What is ITIL® (Version 5)?
ITIL® is a globally recognized best-practice framework for service and product management that provides flexible guidance on how organizations design, deliver, operate, and continuously improve technology-enabled services to align with business objectives. It is owned and managed by PeopleCert, which develops ITIL® guidelines and ITIL® certifications in collaboration with global experts and accredited training partners.
ITIL® (Version 5) is the latest version of ITIL®. This new version of ITIL® builds on previous editions and helps organizations create value through technology in a complex, rapidly changing, and increasingly digitized environment.
What’s New in ITIL® (Version 5)?
ITIL® (Version 5) introduces significant updates that reflect how organizations design, deliver, and improve value in modern digital environments. These changes better align ITIL® with real-world operating models shaped by digital products, platforms, and constant change.
A framework designed for digital and product-focused organizations
Earlier versions of ITIL® focused primarily on services, reflecting a time when value was delivered mainly through discrete IT services. ITIL® (Version 5) expands on this perspective to reflect how modern organizations actually operate today.
ITIL® (Version 5) recognizes that value is created through a combination of digital products, platforms, services, and models of continuous delivery and improvement.
Instead of treating these elements in isolation, ITIL® (Version 5) emphasizes a comprehensive, end-to-end lifecycle approach. Ownership shifts from isolated functions to integrated value streams, enabling teams to manage products and services holistically—from strategy through delivery to improvement.
Modern, Integrated, and Comprehensive
ITIL® (Version 5) provides guidance that works across the entire organization, from leadership and strategy to day-to-day operations. It helps teams collaborate more effectively, align priorities, and consistently create value in both stable and rapidly changing environments.
AI-Native and Practical Design
ITIL® (Version 5) supports professionals working in fields that utilize artificial intelligence. It provides clear and practical guidance for adapting workflows, making informed decisions, and responding to change in line with evolving technologies, business needs, and customer expectations.
A Confident Step Forward for the ITIL® Community
The new version of ITIL® represents an evolution, not a revolution. If you already have ITIL® certification or knowledge, this is not a reset. Your existing ITIL® knowledge and experience retain their value under the new ITIL®, making this a natural next step that allows you to move forward with confidence, whenever and however it makes sense for you.
The New ITIL® Certification Scheme
The ITIL® (Version 5) certification scheme begins with the ITIL® Foundation module and continues with eight higher-level modules and one extension module.
Who Should Be Interested in ITIL® (Version 5)?
The new version of ITIL® is useful for anyone responsible for transforming technology investments into real, measurable results—from design through organizational change and leadership.
ITIL® (Version 5) is relevant for professionals and organizations that rely on technology to achieve measurable business value. It supports IT service and product teams that manage products, platforms, and services within complex value streams in environments characterized by continuous delivery, automation, and complexity.
Leaders in digital transformation benefit from ITIL®’s new ability to align strategy, delivery, and operations through a shared, value-based framework that supports adaptability and informed decision-making.
Organizations operating in environments that support artificial intelligence can use ITIL® (Version 5) to establish governance and accountability without slowing down innovation.