From the course: Intro to Service Management with ITIL® 4

Fourth Industrial Revolution - ITIL Tutorial

From the course: Intro to Service Management with ITIL® 4

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Fourth Industrial Revolution

- Back when you attended school as a child, you may have learned about the Industrial Revolution. The First Industrial Revolution occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries all across Europe and America. During this period, humanity moved from an agrarian-based rural society of farmers into an urbanized industrial area that later developed into some of our country's largest cities. This movement was brought about by the development of mechanization in the form of iron and textile industries, as well as the power of the steam engine for our transportation needs. The Industrial Revolution was only the first one, though. By the end of the 19th century and continuing until World War I, or the Great War as it's known in Europe, humanity moved into the Second Industrial Revolution. During this time, our industries expanded to include steel, oil, electricity, and electrically powered equipment to aid in the mass production of goods. During this time period, cars were developed, with their internal combustion engines that made transportation even more convenient and efficient. At the same time, the light bulb began to replace candlelight, allowing us to work longer into the night. And of course, communication across great distances became possible through the use of our telephones. Life was better than it had ever been before, but humanity wasn't done exploring and inventing yet. Technology continued to expand in its use, but there weren't any real major breakthroughs until the end of the 20th century. It was around 1980, and technology had jumped to yet another level. This was way beyond what existed in the Second Industrial Revolution. It was at this time that the Third Industrial Revolution, known as the Digital Revolution, truly began. With the advancement of analog and digital electronics, humanity began to utilize life-changing technologies on a daily basis, including the personal computer, the internet, and the entire spectrum of information and communication technologies. Many of these things are the things you're responsible for within your organization, and it was during this Third Industrial Revolution that ITIL was first created. ITIL was originally developed as a series of best practices and guidance on how to run an information technology organization. In fact, ITIL as it was originally developed was an acronym that stood for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. ITIL began in the 1980s as a way for organizations to create processes and procedures to better run their IT systems. Throughout the last three decades, ITIL became the de facto standard around the world for IT service management. As we moved as a society from the First Industrial Revolution to the Second and then onto the Third, we're now at a crossroads again. Now we're moving into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and it is happening right now. The Fourth Industrial Evolution is marked by the creation of cyber-physical systems, where a fusion of technologies has blurred the lines between physical and digital realms. This includes the use of technologies like robotics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, autonomous cars, and so much more. This explosive growth in technology in the early 21st century has transformed our world economies as well as ourselves. So you may be wondering right now, why are we spending time talking about the history of various industrial revolutions that occurred over the past few hundred years? Well, it's to make this point, ITIL 4 is not considered ITL version four. Instead, it's ITIL for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. ITIL is no longer considered an acronym. ITIL is a brand name. It simply means ITIL. It doesn't mean Information Technology Infrastructure Library anymore, because ITIL is more than just infrastructure. This is a major shift in the way ITIL approaches the challenges of IT service management based on this as well.

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