & Capacity Management 5/25/11 10am Eastern]]> The fine folks at BrightTalk are hosting an online summit entitled “Aligning IT With Business Objectives.” There are many fabulous presenters scheduled for that day, and I’m lucky to be among their ranks.

A hot issue in my world lately is how IT provides the capacity to meet the varying demands of the business, and the two ITIL processes of Demand Management and Capacity Management work hand-in-hand to address this tug-o-war. So I’ll be presenting a 45-minute webinar to discuss these two topics and to provide some tips for addressing some of the challenges associated with providing cost-justifiable IT capacity.

Hope to see you there!

The classes will not be offered for much longer, so you need to act soon!

APMG has scheduled the official retirement date of this . . .
→ Click to Read More of this Post: Time is running out for the Manager Bridge!]]> If you already hold an ITIL V2 Service Manager certification and would like the shortest path to a V3 ITIL Expert, then the Manager Bridge class is for you.

The classes will not be offered for much longer, so you need to act soon!

APMG has scheduled the official retirement date of this class as June 30, 2011. This will be the last component of the ITIL V2 qualification scheme to retire.

So for those of you sad to see ITIL V2 go away, join me in one final drink on June 30, 2011.

[] Which process is responsible for taking calls from end . . .
→ Click to Read More of this Post: Yet more ITIL Foundation Exam Tips]]> Continuing our series on ITIL V3 Foundation Exam Tips, here are a few more things to keep in mind.

1. You’ll need to know the difference between processes and functions.
   Incident Management or Service Desk? 
   • Incident Management = the process
   • Service Desk = the function

   [] Which process is responsible for taking calls from end users and restoring their service ASAP? Incident Management, because it is the process.

   [] Which function is responsible for taking calls from end users and restoring their service ASAP? Service Desk, because it is the function.

 

2. How can you tell the difference between the activities of Change Management vs. Release and Deployment Management?
   • Change Management = Paper-pushing verbs (e.g., manage, coordinate, monitor)
   • Release/Deployment Management = Action / heavy-lifting verbs (e.g., build, test, install, execute, do, implement

   [] Which process ensures that all authorized changes have been successfully implemented? Change Management
       () Rationale: You’re being asked who ensures that the changes have been successfully implemented. “Ensures” is a paper-pushing word, not a heavy-lifting word.

   [] Which process installs changes? Release and Deployment Management
       () Rationale: Even though the question has the word “changes” in it, don’t rush to the wrong answer! You are being asked who installs changes. “Installs” is a heavy-lifting word, so it’s Release & Deployment Management. 

    

If you’d like more tips and tricks, check out my posts that fall under the “Exam Tips” category in the right-hand column.

Since ITIL was created in the UK, the ITIL books are written in UK English. If you speak American English, you should expect to see some . . .
→ Click to Read More of this Post: More ITIL V3 Foundation Exam tips]]> Continuing in the series of Exam Tips and Tricks, here are a few ways to help my American students navigate the British English often found on the exams.

Since ITIL was created in the UK, the ITIL books are written in UK English. If you speak American English, you should expect to see some differences in both language and spelling.

“Register” = To record; to type into a tool/database
“Register an incident” means “Open an incident ticket”
“Register an RFC” means “Fill out an RFC form”

“Agree the content”
Brits leave off the word “to” after the word “agree”
“Which process agrees the content of a Capacity Plan?” should parse as “Which process agrees to the content of a Capacity Plan?”

British spelling: S instead of Z
Organise = Organize
Utilise = Utilize
Optimisation = Optimization

These aren’t typos! I once had a student tell me that they didn’t choose a certain answer on an exam because they thought it was spelled wrong, and therefore a trick. Aaagh! It’s just the British English spelling; it’s not a trick. (Typos do happen on the real exams, however. If you’re unsure how to answer a question because of a typo, always ask your exam proctor.

 
If you’d like more tips and tricks, check out my posts that fall under the “Exam Tips” category in the right-hand column.