ISO/IEC 20000 is based on and replaces BS 15000, the internationally recognized British Standard. ISO 20000 is the world's standard for IT service management. The standard specifies a set of inter-related management processes, and is aligned with and complementary to the process approach defined within the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) from The Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
The ISO/IEC 20000-1 Standard’s prime purpose is the implementation of an integrated process approach for delivering IT services based on a set of minimum requirements geared towards providing on-going controls, greater efficiency and continuous improvements to the related processes. The Standard is focused on providing a Service Management System (SMS) which will deliver the quality results expected by its internal or external customers.
Effective service management delivers high levels of customer service and customer satisfaction. It also recognizes that services and service management are essential to helping organizations generate revenue and be cost-effective. The ISO / IEC 20000 series enables service providers to understand how to enhance the quality of service delivered to their
customers, both internal and external.
It aligns with best practice guidance contained within the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework and is compatible with other IT Service Management frameworks.
ISO 20000 comprises two documents
ISO20000-1:2005 Information technology - Service management - Specification
ISO20000-2:2005 Information technology - Service management - Code of practice