Telkom has obtained ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 accreditation for its IT services management (ITSM) system relating to its Basic Hosting offering, demonstrating the Company’s proven best practice and excellence in IT management.
The standard ensures companies can achieve evidence-based benchmarks to continuously improve their delivery of IT services.
ISO/IEC 20000 was released in 2005 based on the IT infrastructure library (ITIL) best practice framework and was updated in 2011.
“We are proud to be one of the first South African ICT companies to receive an ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 certification. The accreditation underpins our effectiveness in data centre hosting services, verifying that our
services are of world-class standards. It also provides us with a competitive edge in the broader marketplace,” says Sudeshen Chetty, Telkom executive responsible for Data Centre Infrastructure and Operations.
“Our customers are demanding IT maturity. Our ability to provide utility-type, reliable, repeatable services are paramount in our business. This accreditation is testimony to how seriously we regard customer service as
verified by an independent auditing authority.”
In addition, Telkom Business’s IT and cloud capability division, was awarded the SMEXA award for the best project of the year on its ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 achievement.
In April 2013, Telkom SA SOC became one of the first South African ICT companies to receive ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 certification for its Data Centre Basic Hosting services, as assessed by BSI(British Standards
Institution).
Telkom partnered with Pink Elephant on the 18-month journey towards certification ? an international ITIL and ITSM conference, education and consulting group ? to provide project guidance, best practice
recommendations, document reviews and mock audits.
“Almost each and every one of our staff members participated by sharing adherence to documented processes and by doing so, enabled the IT Service Management team to demonstrate compliance with the standard,”
adds Chetty.
Following intensive process documentation, consisting of more than 111 base documents aligning to ISO/IEC requirements, Telkom’s data centre environment underwent two stringent audits conducted by the
assessment registrar, BSI Group. Certification was granted following site inspections of Telkom’s national data centre facilities.
“ISO/IEC 20000 is increasingly seen as the quality standard for IT service management and many companies are striving to adopt ISO/IEC 20000, not only for their own benefit but also to help qualify and choose
suppliers and partner organisations,” adds Neil Petford from Pink Elephant.
Although the certificate is valid for a period of three years, Telkom’s IT service management system will have to undergo an external review every year and another comprehensive audit in 2016, in order to retain certification.