It's a New and Exciting 2015!

Happy New Year!  And an exciting new year it is going to be. 2015 promises to be a transformative year where the next generation of IT capabilities become reality in order to meet the rising needs of a rapidly changing business landscape.

First step - a new, intuitive and interactive website!  If you haven't been there lately, come visit us at www.itsmacademy.com.  It's beautiful!

Along with an updated website, we will be updating our service portfolio with emerging and relevant topics such as Agile, DevOps and Cyber.  Each of these practices enhances some aspect of  IT's ability to deliver ongoing and sustainable customer value    None are perfect, none are complete and none supercede or obsolete the other.   Together, they form a holistic matrix for managing services in a modern world.  And of course ITIL and ITSM play a key role in all.

Available now:

• ITIL Foundation, Intermediate and MALC 
• DevOps Foundation 
• Certified ScrumMaster 
• Certified Agile Service Manager (CASM)
• Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE)
• Overviews and non-certification workshops

Coming in 2015

• Cybersecurity
• Prince2 Project Management
• Lean IT
• Knowledge centered support
• Much more

Axelos will also be introducing a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme to help ITSM professionals keep their knowledge current and establish a career path based on their current or desired role.  We are thrilled that we will be one of the first organizations to work with them on this important program.

So stay tuned!  There is a lot of news coming down the pipeline and we will make sure to get that information to you as quickly as possible.   

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, innovative, successful and fulfilling 2015.

Happy 2010 - An Exciting New Year

Can you believe that it is 2010? I'm still wrapping my head around that one. I do wish everyone a year filled with knowledge, joy, prosperity and good health.

To celebrate the new decade, here's an update on 10 exciting ITSM programs, courses and innovations from ITSM Academy:

1. IT Service Management Professional (ITSMP) Diplomas:
Are you or do you aspire to be a Change Manager, Support Manager or Service Level Manager? As a school now licensed by the Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education, we offer programs to achieve occupational IT Service Management Professional (ITSMP) Diplomas. Enrollment is required for one of these tracks. On our Public Class Schedule, the ITSMP symbol indicates courses which accrue enrolled students educational clock hours toward Change Manager, Support Manager and/or Service Level Manager Diplomas. In addition, enrolled ITSMP students will receive additional "soft skill" educational opportunities. We are the only ITSM training company licensed to offer these diplomas.

2. Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE): Loyalist Certification Services (LCS)'s CPDE exam has been approved as a complementary course in the ITIL Certification Scheme for 1.5 credits. We are also very proud that Donna Knapp's CPDE textbook will be published this spring by J. Ross Publishing. The book will be included with ITSM Academy's CPDE course materials.

3. PMP Exam Prep: Several of our alumni have expressed interest in becoming Project Management Professionals (PMPs). Knowing that ITSM implementations are more successful when managed as by skilled Project Managers, we will be offering 5 day PMP Exam Prep courses beginning March, 2010. This course meets PMI's 35 hour formal training requirement.

4. Virtual Training: Feedback from our instructor led virtual training classes has been very positive and pass rates for these sessions have been equivalent to traditional classroom rates. We will continue to expand the number and type of courses available in our Virtual Classroom.

5. Corporate Train the Trainer Program (Corporate Academy): ITSM Academy offers our accredited courseware and instructor services for use by select training organizations, consultants, trainers, educational institutes, universities, and software companies looking to establish their own co-branded ITSM training and certification program. We also license to corporations seeking a cost effective training solution for large numbers of learners.

6. Accredited Training Council Trade Association (ATCTA): I am working with colleagues from several other ITSM Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) to create a structured trade association. The association's intent will be to raise the quality of ITSM training standards and represent the voice of the customer to Examination Institutes and the ITIL Qualification Board. It's great news that several ATOs are willing to collaborate and align to the benefit of our customers and our industry. We hope to launch the association during Q2 2010.

7. ITIL Expert Pass: For learners who have achieved ITIL Foundation and aspire to become ITIL Experts, the ITIL Expert Pass gives you access to all of the courses needed to achieve your goal at one affordable price.

8. Corporate Pass: This is an opportunity for six team members from the same organization to attend an unlimited number of courses in a 12-month period for only $24,995.

9. Sand Dollars: This program offers volume pricing for multiple named learners.

10. Early Bird Specials: This is an opportunity for 25% off of select class seats. Early Bird's are only available for select courses/dates and can expire at any time. Check our website for early bird seat availability.

We are now an ITSM Career School! Introducing the ITSMP Diploma Program

Big news at ITSM Academy! We are now licensed by the Florida Department of Education, Commission on Independent Education, as a career school with the ability to grant occupational ITSM diplomas. ITSM Academy's program is the first of its kind and we are the only career school licensed to offer IT Service Management occupational diplomas.

Our new IT Service Management Professional (ITSMP) diploma program has three career tracks – ITSMP Change Manager, ITSMP Support Manager and ITSMP Service Level Manager. Building on critical roles within the prominent IT Service Management frameworks, the ITSMP program bundles ITSM certification courses into diploma tracks. This ensures that students are equipped with ALL of the skills needed to succeed in a specific process management position. In addition to earning an ITSMP diploma, students will also achieve industry recognized certifications.

Each career track consists of two required courses (ITIL Foundation and Certified Process Design Engineer), two subject matter expertise courses (one ITIL Lifecycle, one ITIL Capability) and a standard or framework elective (ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation or Microsoft Operations Framework). To learn more about these programs and courses, click here.

We built these programs and went through the rigor of becoming a licensed school because we believe there is a need for role-based ITSM education and credentials. Until now, there has not been enough focus placed on the educational requirements of key process managers. A successful Change Manager, for example, should have more knowledge than just that contained in ITIL Release Control and Validation (RCV) or ITIL Service Transition courses. Understanding multiple frameworks as well as the mechanics of designing, implementing and improving processes is equally important. And having a recognized and licensed diploma not only credentials the individual but legitimizes the occupation.

Achieving ITIL Expert™ is still absolutely appropriate for those who will lead ITSM programs – either within an organization or as a consultant or trainer. It is the ITIL Version (V3) equivalent of ITIL Service Manager, a well recognized and respected role. ITSM Academy will continue to provide training and support for those seeking ITIL Expert™ certification – in fact, we recently introduced an ITIL Expert Pass that allows learners with ITIL Foundation certification to take 16.5 credits + our MALC course for a flat fee. However, for those who are, or aspire to be, process managers, the ITSMP diploma program focuses on related and necessary skill sets.

In becoming a licensed school, ITSM Academy is committing to the governance and compliance standards of the Florida Department of Education as well as other school accreditation agencies.
Providing our students the opportunity to earn ITSM diplomas has been a long-standing goal at the Academy. Our concern is that other training organizations will see the value in offering the diplomas, but won't complete the rigorous process required to be under the supervision of a state or professional agency. If that's the case, they will be granting diplomas that are either fraudulent, or because of the lack of proper standards, worthless. We will do our best to educate the community on the difference between licensed schools and diploma mills.

ITSM Academy's License number is 4142. Additional information regarding the Florida Department of Education, Commission on Independent Education may be obtained by contacting the Commission at 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414, Tallahassee, FL 323099-0400, toll-free telephone number (888) 224-6684.

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