ISO/IEC 20000 has replaced BS 15000

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ISO/IEC 20000 has replaced BS 15000

ISO/IEC 20000, the new IT service management standard was published by ISO on 15th December 2005. This new standard has replaced the world renowned British Standard, BS 15000.

Aims
ISO/IEC 20000 has been developed in order to meet the needs of the wider international audience and to provide a common understanding of the management of IT services worldwide. It covers the aspects of IT service management that are the cause of 80% of the total spend on IT by most organizations.

Structure
Part 1 is ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005 Information technology service management. Specification for Service Management. This provides requirements for IT service management and is relevant to those responsible for initiating, implementing or maintaining IT service management in their organization. Organizations can have their IT service management systems independently certified as conforming to the requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005.

Part 2 is ISO/IEC 20000-2:2005 Information technology service management. Code of Practice for Service Management. This gives guidance to internal auditors and assistance to service providers planning service improvements or preparing for audits against ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005.

Differences between ISO/IEC 20000 and BS 15000
There is very little difference between ISO/IEC 20000 and the original BS 15000. Changes were made to make it more applicable for an international audience. These changes were made to the format and structure; consistency between parts 1 and 2; alignment of objectives; standardization of terms and clarification of text.

The international status of ISO/IEC 20000 is seen as key to its adoption worldwide. There is clear evidence that achieving certification against the standard delivers real value - whether it is demonstrating in-house quality or enabling the selection of suitable external partners.

BSI has produced a Guidance Document on the Changes from BS 15000 to ISO/IEC 20000. Download this guidance document.

What do BS 15000 registered clients need to do?
BSI has produced a Transition Statement document explaining how the change from BS 15000 to ISO/IEC 20000 affects registered clients.

Read the ISO/IEC 20000 Transition Statement (pdf)