ISO/IEC 20000 is the international standard for IT Service management.

The standard actually comprises two parts: ISO/IEC 20000-1 and ISO/IEC 20000-2. ISO 20000-1 is the 'Specification for Service Management, and it is this which is organisation becomes certified against. ISO 20000-2 is the ' Code of practice for Service Management', and descibes best practices, and the requirements of Part 1.

ISO/IEC 20000 is expected to play a hugely significant role in the future of IT governance for the following reasons:

• ISO/IEC 20000 supports longer established methods e.g. ITIL, Cobit and Six Sigma.
• The role of organizational certification cannot be over-estimated.
• Existence of such an internationally recognized scheme will inevitably act as a driver, as organizations seek to differentiate themselves in the market.
• To gain many government contracts, certification against international standards are often a requirement.

The contents of the standard are:

ISO 20000-1: Specification for Service Management (Mandatory)

Scope
Terms & definitions
Requirements for a management system
Planning and implementing service management
Planning and implementing new/changed services
Service delivery processes
Relationship processes
Resolution processes
Control processes
Release process

ISO 20000-2: Code of Practice (Non-mandatory)

Scope
Terms & definitions
The management systems
Planning and implementing service management
Service delivery processes
Relationship processes
Resolution processes
Control processes
Rekease management processes