Michael Scarborough

What is an ITIL Certification Really Worth?

March 22, 2013 Michael Scarborough Cisco, Cloudera, Featured, Professional Development, Project Management, Routing & Switching, Technology, Training in Business

In order to assess the value of ITIL certifications to individuals and organizations, a survey was created and targeted to individuals who have earned various ITIL certifications. The purpose of the survey was to assess both the tangible and intangible value of these certifications, and it focused on various ITIL Intermediate certifications and ITIL Expert. The value of ITIL Foundation was not assessed because that is a basic, common, entry-level certification.

The Value of ITIL® Certifications

March 15, 2013 Michael Scarborough Cisco, Cloudera, Featured, Professional Development, Project Management, Routing & Switching, Technology, Training in Business

The professional certification industry has grown significantly in conjunction with increased growth of various aspects of the information technology field. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) is a set of best practices designed to describe common approaches that organizations can apply to regular activities conducted by information technology (IT) organizations. The current version of ITIL offers a series of professional certifications designed to attest to an individual’s level of competency in specific areas that ITIL covers, or to attest to an individual’s level of competency in the overall set of ITIL best practices.

Engaging Suppliers in Change Management

March 6, 2013 Michael Scarborough Cisco, Cloudera, Featured, Professional Development, Project Management, Routing & Switching, Technology, Training in Business

Once an organization has categorized suppliers, one of the benefits that is quickly realized is an understanding of how supplier changes affect the buying organization and vice-versa. Changes are the modification, addition, or removal of something from the environment. The scope and scale of each change can be different. Change management covers everything from regular, low-risk, operational modifications all the way to significant organizational strategic shifts.

Establishing Accountability in Supplier Management

February 27, 2013 Michael Scarborough Cisco, Cloudera, Featured, Professional Development, Project Management, Routing & Switching, Technology, Training in Business

To be accountable for something means that you are answerable for that thing, be it goods, services, documentation, etc. The crux of accountability is that it can’t be delegated and only one person can be ultimately accountable for something. Accountability with respect to supplier management shows up in many ways. First, when a purchasing organization establishes a contract with a supplier, it is critical that all necessary accountabilities are clearly defined in the contract. Second, it is critical for success that the purchasing organization uses one consistent voice to communicate with its supplier.

How To Improve Purchasing Performance By Categorizing Suppliers

February 20, 2013 Michael Scarborough Cisco, Cloudera, Featured, Professional Development, Project Management, Routing & Switching, Technology, Training in Business

As mentioned earlier, one of the most useful pieces of guidance that ITIL provides relates to the categorization of suppliers. ITIL describes four categories of suppliers: