IT service management and

cloud computing
AXELOS.com

White Paper
September
2014

Contents
1
Overview 3
2 What is ITIL? 3
3 What is cloud computing?

4 Why is cloud computing important?

5 Why is IT service management important to cloud providers?

6 What should customers be looking for and expect from

a good cloud service provider?

7 What questions should be asked of a cloud service provider?

8 What challenges and opportunities does cloud computing

present for IT service management?

9 Adapting ITIL for cloud computing

10

10 Summary 13

References 13

About the author 14

About Cloud Credential Council

14

About AXELOS 14

Reviewers 15

Acknowledgements 15

Trade marks and statements 15

IT service management and cloud computing

1 Overview
This white paper sets out to describe at a high level what cloud computing is, how cloud computing is a
disruptive innovation and what this means to IT organizations across the globe. Under examination will
be the effect of cloud computing on existing IT management practices, including IT service management
(ITSM) and ITIL best practices.
The paper contains a number of real-life examples where current approaches require some adaption to
cater for cloud computing. The summary concludes with an approach on how an IT organization can
retain its current ITIL best practices in an environment using and adopting cloud computing and cloud
based services.

What is ITIL?
ITIL is the most recognized framework for IT service management in the world. Delivering a cohesive
set of best practice guidance drawn from public and private sectors internationally, ITIL helps service
providers with best practice guidance on the provision of quality IT services and the processes, functions
and other capabilities needed to support them.
ITIL provides a systematic and professional approach to the management of IT services. Adopting its
guidance offers users, customers and service providers a huge range of benefits. These include:
Improved value creation
Improved IT services through the use of proven best practice processes
Improved customer satisfaction through a more professional approach to service delivery
Alignment with business needs, including the development of a business perspective
Improved productivity and reduced costs
High-quality IT services that benefit the business customer
A balanced and flexible approach to service provision
Well-designed services which meet customers needs now and in the future
Ability to adopt and adapt to reflect business needs and maturity.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is seen as a new way of delivering computing resources. Cloud computing has been
described as a business model for the use a of underlying IT technologies. Therefore cloud computing is
not new technology, but relies on the latest technologies to be delivered efficiently, effectively and with
better economies of scale. The basic principles of cloud computing date back to the mainframe era of
circa the 1950s and 1960s.
The following is a working definition of cloud computing1:

Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can
be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
According to the NIST definition, the cloud computing model is composed of five essential
characteristics, four deployment models and three service models. In addition, cloud based services
refers to situations where cloud computing is used to provide some element of an overall service.

1 Defined by NIST. National Institute of Standards and Technology (US) www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/

IT service management and cloud computing

Why is cloud computing important?

Cloud computing is a disruptive innovation in business and IT models. It is disruptive because it is
changing how IT products and services are being provided for both the consumer and the service
provider. Cloud computing is moving organizations away from the traditional software licensing models
and premises-based data centre hosting to pay-as-you-go or utility based pricing. Over time, as the
adoption of cloud computing increases, organizations will see a reduction in the IT infrastructure which
they would have previously bought, operated and maintained.
Cloud computing is a new business and IT operating model for delivering real-time or near-real-time
information and access to services. It is because of this disruptive nature that modern cloud computing
is extremely important. New opportunities can be identified and exploited at the benefit of the customer
and consumer.
The explosion of data, compute power, networks and devices have converged into new types of online
communities and services. This has changed the way business and social interaction work. For example,
businesses no longer need to procure, operate and maintain full and complete back-end IT infrastructure
and applications. Full or partial IT infrastructure and applications are now being provided by cloud
service providers. In addition, the smart phone and tablet devices have enabled new mobile business
models which did not exist ten years ago, via cloud enabled applications and improvements in data
communications and broadband access and speeds.
Cloud computing speaks to the definition of a service as defined in the 2011 edition
of ITIL Service Strategy:

A service is a means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve
without the ownership of specific costs and risks.
The premise of cloud computing is it allows services to be provided with greater economies of
scale, quicker, faster and cheaper and without the need for a service provider to own the entire IT
infrastructure. Peaks in demand for IT, business and customer services can be automatically provisioned
for, leading to a pay-per-use model. A pay-per-use model can, in certain circumstances, lower the full
cost of service delivery without full ownership of back-end IT infrastructure.
Cloud computing enables organizations realize benefits which are included in the following table.

Table 4.1 The benefits to an organization of cloud computing

Benefit
Details
Reduces IT asset ownership

Cloud computing reduces the requirement for

purchasing and managing items such as hardware,
support, licensing, maintenance and warranty etc. All
these items should be included in the cloud computing
service and costs. Some organizations may wish to
reduce their ownership of IT more than others for
various reasons, including when:
The IT equipment has fully depreciated
The return on investment (ROI) been fully realized
There is a requirement to reduced costs including
capital expenditure on new IT assets.

Reduces overall capital expenditure costs (CAPEX) (see

note below)

Less capital expenditure is required as less IT

infrastructure, software and licenses are being procured
directly.

IT service management and cloud computing

Benefit (contd.)

Details (contd.)

Reduces IT overcapacity

Many organizations have underutilized IT assets and

capabilities. They have built IT infrastructures to cope
with high but infrequent peaks in IT usage. This leads to
inefficient use of expensive IT equipment and services.
Cloud computing can reduce overcapacity and handle
increased needs for IT resources on a utility based
pricing structure, lowering overall costs and increasing
flexibility. Overall, cloud computing can introduce
flexible demand and capacity management.

Increases the capabilities of the IT organization

Cloud computing and cloud based services allows

organizations to use services which they may not have
been able to afford in the past or not have had the
capability to set up and deliver.

Leverages newer technologies

Cloud computing service providers are expected to

maintain their services on the latest platforms, provide
the latest features and functions and install the latest
patches etc. This in turn provides the customers
and consumers with access to the latest versions
of technology, IT infrastructures and services that
they might not have otherwise been able to provide
themselves.

Provides utility based charging

Utility based charging or charging per consumption is

recognized as a method for ensuring usage is charged
for and non-usage is not charged for. Where cloud
computing reduces or eliminates overcapacity within IT,
the overall unit cost of providing those IT services would
be expected to fall, at least initially. This is similar to a
utility bill, e.g. electricity, where only the electricity used
is paid for.

Introduces real economies of scale

Cloud service providers are expected to provide

economies of scale. They build the infrastructure and
support for multiple customers and consumers. This in
turn should provide cost savings to the customers and
consumers of cloud computing.

Enables resources to be scaled up and down quickly,

matching increases and decreases in demand for IT
services

Cloud computing allows a short-notice increase in

demand for IT services to be met. Auto-allocation of
compute resources, cloud bursting and spot cloud
computing are all methods which can be used to scale
resources up and down quickly, matching increases and
decreases in demand for IT services.

Note: Reducing capital expenditure will lead to increases in operational expenditure (OPEX). Organizations should understand the impact of this and
how to accommodate the increased operations expenditure within their budgetary processes. In addition, some organizations will prefer to spend the
CAPEX they have raised for IT projects. Therefore it is important to identify the organizations strategy around how they intend to pay for IT services,
systems and applications. In general terms, organizations are likely to adopt a hybrid approach to capital and operations expenses, using both
traditional IT and cloud computing.

IT service management and cloud computing

Why is IT service management important to cloud providers?

Cloud service providers are no different to traditional IT service providers in relation to their need to
provide quality, cost-effective, secure and available IT services. A key value proposition of cloud based
service providers is the provision of IT infrastructure and services under a utility or pay-per-use model.
Cloud service providers should be focused on designing quality services customers and consumers
require, while solving problems. Cloud service providers aim to provide value to customers by facilitating
outcomes customers want to achieve, without the ownership of specific costs and risks.
For example, Platform as a Service (PaaS) may reduce the overall ownership and costs (capital and
operational) to the customer, regarding their back-end infrastructure. It is incumbent on the customer to
analyze the total costs and examine the potential for cost savings, including:
Total cost of ownership (TCO)
ROI
CAPEX versus OPEX requirements.
The cloud service provider is expected to provide high levels of quality and service assurance in order to:
Increase their customer share
Deliver the services
Ensure the integrity, security, availability and continuity of the services.
However, quality and service levels may not be open for discussion or negotiation with the customer.
Therefore, it is prudent for the customer to understand if the customer can define the levels of service
quality and assurance they require in a negotiated service level agreement.
Customers of cloud computing and cloud based services should expect, and demand, at least the same
levels of service as that is provided by traditional IT service providers and internal IT organizations.
In many cases it is common for customers and consumers to expect even higher levels of service from
cloud service providers. There are a number of reasons for this:
Company data now resides outside of the organization and must be managed securely
Security concerns
Availability requirements
Ensuring service continuity
Cloud computing is new to the organization
Fear, uncertainty and doubt
The impact on public image regarding cloud computing reported in the public domain.

IT service management and cloud computing

What should customers be looking for and expect from a good

cloud service provider?
At a basic level, the customer should look for reassurances that services will be provided as agreed
and expected. This is no different to any other service, including IT and non-IT services. One aspect of
measuring and evaluating good service provision resides in comparisons of the cloud service providers
adoption and practical application of standards, frameworks and methodologies.
The best practices advocated by frameworks such as ITIL and standards such as ISO/IEC 20000 and
ISO/IEC 27001, for example, are still required to ensure a best practice and quality driven approach
is applied to the design, management and improvement of both IT and cloud based services. While
cloud computing is changing the backbone of how IT services are being delivered, the basics of service
management today still apply and remain relevant. Over time current standards, frameworks and
methodologies will need to evolve and expand further to focus on specific aspects of cloud computing.

What questions should be asked of a cloud service provider?

Even though the adoption of cloud computing and cloud based services is increasing significantly, many
organizations may not know what questions they should be asking of their cloud service providers to
reassure themselves of the quality, utility and warranty of services. The following table presents a number
of basic yet important questions and considerations to discuss with cloud service providers.

Table 7.1 Questions and considerations to discuss with cloud providers

Question

Considerations

What ITIL best practices, security and data protection

standards and guidelines are in use by the cloud service
provider?

These questions seek to find out what best practices

are in place and in use by the cloud service provider.
The level of adoption can be an indicator as to how well
services are likely to be provided, as well as how much
focus is placed on the utility and warranty aspects of
cloud computing and cloud based services.

Where does the data reside?

This poses questions about which legal jurisdiction

applies to the data, who has access to the data from
a legal perspective and also what data protection laws
come into effect. Many organizations have a defined
policy regarding access to data and the legislation that
will apply to the data.

What availability levels are provided?

Some cloud providers may impose their service levels,

including service availability, on the customer and not
provide flexibility to match what the customer requires.
This can be a factor when dealing with all sizes of cloud
service providers.
Customers should consider the following questions:
What are the default or standard levels of availability
(e.g. for public cloud offerings)
What level of availability is the cloud service provider
willing to provide to the customers organization
What level of availability is required by the customer
and does it match that provided by the cloud provider
Can the cloud service provider offer the flexibility
to provide availability service levels in line with the
customers requirements?

IT service management and cloud computing

Question (contd.)

Considerations (contd.)

What continuity plans are in place for recovering data,

infrastructure and applications?

Typical questions customers should ask include:

Can data be recovered
What data can be recovered
How long will it take to recover data
What priority will my organizations data be recovered,
in the event of a large data issue for the cloud service
provider
Are continuity plans documented, clearly defined and
up-to-date
Can the cloud service provider make available an endto-end continuity plan?

What level of service resilience and backup is provided

within the service?

Even if the cloud service provider has a continuity plan

in place, customers need to check what level of service
resilience and backup is provided as part of the service.
Customers may assume that their applications and
services are fully resilient and backed-up, only to find
out during a service outage that they have inadequate
arrangements in place for these areas.
The example below illustrates this point well:

At some point a cloud service provider has to patch

their systems. If they do this during out-of-hours in the
GMT time zone, it will be in-hours in another time zone.
This could have a knock-on effect to the delivery of
services locally to cloud customers in the in-hours time
zone, especially if server reboots have to occur.
Does the service provider have a service desk function
based on ITIL principles?

The fundamental question is what support is provided

by the cloud service provider.
Customers should consider the following:
How will the service desks function
Does the cloud service provider offer sufficient support
coverage and hours of support
What are the service level agreements (SLAs) for
answering calls and do these meet the needs of the
customer
Is the cloud service providers service desk local,
onshore or offshore? Is there a potential language
issue?

What metrics will be provided and are they relevant?

Metrics are an important tool in understanding the level

of service provided. Cloud service providers should work
closely with the customer to ensure that the metrics are
useful, relevant and easily understood. ITIL service level
management and business relationship management
will assist with defining appropriate service metrics and
service targets.

Does the service providers change management process

match the customers needs?

Typical issues and questions which arise include:

How will changes to the services provided by the
cloud service provider be managed
Will the customers and consumers be notified? Will
they have a say in the changes being made
and when
How much control will the customer have over
any changes
How will changes affect the customers services?

IT service management and cloud computing

Question (contd.)

Considerations (contd.)

Does the cloud service provider require third-party

providers in order to deliver services?

It is quite common for service providers to rely on other

service providers and suppliers to provide them with
certain capabilities they do not have in-house. The
same premise applies to cloud service providers. In
general, cloud service providers will rely on other cloud
service providers and third party suppliers to provide
cloud platforms, applications and capabilities. This is
also known as service aggregation and service arbitrage.
Therefore it is incumbent on the customer to understand
the level of reliance their cloud service provider has
on other third party suppliers. For some organizations,
this is a standard due diligence exercise. For other
organizations, this will be a new exercise to be
undertaken.
Customers should consider:
What third party providers are required to provide the
key cloud services
Does the cloud service provider have sufficient backto-back supporting contracts with the third party
providers to ensure service provision to the customer?

How quickly can a cloud service provider scale

services and capability and is this quick enough for the
requirements of the customer/consumer?

One of the five aspects of cloud computing is the ability

to scale increase and decrease services quickly. It
is important to ask cloud service providers how quickly
they can scale up and down.
Typical questions customers should ask include:
Can the cloud based systems, platforms and
applications scale in line with the customers
requirements
Can the cloud services provide enough resources and
extra capacity to meet increased demand from all of
their customers?

What challenges and opportunities does cloud computing

present for IT service management ?
Cloud computing presents both challenges and opportunities to IT organizations, businesses, customers
and consumers.
A current shortfall in best practice for the design, development, operation, management and improvement
of cloud based services may be seen as challenge for some within the industry. This is especially true
for hybrid IT environments. However, as this paper points out previous investments in IT management
structures and best practices such as ITIL can be capitalized on and provide a solid foundation for
managing cloud based services and hybrid IT environments.
Opportunities include a new way of providing IT and business services without the ownership and cost
of setting-up, managing and maintaining backend infrastructure and underlying technologies. In effect,
cloud computing allows an IT organization to effectively outsource some or all of its IT factory-floor. This
requires the IT organization to be less focused on lower-level IT activities and more focused on designing,
delivering and managing quality services which utilize cloud computing and deliver benefits to their
customers and consumers.

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IT service management and cloud computing

This table shows the additional benefits and challenges presented by cloud computing.

Table 8.1 Additional benefits and challenges

Area

Benefit

Challenge

Procurement and finance

Cloud computing lowers the need

for upfront CAPEX requirements,
instead costs are paid for on a utility
basis, i.e. pay-per-use model.

Are the organizations current

procurement rules and culture set-up
to approve and finance fluctuating
costs, i.e. pay-per-use over fixed
price services?

Ability to scale quickly and reduce IT

overcapacity

Cloud computing can be enabled

to scale on-demand, or extremely
quickly to meet sudden changes in
demand for IT compute services.
Demand for IT services can be
matched exactly to the required
capacity. This reduces the cost of
scaling IT to meet only occasional
spikes in demand.

Traditional change management

approval times can eliminate the
ability of IT to scale cloud services
quickly and when needed. However,
scaling quickly can incur additional
and unexpected costs. Identifying
the right balance of pre-approving
cloud based change is required
against the cost associated with
those changes. Adopting ITIL based
standard change models for scaling
cloud computing scenarios is a
recommended approach, which
can help restore the flexibility of the
change process.

Leverages new technologies

Cloud computing service providers

are leveraging the latest in
technology and IT platforms. By
using cloud computing services the
IT organization will have access to
the latest in IT technology, without
the associated costs of ownership,
maintenance and upgrading.

Although the low level management

activities associated with supporting
the IT infrastructure will remain
with the cloud service providers,
the IT organization will need to
understand and work with the latest
technologies for service design and
integration. Legacy IT systems and
mainframes may not be as easy to
interface into a cloud computing
environment.

Reduces IT ownership

Cloud computing reduces the

need to own certain elements of IT
including hardware, infrastructure
and IT backend systems. These
are more commonly provided by
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
and PaaS cloud service providers.

In moving to cloud computing

under an OPEX model IT assets
are no longer purchased by the
organization. This means that IT
investment costs can no longer be
depreciated in the balance sheet.
This is likely to cause some financial
officers concern.

Adapting ITIL for cloud computing

Managing IT in todays environment is complex. Moores law is a constant reality, which also reflects
on the continual speed and increase of changes in IT. IT organizations now have to manage older
technologies and services alongside newer technological advances. Hybrid IT is the cumulative effect of
managing legacy IT, traditional IT and cloud computing.

Table 9.1 Definitions

Legacy IT

A legacy system is an information system that may be

based on outdated technologies, but is critical to day-today operations.

Traditional IT

More modern approaches to the provision of IT, business

and application based services.

Cloud computing

Defined previously in this white paper.

IT service management and cloud computing

Therefore hybrid IT requires an updated approach to the design, development, deployment, management
and continual improvement of IT as a whole. This does not mean that current best practices, frameworks
and standards are redundant or obsolete. On the contrary, current best practices, frameworks and
standards provide an ideal foundation on which to develop and adapt management structures for cloud
computing and cloud based services.
To provide some context to this premise, a number of examples are provided which outline how existing
ITIL best practices can be adapted for cloud computing and cloud based services.

EXAMPLE 1: SERVICE CATALOGUE AND CLOUD MARKET PLACE

Cloud computing introduces new roles within IT and the organization. One key role is that of the cloud
broker. Cloud brokers and cloud service providers generally use cloud market places, also known as cloud
stores, through which cloud services are displayed for sale. A good example of a cloud market place is
GCloud2 which is provided by the UK government.
With a cloud market place or a cloud store both the buyer and consumer can clearly understand the
services available to them and the level of service provided. Pricing is transparent and services can be
compared against other similar services easily. Contact details for each supplier is clearly provided as
well as terms and conditions and various other service attributes.
A cloud store is a good example of a service catalogue. Services are defined clearly and presented via a
central portal. Services must be pre-approved before being listed, or in effect before going live. ITIL best
practices for a service catalogue, service catalogue management and service portfolio management are
applicable to cloud stores and cloud market places. The service portfolio lifecycle is extremely relevant
to services in a cloud store or cloud market place, consisting of service pipeline, service catalogue and
retired services.
The process of adding a service into a cloud store, or cloud market place requires the same concepts and
customers needs as for a service catalogue. Services require sufficient levels of service design, service
transition, service operations and continual service improvement to develop the service offering, make
the service offering available, improve the service offering and at the end retire the service offering or
replace with a new service offering.

EXAMPLE 2: CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Change management is the process responsible for controlling the lifecycle of all changes, enabling
beneficial changes to be made with minimum disruption to IT services.
The scope of change management can be increased to control the management of Software as a Service
(SaaS) based subscriptions. Each additional SaaS subscription will incur an additional OPEX to the
business. Multiply this by hundreds or even thousands of SaaS subscriptions in a given year and costs
climb exponentially. If SaaS subscriptions come under the control of the change management process,
the costs can be controlled effectively.
Firstly, the change management approval process can be adapted to approve or decline additional SaaS
subscriptions. The relevant stakeholders such as the OPEX owner, the requestor and the procurement
department can form the Change Advisory Board (CAB) for SaaS subscription change request approval
decisions. The decision to approve or decline a SaaS subscription increase can be based on available
budget or who is to pay for the increase in costs and the need for more subscriptions.
Secondly, the change management system now has a record of all SaaS subscription change records.
A report can be compiled showing all of the increases in SaaS subscriptions and a validation carried out
to see if those subscriptions are still required. If they are not, a change request can be instantly raised
to approve reducing the number of SaaS subscriptions, thus reducing the recurring charge, immediately
lowering costs.

2 UK Government Cloud Store link: http://govstore.service.gov.uk/cloudstore/

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IT service management and cloud computing

Thirdly, pre-defined standard change requests can be adapted to allow for certain cloud computing
changes to be pre-approved. Pre-approval could be granted as long as it is within pre-defined rules
and parameters, e.g. when scaling services within pre-defined cost limits. This approach will enable
the organization to benefit from the scalability and rapid elasticity of cloud computing in a pre-defined,
controlled and organized manner.
These approaches will allow the change management process to work effectively in cloud computing
environments. IT can provide these value-added initiatives and cost control processes very easily by
simply adapting their change management process and increasing the scope of change management.

EXAMPLE 3: SERVICE DISINTERMEDIATION

Service disintermediation in relation to cloud computing is where consumers of services provided by
IT buy services directly from a cloud provider or cloud broker, instead of through the IT organization.
Service disintermediation can happen when the following occurs:
The IT organization fails to provide value to customers

The IT organization fails to provide services which are publicly available, fails to be flexible and is not
delivering customer requirements
Viable alternative SaaS are readily available with attractive price points.

Key areas of focus for the IT organization to mitigate against service disintermediation are included in
the following table, with corresponding ITIL reference points.

Table 9.2 Mitigation activities and ITIL reference points

Mitigation activity

ITIL reference point

Demonstrate clearly the value IT delivers to the

organization.

Service level management, service portfolio management,

service catalogue, business relationship management.

Offer similar services to that of cloud computing

service providers, to the organization and their endusers.

Service strategy, service design, transition planning and

support, change evaluation.

Increase the flexibility and agility of IT in providing

services.

Service design, service transition planning and support,

demand management, change management, request
fulfilment.

IT can become a service broker, offering services

through a clearly defined service catalogue or service
market place.

Service catalogue management, service level

management, service portfolio management, request
fulfilment.

ITIL best practices can help alleviate service disintermediation by focusing on designing and delivering
services which end-users and service consumers require. This guidance is provided throughout the five
core ITIL best practice lifecycle stages.
In essence, such adoptions are the forerunner of cloud service management, which can be seen as an
extension of the management of IT services. Cloud service management is concerned with introducing
good practices for the management of cloud computing and cloud based services.

IT service management and cloud computing

10 Summary
There are a number of key messages to take away, which are listed below.
Cloud computing is disruptive, yielding both benefits and constraints. Each organization has to look at
the value they can receive from the disruptive nature of cloud computing.
Cloud computing is gaining market share and popularity. This is partly due to innovative cloud offerings
now available, hype, marketing, the cost benefit equation and scalability etc.
Cloud computing can yield significant savings and benefits to an organization under the right
circumstances.
Cloud computing requires the IT organization to adapt their existing practices, policies, processes and
procedures in order to successfully utilize cloud computing to the fullest.
ITIL continues to be a valid framework to be used in IT organizations where they have adopted, or are
likely to adopt, cloud computing and can give reassurance that the cloud service provider is using best
practice.
IT organizations using ITIL and other frameworks and standards, will be required to adapt certain
elements of their operations to cater for the disruptive nature and benefits of cloud computing.
For those organizations using ITIL best practice and other frameworks and standards the message is
clear: there is no need to undo the current IT organization and how it operates. Use ITIL and existing
frameworks and standards as before, but identify the areas that need to be updated, changed or
modified to cater for the changes required by cloud computing to realize the value that cloud computing
can bring to the organization as well as to the customers and consumers.

References
www.cloudcredential.org/certifications/pcsm
www.axelos.com/IT-Service-Management-ITIL
Cabinet Office (2011). ITIL Continual Service Improvement. The Stationery Office, London.
Cabinet Office (2011). ITIL Service Design. The Stationery Office, London.
Cabinet Office (2011). ITIL Service Operation. The Stationery Office, London.
Cabinet Office (2011). ITIL Service Strategy. The Stationery Office, London.
Cabinet Office (2011). ITIL Service Transition. The Stationery Office, London.
Please note that guidance authored and published by the Cabinet Office is now owned
by AXELOS Limited.

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IT service management and cloud computing

About the author

Mark OLoughlin is the Service Management Principal for I.T. Alliance and Auxilion. In addition Mark is a
service architect, consultant, author, speaker and trainer and a former director at itSMF Ireland.
Mark is also the founder, Managing Director and Principal Consultant of Red Circle Strategies,
specialising in cloud and service management consulting. A director at the Cloud Credential Council,
Mark is actively involved in creating and promoting and teaching best practices for cloud computing and
service management.
Mark is the Lead Author and Architect of the Professional Cloud Service Management course and
certificate for the Cloud Credential Council. For more details about this course:
www.cloudcredential.org/certifications/pcsm
Mark was one of the first people globally to be awarded the ITIL Master accreditation, is an ITIL Expert
and is the author of The Service Catalog A Practitioner Guide.

About Cloud Credential Council

The Cloud Credential Council, (CCC) is the international industry representation body mandated to
develop and drive alignment of standards training and certification for individuals in the cloud computing
domain. The CCC is independent and vendor neutral and has an expanding list of members consisting of
public sector and academic institutions, cloud providers, cloud consumers, cloud brokers, professional
associations and international certification bodies from across the world.
The mission of the CCC is to accelerate successful cloud adoption through world-class training
and certification.
To assist organizations understand this paradigm shift in IT service management, the Cloud Credential
Council has created a range of certifiable cloud computing courses. The Professional Cloud Service
Manager (PCSM) course and exam is now globally available and covers many of the areas that an
organization needs to understand in order to adapt their current IT operations to successfully develop,
deploy, manage and improve cloud computing and cloud based services. The PCSM certification will
benefit holders of any ITIL certification and also those without.
For more details: www.cloudcredential.org

About AXELOS
AXELOS are a joint venture company, created by the Cabinet Office on behalf of Her Majestys
Government in the United Kingdom and Capita plc to run the global best practice portfolio, including the
ITIL and PRINCE2 professional standards.
The goals of AXELOS are many and varied, each one aimed at helping businesses and individuals reach
success, empowering them to truly stand out in a competitive market:
We continually promote and advocate quality training.
We strive to encourage growth, development and progress.
We always look for innovative new solutions to improve best practice standards and
processes across the board.
The result is improved skills that are relevant to the industry as a whole and enhanced employability
for all, benefiting the global economy. The benefit to you and your business in particular: better trained
employees, streamlined operations, and the peace of mind of knowing that you are working with an
industry-leading organization, which provides products and services with a long-standing reputation for
setting the industry benchmark.

IT service management and cloud computing

Reviewers
AXELOS would like to thank the following for reviewing this white paper:
Marcel Heilijgers is the Executive Director of the Cloud Credential Council. Prior to joining the Cloud
Credential Council, he drove Marketing Strategy towards the adoption of Microsoft's open cloud solutions
across Central and Eastern Europe.
Patricia Fridman is a PM & IT Consultant and a freelance EXIN Accredited trainer ITIL.
Jayson Kurisinkal is Lead Consultant at Infosys Ltd.
Zenith Law is CEO of Zenospace Ltd.

Acknowledgements
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