The 1st Law of ITIL Samurai: Rectitude

The word Samurai, loosely translated means "to serve". Thus, ITIL Samurai live to serve the businesses in which they work for by ensuring the IT services create the business outcomes their masters desire. True ITIL Samurai understand that IT is a tool that helps to enable the outcomes required by the business.

Today, ITIL Samurai wishes to introduce you to the first law of the Bushido Code of ITIL Samurai:

Rectitude: Rightness of principle or practice; exact conformity to truth, or to the rules prescribed for, moral conduct either by divine or human laws; uprightness of mind; uprightness; integrity; honesty; justice.

ITIL Samurai are bound to the divine guidance of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. We believe in the knowledge of our elders and use the information held within the tomes to guide us in our daily IT lives. We understand that by following the ideas and rules held within, we will be able to make more informed decisions and better separate the "needs" from the "wants". We have an insatiable appetite for the way things get done and are constantly striving to do it better.

Process is paramount.

When the business comes up with a new direction or when issues happen the first thing we think about is "How do we fit this into our processes?".

True ITIL Samurai understand that the "IT" in ITIL is just a descriptor. The framework can be used for any service anywhere. ITIL Samurai see processes everywhere they go and can mold and shape the framework to everyday life adventures like picking up the dry cleaning, dining at a restaurant, renting a video, taking the train to work, or even going to a drive through.

ITIL Samurai believe that everything you do in life revolves around a process. All you have to do is look. You'll find it.

ITIL Samurai live to provide integrity, honesty, and stability in all that they do and ITIL is our source for guidance on how to create this perfect world. ITIL Samurai understand that no person or method is perfect but we constantly strive to be the impossible; never becoming complacent nor arrogant.

Our loyalty is with the business, not with the technology (or vendors) as we understand that we've never seen a server or vendor's signature on our paycheck. Nor has a piece of hardware ever created a business plan or a business strategy for the future growth of the business.

We are focused on business outcomes first.

From understanding these we can more holistically design and maintain the right technology to enable what our masters, "the business" desire.

An analogy:
Information Technology is just that. Technology that transfers information from one person to the next. In the days of feudal Japan "I.T." was rice paper and a brush. The rice paper was the "technology" that held the "information". The paint brush was the "technology" that allowed one person to communicate the "information" to other feudal lords. Writing on rice paper was much more economical (and better on the back) than writing on stone tablets. And don't even get the ITIL Samurai started with trying to walk the big heavy things between the clans. Once rice paper was implemented, we never looked back.

But, just having the brushes and paper was not enough. Many other issues came along such as:

Where are we going to store all this paper? How do we ensure that secret papers are kept safe and away from other non-important papers? Once we have locked them away, how do we ensure that only authorized people can access these papers? How do we know who is authorized in the first place? This is where IT Service Managment comes into play but that's another blog for another time.

ITIL Samurai understand that having a thorough knowledge of hardware and software means nothing if you cannot manage it properly. You can have all of the rice paper and brushes you want but if none in your kingdom know how to use it or the method in which to store and communicate the information wisely, your empire will crumble to those who do understand these principles.